Some 82% of religiously motivate hate crimes in Toronto in 2025 targeted Jews, compared to 14% that were anti-Muslim, according to annual hate crime statistics that the Toronto Police Service released on Friday.
The department said that there was a 50% decrease in reported hate crimes in 2025 (231) compared to 2024 (443) but that reported hate crimes are up 40% so far in 2026 compared to this period last year. In 2023, there were 372 reported hate crimes, the department said.
In 2025, there was also a 37% decrease compared to 2024 in the number of criminal charges (217) brought against the 73 people arrested for hate crimes. Those arrested for hate crimes in 2025 were likelier to be charged (32%) than they were in 2024 (25%).
“Despite the overall decrease, hate crimes motivated by religion, race/ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression remained the most frequently reported, with the Jewish community the most frequently targeted group of all hate-motivated crimes,” the police department stated.
“The harm caused by hate continues to be very concerning, particularly for communities that continue to be targeted most frequently,” stated Myron Demkiw, chief of the police department. “The data shows that Jewish, black and 2SLGBTQI+ communities remain most impacted, year after year.”
“We are steadfast in our commitment to confronting hate in all its forms and making it easier for people to come forward and report incidents of hate,” the chief said. “In the last two years, we have strengthened our Hate Crime Unit and established the Counter-Terrorism Security Unit, which now encompasses the Hate Crime Unit, because we recognize the importance of addressing violent extremism early, in order to prevent harm.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the advocacy arm of the Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, stated that Jews make up 3% of Toronto’s population and that 35% of all reported hate crimes in the city targeted Jews.
“A Jewish Torontonian is now 14 times more likely to experience a hate incident than any other resident of Toronto,” CIJA stated.
“Toronto prides itself on being a city where people of all backgrounds can live openly, safely and without fear. Those values are undermined when any community no longer feels secure expressing its identity in public,” stated Michelle Stock, vice president for Ontario at CIJA.
“These statistics are deeply alarming, but they reflect a broader reality that Jewish families across Toronto are already experiencing every day. From synagogues to schools to public displays of Jewish identity, blatant attacks against the Jewish community are becoming more frequent and more brazen,” she stated. “Jewish Canadians are being targeted simply for who they are. No one should have to think twice about wearing a kippah, attending synagogue, sending their children to Jewish schools or participating openly in Jewish life.”
Police alone cannot solve the problem, according to Stock.
“Governments, law enforcement and civic leaders must treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve and ensure those responsible are identified and held accountable. This requires coordinated action to confront the growing threat of antisemitism, extremism, radicalization and hate-motivated violence,” she stated. “The safety and security of Jewish Canadians cannot become negotiable or conditional in our society.”
The police department said that there were more than 375 protests in 2025 “related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
“During demonstrations, 84 individuals were arrested and 186 criminal charges were laid,” the department said. “The Hate Crime Unit continues to be deployed during these protests, and other protests, to provide specialized expertise.”
