Although Toronto is still relatively safe compared to other major cities around the world, it has been getting more dangerous recently. Since I moved here about 13 years ago, and especially since the Covid pandemic, addiction and mental health issues, homelessness, and random crime have all gotten noticeably worse. In 2022, an international student from India was shot outside a subway station 5 minutes away from my apartment. Last night, the violence got even closer. 

Around 12:30 am, I heard people shouting in front of my apartment building and then a loud bang. Within 10 minutes, the street was full of police officers and paramedics. Someone had been shot. As the paramedics got the person into the ambulance, the police searched the area with flashlights, looking for the suspects or any evidence they had left behind. This morning, the police were still there. The forensic unit was investigating and several news crews were there, too, reporting on the story. There was even a news helicopter flying overhead! Perhaps it’s time to move to a safer place…