The Toronto Board of Trade says jobs could be part of the solution to curb the rising gang violence in the city
The board made the statement after Toronto police Chief Bill Blair reached out to the business community to help deal with the root causes of gangs.
The call for action comes after one of the worst mass shootings in the city's history, when two people were killed and 23 others injured at a community barbeque on Danzig Street last month.
Carol Wilding, the board of trade's president and chief executive officer, says she wants to sit down with the police chief to discuss how to prevent youth from signing up for a life of crime.
Police spokesman Mark Pugash told CP24 the chief is willing to sit down and discuss the issue with anyone who is willing to contribute.
Pugash said Blair wants to expand the police service’s Youth in Policing Initiative, which sets up summer jobs for at-risk youth aged 14 to 17 in “priority” neighbourhoods in the city.
Pugash said 150 teens are employed through the program this year.
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