Toronto police now have a dedicated presence in North York’s Lawrence Heights neighbourhood, a commitment Chief Myron Demkiw made in the days following a June 2025 mass shooting that killed a 31-year-old man in a wheelchair and injured six others.
On Wednesday, Demkiw joined Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and local Coun. Mike Colle, as well as community members, for the grand opening of a new safety hub.
Located in a commercial unit at 10 Old Meadow Lane, just north of Lawrence Avenue West and east of Allen Road, the space will serve as a home base for Neighbourhood Community Officers (NCOs), providing them with a place to meet with members of the community and work on crime prevention initiatives.
“Where gun violence is prevalent, you need to kind of reframe how we look at our community, instead of homicides and the individuals that we’ve lost,” community leader Mike Jonathan said.
The chief of police echoed his thoughts, saying this is especially relevant in areas where “we have seen incidents and violence, we know the police presence matters.”
Colle, meanwhile, said the new safety hub will serve as a place for making connections.
“Not just when crime occurs, but preventing things from happening, by people getting to know the local police and having a coffee with them, you know,” he said.
“It’s a meeting place for the police, the community, beyond just when something bad happens.”
Chow, in her remarks, said it’s a place where residents can get to know officers by name and build trust at the local level.
“How do you build a community?” she said.
“You build a community when you build relationships, when you trust each other, when you can talk to each other; that’s most important.”
Lawrence Heights resident Chit Alcantara said the safety hub will enhance security in the neighbourhood.
“It’s not very safe, I guess. So now that they’re having this in here, that we’re very, very happy. We’re ecstatic about this, believe you me,” she said.
