'We saw a gap in the system,' Canadian provincial parliamentarian says of new Ontario unit to prosecute hate crimes

Days after Toronto Police arrested two people suspected of displaying antisemitic signs at a March 15 demonstration, Ontario announced plans to address what authorities and community advocates identify as a weakness in the justice system's response to hate crimes: moving bias cases through the courts more effectively.

The province established Canada's first specialized unit dedicated to prosecuting hate crimes, staffing it with experienced crown prosecutors who will handle hate speech and hate-motivated offenses across Ontario.

"We saw a gap in the system, and we fixed the gap," Said Michelle Cooper, a Progressive Conservative provincial parliamentarian representing Eglinton-Lawrence. "It's not just someone working off the side of their desk," She added, highlighting the dedicated expertise of the new prosecutors.

The initiative stemmed from a motion Cooper introduced that received unanimous parliamentary support on April 16. The province has already hired prosecutors in each of Ontario's six regions, who will collaborate with police departments before and after charges are laid.

Cooper explained that prosecutors and investigators will work together to ensure evidence is properly gathered and evaluated before someone is charged. "Sometimes some of these take a little bit longer, because it is complex," She noted.

Toronto Police statistics released in May showed that in 2025, approximately 82% of religiously motivated hate crimes in the city targeted Jews, compared to 14% that were anti-Muslim. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs noted that Jews comprise 3% of Toronto's population yet account for 35% of all reported hate crimes in the city, making Jewish Torontonians 14 times more likely to experience a hate incident than other residents.

In Ontario, hate crime cases have been dismissed when prosecutors lacked the specialized knowledge needed to balance bias intent against protected speech rights, Cooper said. She and Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey visited the Toronto Police Service's hate crimes unit last year. "In her role as a provincial parliamentarian and also a Jewish person in the community and having a large Jewish community constituent base here in Eglinton-Lawrence, I wanted to understand the why," Cooper told JNS.

The police department's hate crimes unit expanded after October 7 to employ full-time dedicated investigators with relevant expertise. A crown prosecutor in Windsor secured a conviction in a hate crime case due to specialized knowledge, Cooper said.

The Toronto, Peel and York regional police departments, the Police Association of Ontario, and Jewish groups including B'nai Brith Canada have supported the initiative. "This is an important step toward protecting targeted communities, including Jewish Canadians," Stated Simon Wolle, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada.

Cooper said she hopes to see documented results within one or two years and believes the government should make that data public.