In the early morning of March 2, 2026, gunfire targeted multiple businesses in northwest Toronto, including the Old Avenue Restaurant, a Jewish-owned establishment specializing in Azerbaijani cuisine located near Dufferin Street and Steeles Avenue West in North York.

FIREARM DISCHARGE:
Dufferin St & Steeles Ave W area
2:43 am
-police responded to a call for a suspicious incident and the sound of gunshots
-at a commercial property
-evidence of gunfire was located on scene
-damage sustained to businesses in the area
-no injuries reported
-no…

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) March 2, 2026

The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m., shattering the restaurant's front glass door and causing structural damage — no injuries were reported.

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❌ Toronto Synagogue, Temple Emanuel, was shot overnight.

❌ Iranian-activist-owned gym, Saliwan Boxing, was shot at yesterday.

❌ Jewish-owned restaurant, Old Avenue Restaurant, was shot at yesterday.

Coincidence? Unlikely.

It's WAY past time our leaders take action to… pic.twitter.com/1vmOCDZidG

— HonestReporting Canada (@HonestRepCanada) March 3, 2026

Co-owner Esther Bakinka, a prominent pro-Israel activist and member of Toronto's Jewish community, described the attack as deeply unsettling, leading to the cancellation of an upcoming Purim celebration due to safety concerns.

Toronto Police are investigating this as part of a cluster of three overnight shootings in the area. The restaurant has faced prior threats during pro-Palestine protests. Community leaders, including local councillor James Pasternak, expressed solidarity and called for enhanced security measures to combat neighborhood violence, though he did not specifically mention that a Jewish business was once again targeted.

I’m deeply concerned by the overnight shooting at Dufferin St. & Steeles Ave. that targeted several local businesses in our community.

My office is in contact with @TPS32Div and the @TorontoPolice as they investigate.

To the business owners and residents impacted, I stand with… pic.twitter.com/wlFANMMcIF

— James Pasternak (@PasternakTO) March 2, 2026

This event unfolded just hours before shots were fired at nearby Temple Emanu-El synagogue on the evening of March 2, after a Purim event, marking another attack on Jewish institutions.

🚨DISTURBING: Gunshots were fired at a Toronto synagogue during Purim celebrations.

Toronto police are investigating after gunshots struck Temple Emanu-El Synagogue in North York on Monday night, damaging the building.

No injuries were reported.

The Hate Crimes Unit is…

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) March 4, 2026

Parallels are evident with the shooting at Saliwan Boxing gym in Thornhill, about 10 kilometers east along Steeles Avenue, on March 1. Both incidents occurred shortly after the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, with his death confirmed on March 1.

Saliwan, owned by Iranian-Canadian activist Salar Gholami—who organizes massive anti-regime rallies drawing hundreds of thousands—was hit by 17 bullets in what he called a "terrorist" act by regime supporters. Gholami gave a defiant response by covering the damage with signage reading “We will not be afraid! Freedom!”

The front of @salargholamiii’s boxing club, Saliwan Boxing in Toronto— which was shot at 17 times overnight after the death of Khamenei — now defiantly says:

“We will not be afraid! Freedom!”

🫡 🇮🇷 🇨🇦

📸: https://t.co/pyScFf1szk pic.twitter.com/bGyH1SlNeu

— Scarlett Grace (@ScarlettGrace92) March 2, 2026

Old Avenue's Jewish ownership aligns with a pattern of targeted attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues in Toronto since October 7, 2023, including prior shootings at a Jewish girls' school. The timing of this attack, as well as the one on an Iranian business, appears to be more than coincidence given the proximity to the news of Ali Khamenei's death in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

BREAKING:

2 men fire their guns at a Jewish girl’s school in Toronto.

5 rounds were shot at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School.

Via @larrynmaher pic.twitter.com/FxYtGxW9Z5

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 25, 2024

These proximate events, amid escalating Islamic Republic-Israel tensions, are spilling into Canadian communities. And since the perpetrators have yet to be identified, many fear they could be linked to the estimated 700 IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) operatives that still reside in Canada, despite the organization being listed as a terrorist entity in June 2024. Many criticize the Liberal government for a lack of enforcement in getting regime affiliates out of the country since the listing.