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PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHON #0149/01 1831915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021915Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL TORONTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2866
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0062

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TORONTO 000149 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL/IRF, DRL/SEAS, WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM SOCI PGOV CA
SUBJECT:  Measuring Anti-Semitism in the GTA 
 
Ref: (A) Ottawa 273 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Law enforcement statistics on hate 
crimes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in 2008 are 
becoming publicly available, with the Toronto Police 
Service (TPS) statistics already released, 
and York Regional Police statistics soon to follow. 
The statistics show that the Jewish community, which 
includes some 4% of the GTA's population, was the 
target of some 30% of hate crimes in the GTA and 
thus was the group most frequently targeted for 
actual hate crimes in 2008.  Police statistics show 
that rate has been slowly rising in the past few years. 
Still, law enforcement statistics present a considerably 
less stark picture than the B'nai Brith report released 
in April, which included incidents that would not 
be considered crimes under Canada's criminal code. 
Because B'nai Brith combines law enforcement data 
with its own self-compiled statistics, the number 
of anti-Semitic incidents it reported were actually 
seven times as high as the official numbers 
included in police reports. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In April 2009, B'nai Brith released its 2008 
Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents which reported 538 
occurrences in the GTA (ref A).  B'nai Brith reported 
an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in all the 
provinces, as well as Ontario, home to Canada's largest 
Jewish population.  Post submits this cable to 
provide additional information on the fight agains 
t hate-crimes in the Toronto area, and notes the 
difference in statistics on actual hate crimes, and 
the much higher B'nai Brith numbers that are based 
on different measures. 
 
¶3. (U) According to the 2006 Canadian Census, 
approximately 178,000 persons who self-identified as 
being Jewish reside in Ontario (over 56% of Canada's total). 
Nearly 142,000 of those (some 80%), reside in the 
GTA, mostly in Toronto itself and in York Region, 
just north of the City.  The Jewish community makes 
up just over 4% of the GTA's overall population. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Hate-Crime Numbers Rising, But Still Below 2004 Peak 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Although York Regional Police has not yet 
released its 2008 hate crimes reports, ranking York 
Police contacts told PolOff that in 2008 there were 
83 anti-Semitic hate crimes in the York region. 
As of May 2009, York police had recorded 27 
anti-Semitic crimes, slightly below last year's 
numbers for the same period.  Overall, hate crimes 
based on religion have increased in the past few years 
but have not reached the 2004 peak of 105 crimes. 
York Regional Police also reports that mischief and 
property damage constituted 55% of reported hate 
crimes in 2008. 
 
¶5. (U) In the City of Toronto, according to Toronto 
Police Services' (TPS) recently-released 2008 
Hate-Crimes report, the Jewish community was the 
most frequently targeted community within its 
jurisdiction, being victims of about 30% of the 
total hate crimes cases.  The next most targeted 
groups were the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and 
Transgender) community at 22%, and the Black 
community at 16%.  TPS recorded 56 crimes motivated 
by religion in general (not only against Judaism), 
constituting 37% of all hate crimes. Members of the 
Jewish community and the Muslim community were the 
main victims of religiously motivated hate crimes, 
with 46 and 7 cases, respectively.  Most hate-crime 
cases in 2008 - 49% - consisted of mischief and 
property damage, followed by assault (13%) and 
threats (12%). 
 
--------------------------------- 
Different Reporting Methodologies 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Police services around the GTA that produce 
hate-crime statistics include a breakdown of hate 
crimes by categories (religion, race, sexual orientation, 
and nationality) in their annual hate-crime reports. 
Reports are based on the number of cases investigated 
by the police and identified as a hate crime category 
 
TORONTO 00000149  002 OF 003 
 
 
listed in the Criminal Code of Canada.  Police discuss 
two separate types of hate-motivated crimes: hate 
propaganda (as described under the Criminal Code) and 
all other criminal offenses where there is evidence 
to indicate bias, prejudice, or hate as a motivating factor 
in the commission of the offences. 
 
