What to know
- Olivia Chow is pledging $28 million over four years for youth safety and violence prevention programs.
- The proposed funding would increase Toronto’s existing Youth Violence Prevention Program by 40 per cent, according to her campaign.
- Chow says the plan would expand programs reaching more than 15,000 youth and 500 parents and caregivers annually.
- The proposal includes expanding mentorship, recreation and arts programs to children as young as six.
Olivia Chow is pledging $28 million over four years toward youth violence prevention and safety programs if she is re-elected as Toronto mayor.
Chow made the announcement at the Malvern Family Resource Centre in Scarborough on Thursday, where she was joined by mothers who have lost sons to gun violence and community organizations working with young people.
The proposed funding would increase the city’s existing Youth Violence Prevention Program by 40 per cent, according to Chow’s campaign.
The campaign says the funding would help expand violence prevention and intervention programs that currently reach more than 15,000 youth and 500 parents and caregivers each year.
Chow also says she wants to expand programs aimed at younger children, starting at age six, through mentorship, recreation and arts programs.
“We’ve proven that investing in young people works, and I’m not going to stop now,” Chow said.
The announcement comes as youth safety remains a major issue in the Toronto mayoral campaign.
Chow’s campaign says youth violence declined by 40 per cent in 2025, which it attributes to city investments in youth safety programs and its Summer Safety Plan.
Chow also pointed to programs aimed at connecting young people with employment opportunities, including CityServeTO, which provides local work experience.
“This election is a choice,” Chow said. “We could keep moving forward and funding safety programs for young people, or we can go backwards.”
