Toronto police freeze new community safety hubs while they set measures for the four they run
Police have stopped taking applications for new hubs. A separate Union Station office will still open as a pilot.
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Toronto police have stopped taking applications for new community safety hubs. Chief Myron Demkiw said at a news conference on Nov. 2 that the force has "many requests coming in" and wants to set evaluation metrics before rolling the hubs out more widely. He said he was confident the review would "show a huge value-add."
The force runs four hubs now, at Dufferin Mall, Fairview Mall, Lawrence Heights and Shops at Don Mills, where people can talk to officers in a "non-enforcement setting." The first opened at Fairview Mall in early 2025 and the newest at Dufferin Mall in September. Police say the hubs are meant to deter crime through more visible deployments.
The Union Station police office pilot is not affected by the pause. Police have not said where the next hubs will go.
Selwyn Pieters, a lawyer and human rights activist, said busy spots such as Sankofa Square could suit a hub. He is wary of proactive policing in malls or on the subway, saying officers are not well equipped to deal with people in mental health crises, particularly Black and Indigenous residents.
The Toronto Police Association, which credits city hiring plans for a move toward more proactive policing, says the force took on a net 627 new officers during Mayor Olivia Chow's first three years. Its vice-president, Brian Callanan, said the force once had a broader street presence, including a space in the Eaton Centre, which he called "very, very effective." He believes the hubs can bring that back.
