Mayor John Tory is renewing his call on Ottawa to toughen bail rules for people accused of gun crime, including no bail at all for repeat offenders.“We want to ensure that repeat gun offenders not be granted bail in the event of a subsequent gun charge and remain in custody until the charges have been disposed of by the judicial system,” Tory wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a letter dated Friday and obtained by the Star.The mayor, who is seeking re-election, also asks for a review of bail guidelines and procedures for anyone accused of gun crime, as well as federal funding for anti-violence social programs and police tools including surveillance cameras, and a Toronto ban on handgun sales.“Toronto City Council and I endorsed all of these measures because we need a wide variety of the strongest methods possible to deal with gun violence in our city,” Tory wrote. “I believe now is the time for all of us to take action to stop gun violence. I assure you that I am ready to support the federal government in taking action on this issue.”When it comes to bail Tory seems to be on the same page as Premier Doug Ford, who recently said “somebody gets arrested on a Friday night and they get bail and are back out on Wednesday for retribution. That’s absolutely unacceptable.”Jessica Trepanier, a spokeswoman for Attorney General of Ontario Caroline Mulroney, said all three levels of government must work together to stop gun violence and that “includes ensuring that the bail system is working to keep our communities safe.”But Daniel Brown, a Toronto director with the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, called demands for more imprisoned accused people misinformed.“Everyone has a constitutional right to seek bail,” including accused repeat gun offenders, said the criminal defence lawyer who called tough-on-crime descriptions of a revolving jail door for violent criminals “pure fantasy. ...
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