Toronto mayoral campaign event cancelled after security threat; suspect arrested

Suspect in custody late Thursday after threats uttered against mayoral candidates.

Thestar.com
June 2, 2023
Ben Spurr

Public safety has been a hot topic during Toronto’s mayoral election, but the issue took centre stage in a troubling new way Thursday when organizers were forced to cancel a campaign event following reports a man had threatened to shoot candidates.

Toronto police issued a press release Thursday afternoon that said at about 10:44 a.m., officers were called to a “public location” near Greenwood Avenue and Mortimer Avenue in East York where a man had “made threatening remarks about shooting Toronto mayoral candidates” and “brandished what appeared to be a firearm.”

Police said late Thursday they had taken a man into custody.

No candidates were present at the time of the incident, said Const. Alex Li in a press conference Thursday evening. Police added they are also investigating an online threat authorities believe was made by the same suspect.

“We want to reassure them [mayoral candidates] too that we have deployed resources to ensure their safety and they take the necessary steps that they must do to protect themselves as well,” Li said.

In a message that was sent to all registered candidates and obtained by the Star, the force described the incident as “a blanket threat” and said “there was no specific candidate named.” There are 102 people signed up for the race.

A half-dozen of the leading challengers had been scheduled to attend a debate hosted by the Federation of South Toronto Residents’ Associations and the Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations at OCAD University at 7 p.m. At around 4:30 p.m., about an hour after the police issued their release, OCAD said the event was cancelled.

Don Young, co-chair of the steering committee for Thursday’s event, called the cancellation a “punch to the guts,” and said organizers would meet soon to consider rescheduling. The election takes place June 26.

Even before the cancellation was announced, some mayoral hopefuls said they were pulling out of the event.

They included former police chief Mark Saunders, whose team sent a message to organizers saying he had decided not taking part was “the right thing to do” given “the serious security concerns.”

Coun. Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches-East York), said he would “pause public events until the suspect is apprehended,” while Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul’s) also withdrew, and said he had closed his campaign office for the day. Matlow told the Star he was concerned not only for his and his team’s safety, but for residents.

“It would be irresponsible to be at a public event while there is a threat of this nature,” he said.

Olivia Chow called the incident “unsettling” for all those involved the election, while Ana Bailao, who wasn’t scheduled to attend the event, said “threats against any elected officials or those seeking election are totally unacceptable.”

A spokesperson for candidate Mitzie Hunter, who suspended her campaign activities Thursday, said the cancellation was “unfortunate,” and linked the alleged threat to the broader concerns about public safety that have been a central theme of the byelection.

Although by some measures violent crime in the city is on the decline, in the months leading up to the campaign Torontonians were shaken by a series of high-profile, apparently random attacks, including on the TTC. Mayoral hopefuls have vowed to tackle the issue, proposing everything from increased policing and bail reform to better mental health supports.

“This is indicative of the many things happening in our city that we have to address,” Hunter’s spokesperson, Charmain Emerson, said of the security incident.

While it’s rare for death threats to directly impact an election campaign, in recent years local politicians and city staff have complained of a rising tide of abusive comments and menacing behaviour aimed at public officials.

Earlier, police said they were looking for Junior Francois Lavagesse, 29, of Toronto. He was arrested later Thursday and police said they would release more details on Friday morning.

A spokesperson for the city said it was aware of the alleged threat and its corporate security division was “working with Toronto Police to ensure the safety and security of candidates who are members of council.”