By The Canadian Press

Police investigate after two more Toronto-area synagogues hit by gunfire

Mar 7, 2026 | 11:14 AM

Toronto’s Jewish community is on edge after a third synagogue was hit by gunfire in less than a week.

Police are investigating shots being fired at two more synagogues after a similar shooting on Monday.

The incidents drew widespread condemnation on Saturday as politicians and community leaders labelled the shootings as antisemitic attacks.

Sara Lefton, with the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto, said in an interview the community is “shaken to our core.”

“And I think we’re incredibly angry and frustrated, because we’ve seen the progression of this kind of intimidation and hatred over the last few years,” Lefton said.

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“Hateful words turn into hateful actions, and we’ve seen it in other parts of the globe. We saw it in Bondi Beach,” where 15 people were shot and killed during a Hanukkah celebration, “and we have seen it elsewhere, and so we should not be surprised when it happens here.”

Toronto Police responded to gunshots in the area of Bathurst Street and Glencairn Avenue shortly after midnight Saturday, where they found bullet holes in the doors of the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue. No injuries were reported.

Earlier, York Region Police responded to gunfire at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Thornhill.

York Region Police Deputy Kevin McCloskey told reporters that an unknown number of suspects arrived at the synagogue in a dark sedan and opened fire on the building. He added that people were inside the place of worship at the time but no one was struck.

This marks the third reported shooting at a synagogue in the Toronto area, as another was hit by gunfire in the city’s north end Monday night. Officers were called to Temple Emanu-El, where they found bullet casings and damage to the building.

The incidents have drawn national attention.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said federal agencies and the RCMP will use “every resource” to help local police identify the perpetrators and “bring them to the full weight of justice.”

“These criminal antisemitic attacks are an assault on the rights of Jewish Canadians to live and pray in safety. They are also fundamental violations of the Canadian way of life,” Carney wrote in a social media post.

Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, said in a statement he was shocked by the attacks.

“These cowardly assaults on houses of worship are abhorrent acts of violence that strike at the heart of our shared values—safety, dignity, and freedom of religion.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the government needs to act.

“The Jewish Community is under attack in Canada,” he wrote on social media. “Government’s core responsibility is the safety of its people. It is time to end this violence once and for all.”

Meanwhile, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow condemned the shootings as “disgusting acts of antisemitism, hate and intimidation” and Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his support for the Jewish community.

“Our government will continue working closely with police to ensure that places of worship are protected and those responsible are held accountable,” he said. “Antisemitism has no place in Ontario.”

McCloskey, of York Region Police, said officers are working closely with Toronto police as the two law enforcement agencies investigate the shootings.

“At this point, there’s no evidence to suggest the two events are related,” he said, though police are considering the possibility the same suspect or suspects were involved.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2026.

Kathryn Mannie, Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press