The number of people charged with hate-motivated offences last year increased by 84 per cent, according to Toronto police.
In a report to the Toronto Police Services Board on Wednesday, officials said 209 hate-motivated criminal charges were laid in 2024, including eight counts of Public Incitement of Hatred, a rarely laid charge that requires the consent of the Attorney General.
Police say the most commonly reported hate-motivated offences were mischief, assault, uttering threats, and criminal harassment.
Religion was the leading motivating factor, followed by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity.
The Jewish, 2SLGBTQ+, Black, and Muslim communities were the most frequent targets of hate, with police also noting a sizeable increase in hate crimes targeting the South Asian community.
“So far in 2025, we have seen a 47 per cent decrease in reported hate crimes, compared to the same time last year,” police said. “Despite this decrease, hate crime remains a serious concern, with many of these crimes still underreported.”
In a separate report, Police Chief Myron Demkiw said incidents of homicides, shootings, car thefts and home invasions are down through the first part of the year while response times are continuing to improve.
Demkiw said there have been 67 per cent fewer homicides with 11 recorded to date compared to 33 at the same time a year ago.
As well, shootings are down 46 per cent while police have made more than 320 arrests related to firearms.
There have been 33 fewer incidents of home invasion, a decline of 42 per cent, while there have been 39 per cent fewer auto thefts.
“Some of the trends we are seeing so far are going in the right direction, but as always, we remain vigilant,” said Demkiew.
“We are entering the summer season prepared and focused.”
Toronto police also noted an improvement in response times to Priority 1 calls.
A year ago, the average response time hovered around 18 minutes, but that number has been holding at around 13 minutes or less for the last four months.
