The Eaton Centre shooting this past weekend is not the first time Toronto has been faced with such angst. Yet despite the latest violent outburst, our city remains a safe place. We're very lucky to live in Toronto; in comparison to many other urban centres in North America, crime and violence rarely touch us.

Depending on who you listen to, last weekend's shooting spree at Toronto's Eaton Centre was a sign of gun violence getting out of control, or an isolated "incident" in North America's safest large city. But the fact of the matter is there have been 134 shootings this year, and Toronto police still refuse to help the public by profiling the criminals.

In the modern world, we are encouraged to live in a constant state of fear. There are gang members behind each display of graffiti. Politicians eager to exploit the fear embedded in our collective psyche keep demanding tougher mandatory minimum legislation and endless funding to "fight crime."