Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow will skip a mayoral debate focused on antisemitism and public safety as hate crimes surge across the city and Canadian Jews face growing concerns for their safety.

Toronto police reported a 40 percent increase in hate crimes during the opening months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Although overall reported hate crimes fell by 50 percent last year, anti-Jewish incidents still accounted for 82 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes, according to the Toronto Police Service.

The Jewish community was Toronto’s most frequently targeted group overall.

The situation has become so alarming that Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has offered to welcome Jewish families leaving Canada. In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Stitt said Oklahoma would “proudly welcome” Jewish families who lawfully enter the United States seeking safety and opportunity.

You shouldn’t live in fear because of your faith. In Oklahoma, you can practice freely without fear of violence. https://t.co/EBn8ig4Xga

— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) August 31, 2026

“No one should be forced to live in fear because of their faith,” Stitt wrote, singling out growing hostility in Canada. Christian organizations have brought the hate facing Canadian Jews to American President Donald Trump's attention. 

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President Donald Trump amplified a Christian lawmaker-backed plan to create expedited immigration pathways for Jewish Canadians fleeing antisemitism — sharing the proposal with millions on Truth Social.

Canada has reported nearly 7,000 antisemitic incidents in a country of… pic.twitter.com/Fz2URrGSfS

— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) August 30, 2026

Against that backdrop, Chow will not attend a Sept. 8 debate organized by Jewish Lawyers of Canada, according to the Toronto Star.

The event was intended to allow mayoral candidates to explain how they would combat antisemitism, protect Jewish institutions and ensure residents can participate safely in public life. Organizers have kept the debate’s location secret because of security concerns.

Chow’s campaign claims she is not formally launching her re-election campaign until Sept. 9 and will not participate in candidate events before then.

However, Jewish Lawyers of Canada told the Star that it had been communicating with Chow’s campaign since Aug. 7 and that her campaign had not previously raised the launch date as a problem.

Her main rivals, Beaches-East York Coun. Brad Bradford and former federal immigration minister Chris Alexander, agreed to participate.

Chow’s spokesperson maintained that protecting Toronto’s Jewish community remains a “top priority” and acknowledged that Jewish residents now require police protection to attend synagogues, community centres and even child-care facilities.

Chow has faced repeated criticism over her handling of antisemitism, including after she skipped a vigil marking the first anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. She blamed that absence on a missed email.

In March, synagogues in Toronto and Thornhill were targeted in shootings that police allege were connected to gun-for-hire networks.