A political advocacy group says if Toronto wants to call itself a “world-class city,” its leaders need to start making sure residents feel safe in their own homes.
Jeffrey Kroeker, chairman of A Better City Toronto, told a press conference Thursday morning that homeowners in the 416 have been saddled with a “25% increase in taxes” over the past few years. They’re right to expect a city that’s safer than Toronto is today, he said.
“Why are we paying more and getting less?” Kroeker asked.
Stefanos Michelis, a construction worker and father, said his family is one of the many that just doesn’t feel safe in Toronto anymore.
“I’m here to tell you my story and how Toronto’s broken – and I don’t say this lightly, I say this because I’m living it,” he told reporters at the press conference.
Michelis said he had two trucks stolen from his driveway in a six-month span in 2024, despite properly storing the keys and using a steering wheel lock. Then, in two incidents in December 2025 and this February, $22,000 worth of tools were swiped.
Criminals have “no fear of being caught,” he said, and most residents, rather than sit on the phone with the police for hours, have “given up” on reporting thefts.
“We have lost our sense of security and fear the next step will be a home invasion,” Michelis said of his young family.
“I am beyond frustrated and I feel the city has lost focus on what is important today. The taxpayer has been pushed to the side and priorities of the city are lost.”
ABC held its press conference in front of Toronto City Hall on Thursday to announce a new ad campaign and urge candidates in this fall’s municipal election to make safety a greater focus.
Kroeker opened by paying respects to Const. Marc Pinizzotto of the Toronto Police, who was shot and killed while conducting a search warrant earlier that morning. “It’s poignant today that we’re here to talk about safety and some of the issues facing our city,” he said.
Also inescapable on that Thursday morning was the World Cup, with Nathan Phillips Square’s reflecting pool covered with artificial turf ahead of Toronto’s first game of the soccer tournament on Friday afternoon. Kroeker said the version of Toronto that World Cup tourists are seeing isn’t the city at its best.
“If you want to be a world-class city, you have to behave like a world-class city,” he said.
ABC held the press conference alongside the launch of a new ad campaign. A new commercial, about a minute-and-a-half long and running on YouTube and Meta’s social media platforms, opens with the question: “When was the last time anything in the city worked?”
ABC also shared with reporters a handful of clips from the community of thefts and break-ins, captured by doorbell cameras and small businesses’ security systems. One of the clips is from just last week, and shows a bandit breaking in through a shop’s glass door before making off with a metal cash box.
Kroeker called on Toronto’s next crop of political candidates, whether running for council or mayor in the Oct. 26 election, to “do better.”
“Don’t let leadership tell you it’s getting better,” he said, “because we all know it’s not.
“Safety, affordability, congestion and competent government are all in question as we head into the election season, and we as Torontonians need to start demanding better from our elected officials, whether they’re running or holding office.”
