Important Issues : Safety

As your City Councillor, Councillor Giambrone has made community safety initiatives a priority in Ward 18. The following is a brief outline of the community safety initiatives undertaken in Ward 18 over the last 18 months.

Community Safety Initiatives
Ward 18 is a safe community and our approach to crime and related problems has been one of community building. We have undertaken projects that give residents a sense of ownership and responsibility for their neighbourhood and have encouraged developments that will change the neighbourhood, i.e. buildings facing onto the street and new public streets to enhance safety.

Initiatives include:

• Safety Audits.
• Security Blitz at Lansdowne and Dufferin TTC Stations.
• Created a Working Group to address ongoing problems in the Bloor and Lansdowne area.
• Stepped up enforcement against graffitti as a means of improving the visual environment of the neighbourhood based on the premise that a bad image contributes to urban problems.
• Helped to bring the transfer of the lot of the former TTC Barns at 640 Lansdowne (north of Bloor St.) to the Toronto Police Services in order to put in a new police station.
• Inaugurated a local Ward Council in order to engage residents and invigorate local democracy.
• Have ongoing meetings with residents and Municipal Licensing and Standards staff about the bars at Dupont St. and Perth Ave, among other locations.
• Work with by-law officers and police around strip clubs and massage parlours.
• Work with police and MLS to shut down crack houses and other problem establishments through the proactive enforcement of by-laws.
• Have made a massive effort to address the problems at 1011 Lansdowne (including drug sales, prostitution, squatting, and poor conditions for residents) working with police, MLS, tenants’ rights groups and residents.
• Have helped to create or encourage new community groups as they seek to improve their neighbourhoods.
• Have met regularly with 14 Division and 11 Division and get regular reports from both divisions.

Councillor Giambrone’s office brought in these community safety initiatives in order to foster a community based approach to crime prevention in Ward 18 and to strengthen the sense of community and cooperation.