'Toronto is a safe city,' despite recent gun crimes: analyst

CTV News public safety analyst Chris Lewis appears on Canada AM on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015.

Toronto is experiencing a spike in gun crime, but residents and visitors should still feel safe, according to a former provincial police commissioner.

"Shootings are on the rise in Toronto, there's a spike," CTV News public safety analyst Chris Lewis told Canada AM on Wednesday.

"But it's not totally out of control... Police don't want people thinking it's out of control and they should be afraid to leave their homes."

The former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner's comments came the day after Toronto police announced that a nightclub shooting was part of a spike in gun crime in Canada's largest city. Two people were killed and three were injured in the shootings at Muzik, the venue where rapper Drake was hosting the afterparty to his music festival OVO Fest.

Following Tuesday's shooting, Toronto police released new data showing that the number of shootings in Toronto so far this year is on par with 2012. That year saw 33 shooting deaths, including those caused by mass shootings at the Eaton Centre and a barbecue on Danzig Street.

Before 2012, the number of shooting-related deaths had been steadily declining, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Peter Sloly said.

"We've assigned some of our best officers to suppress violent crime... and despite that, we have seen an uptick in crime," he said.

"It seems there’s a cycle every four years and we're trying to figure out why.”

According to police data, there have been 147 shootings in Toronto so far this year, compared to 155 at this time in 2012.

While the numbers in 2012 and 2015 are comparable, shooting incidents this year are up nearly 40 per cent from 2014. The number of victims who were shot or shot at is up 84 per cent compared to August, 2014.

"To put it into context, Chicago -- which is smaller than Toronto -- had 36 people shot last weekend and it was just a blip in the news," Lewis said.

Lewis said Toronto residents should still be careful where they go and who they spend time with, but there is no need to panic.

"Toronto is a safe city," Lewis said.