¶7. (U) Advocacy groups and community organizations 
such as B'nai Brith, which recently released its 2008 
report, base their analysis on data from police services 
but also add in numbers based on calls from private 
citizens reporting what they consider to be hate acts - 
acts that often would not be considered crimes under 
Canada's Criminal Code.  B'nai Brith statistics on 
anti-Semitic incidents, for example, include 
stereotyping of Jews, such as the airing of 
radio talk shows comments on Jewish characteristics; 
systemic discrimination in the workplace or school; 
as well as incidents occurring during the course of 
anti-Israel demonstrations.  As a result, in its 2008 
report, B'nai Brith reported that there were a total 
of 538 anti-Semitic incidents in the Greater Toronto 
Area (GTA), of which 359 occurred in the City of 
Toronto.  That number is far above the TPS official 
total of 153 for all hate crimes against all groups 
in Toronto. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Good Police-Community Relationship A Must 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) Local police and Jewish organizations in the 
GTA enjoy a good long-standing working relationship. 
This may explain why neither group has questioned 
the other's statistics despite the large disparity 
between police services hate-crime statistics and 
civil society reports.  In fact, B'nai Brith and 
the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), which also 
produces its own analysis, are regularly in contact 
with local police while drafting their reports.  The 
relationship also has created other areas of 
collaboration.  For the past three years, York 
Regional Police officers have participated in 
tolerance and hate-crimes training at the Simon 
Wiesenthal Center in California.  Police regularly 
attend Jewish community events and community 
organizations work closely with local police 
when issues and concerns arise.  Most recently, 
York police used "Project Ready," an alert plan 
it devised to keep community leaders informed 
about international events that may affect the GTA. 
Police kept in close contact with local Jewish 
leaders as events unfolded in the June 10 
shooting at the National Holocaust Museum in 
Washington DC, for example, as a precaution against 
potential local copy-cat incidents. 
 
¶9. (U) Comment: Although hate crime numbers in 
Ontario are relatively small compared to many other 
jurisdictions around the world, police reports reveal 
that it is nonetheless a problem that must be dealt with. 
The Jewish community continues to be the target 
of more hate incidents than any other community.  At 
the same time, official police statistics probably 
are the most consistent ones to use in this developed 
country where the police generally can be relied upon 
to fairly report such incidents.  The B'nai Brith 
statistics cannot be easily compared to incidents that 
affect other groups, if for no other reason than that 
other groups are much less organized at compiling 
incidents and statements that seem directed 
at their group. B'nai Brith's numbers can perhaps 
be compared with its own previous reports in an effort 
to spot trends.  Even then, however, one must analyze 
them carefully, because an increase in media focus on 
Middle East issues will almost inevitably mean an 
increase in radio talk show discussions, pro or con, 
about Israel's role and policy.  Since B'nai Brith 
counts some radio talk show statements among its 
statistics - if it considers them anti-Semitic, 
an increase in overall attention to the Middle East 
that leads to increase in radio discussion quite 
likely would result in an increase in B'nai Brith 
statistics, while not necessarily indicating 
an actual trend in hate incidents. 
 
¶10. (U) Comment Continued: York Police told 
PolOff that a good police-community relationship 
has been a significant asset in fighting hate crimes 
 
TORONTO 00000149  003 OF 003 
 
 
targeting the Jewish community.  York Police 
suspect that a majority of hate crimes targeting 
a wide range of immigrant and minority communities 
go unreported, because residents do not have the same 
level of comfort with police.  To earn the trust of 
these groups, York police has developed outreach 
initiatives and hopes to duplicate the success it 
has had partnering with Jewish groups.  If hate 
crimes are to be stemmed throughout the province, 
other police services in the GTA can look to York 
Region's lead on the issue regarding how it engages 
minority and immigrant groups. 
 
NAY