Justice committee  Thank you. The summer of 2005 was labelled as “the summer of the gun”, here in the city of Toronto, and I think in response to that, there has been a mobilization of a lot of resources behind prevention and bringing programs into our community. Since then, a number of years have passed and a lot of the resources that were offered then in terms of preventive measures within our community are now drying up.

Justice committee  Next to all--I'm only aware of one single-parent unit in the Scarborough community that's headed by a man.

Justice committee  There's a perception that they're mostly young couples and these young men are not taking their responsibilities as fathers. There was a time not too long ago that as a young father I felt I was a burden to my family. Employment wasn't available to me, and educational opportunities were not available to me.

Justice committee  I think you just follow the chain. If you are able to have a relationship with a young person--

Justice committee  The young people who are arrested have information as to where they get their product from. You just follow the chain. But I think it's critical that whoever the arresting officer is doesn't appear to be hawkish or doesn't appear to be looking to just sink that young person, that that young person does feel at some level that the officer or the agency has their best interests at heart.

Justice committee  I'd like to say first off that it also applies to the guns. The dissemination of firearms in my neighbourhood and community is a major problem also.

Justice committee  Absolutely. For the most part, so do the drugs. It's quite simple, especially when you consider that it's the young people within the neighbourhoods who are responsible for disseminating the stuff out there, whether it be drugs or guns. Police quite frequently make rightful arrests within my neighbourhood and community for drugs and guns.

Justice committee  The longest time, yes, sir.

Justice committee  I'll just use one of my own personal examples. You mentioned that some people grow up faster through circumstances. As a young person, I found myself engaged with the Young Offenders Act and the criminal justice system. Coming through high school I was always considered smart. I was captain of my football team, on the yearbook committee, and did all this kind of stuff, but I had a problem with beating folks up.

Justice committee  Thank you. I wish I was familiar with Bill C-4, but I'm not. That being said, I completely agree that there are concrete steps that can be taken with young people to ensure prevention, to ensure that they don't get to the next stage, which is organized crime. If you don't intervene when they're a young person, that's eventually where they'll evolve to.

Justice committee  That's fine.

Justice committee  From my perspective, when I think of organized crime I'm thinking more along the lines of some of the biker groups that are out there. You were just talking about heads, subordinates, and as Mr. Trudell said, their single motivation is making money from crime. What we have in our communities is nothing so organized.

Justice committee  Thank you once again, and good morning to everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. I think it's very seldom that someone like me gets to speak to a committee like this, so I certainly appreciate the privilege of being here this morning. As stated before, I am the executive director of Hoodlinc Youth Organization, which is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization in the east Scarborough area of Toronto.