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Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after a 29-year-old man allegedly opened fire at a constable stationed outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sunday night. The resulting shootout left both the suspect and the officer with serious injuries and sparked widespread condemnation from political leaders. Police have declined to comment on a possible motive in the attack.
Here are some other violent incidents that have taken place at or near Canadian synagogues and Jewish institutions in the last few years.
June 2026: Police are called for a fire at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount, Que., on the island of Montreal. The synagogue’s rabbi said at the time the fire appeared to have been triggered by a Molotov cocktail tossed at a window. A 38-year-old man is arrested and was expected to face charges.
April and May 2026: A man in Toronto allegedly carries out two assaults against members of the Jewish community using a gel blaster imitation gun. One of the incidents takes place outside the Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue. The 18-year-old suspect is charged with assault with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
March 2026: Two Toronto-area synagogues, the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Vaughan, Ont., and Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in Toronto’s north end, are damaged by gunfire overnight. No injuries are reported. Over the following months, police arrest three suspects aged 17, 18 and 23 and charge them with several offences. York regional police said last month they are no longer seeking suspects, but the investigation is ongoing.
December 2024: A Montreal-area synagogue, Congregation Beth Tikvah in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., is firebombed, causing minor damage to the building and the nearby offices of a Jewish community group. Months later, police arrest a 19-year-old man and charge him with arson and other offences.
December 2024: A Jewish girls’ school in Toronto’s north end is damaged in an overnight shooting. Police said the suspects were allegedly seen shooting from inside a vehicle before fleeing. They said Bais Chaya Mushka in North York had also been the target of two similar shootings in October and May of that year.
May 2024: The front door of the Schara Tzedeck synagogue in Vancouver is charred in an alleged arson. No one is injured.
May 2024: Bullet holes are found in the front of a Montreal building housing a Jewish school, Belz, and the Young Israel of Montreal synagogue.
November 2023: Montreal police find bullet holes in the door of the Yeshiva Gedola school and bullet casings on the ground. Police said a suspect had been seen firing a weapon at the school before taking off in a vehicle. A 20-year-old man is arrested months later and charged with offences including discharging a firearm and vehicle theft.
November 2023: The front door of the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue and the back door of the nearby Jewish organization Federation CJA office in a Montreal suburb are damaged in two overnight firebombings. The buildings were empty at the time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2026.
The Canadian Press
