A double-stabbing is only the latest in a series of attacks related to Toronto Transit Corporation in recent months, something a former policeman and mayoral candidate blames on misguided leadership and poor parenting..The random double stabbing at the Toronto Transit Corporation (TTC) High Park subway station killed 31-year-old Vanessa Kurpiewska and injured a 37-year-old woman. Neng Jia Jin, 52, was charged for first degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the event..Some shocking TTC assaults happened in April. A woman was seriously injured after someone pushed her onto the tracks, while a man was stabbed on a subway platform. Another man was shot dead outside of a subway station, and a similar incident happened in June. That month a woman was lit on fire on a bus and soon died. Three weeks later, an 85-year-old woman was assaulted at a station..Blake Acton blames a misguided approach from the mayor and city council and TTC officials for the worsening crime in his city. The retired Toronto constable with thirty years experience placed fourth in the 2022 Toronto mayoral race. Acton said he built relationships with many TTC employees during the campaign with whom he continues to talk with today..“I'm being advised these employees from the city are not being backed up … by their senior officers of the TTC,” Acton said..“An example is, an individual comes onto the TTC, and they're intoxicated and they're causing a ruckus on the bus. And the TTC driver calls in to get assistance, and they're not getting assistance. They say that there's not enough people to come out and help them and then a driver will take it upon himself to try to de-escalate the situation, and it'll go the other direction… The TTC driver is now under investigation and in trouble.”.Similar internal challenges for Toronto policeman caused some to avoid the hassle they would inevitably face for doing their jobs, he said..“A FIDO in the Toronto police back in the day was, excuse my language, F__ It Drive On.”.A proactive policing approach is the solution that is no longer allowed, Acton said, leaving the police “handcuffed.”.“There needs to be more police and security presence on the TTC. We need more law enforcement in schools, which they've already denounced and said, ‘No, they don't want that.’.“Why has crime increased since carding hasn't been done? If you don't have something to hide, then what's the problem in speaking to a law enforcement officer to answer some questions? The problem is all these people, these radical left, are saying they don't want their rights infringed upon. The people that are crying the crimes are so high, they're the ones that are instigating this problem.”.Illegal tenting encampments continue in parks, a stand-off approach to law enforcement that Acton said allows other crimes to proliferate..“Why is it for months and months and months now, we've had people sleeping in tents? A lot of them are outright bandits and criminals, and drug dealers and they're destroying people's lives. They use the tents as barriers to do their drug dealing. I was down there firsthand, and I saw,” Acton said..“We've got the best police force in Canada in Toronto, but the city officials are handcuffing them, so they cannot take down these tents and they’re not combating the crime. It's like a child; if you let them get away with an inch, they'll take a foot.”.Acton became a father himself after he adopted a child from the Middle East. He said many of today’s criminals are yesterday’s youth with a poor upbringing..“There’s people not spending as much time with [their children]. It's easy to have sex and have a child. But you know what? After the deed is done, you have to take responsibility of that child and look after that child, and show that child how to live a clean, healthy, safe life and respect others. These kids growing up that aren't being taught the value of life, and it shows it with our crime rate.“.“This is all common sense. This is the problem. You don't have to be a professor, you don't have to be the mayor, you don't have to be the chief of police to understand this. Anybody with just half a brain can understand. We have to get it right from the beginning. These kids are growing up. And if they don't have a mother or father, the police in the justice system have to be the parents of these poor kids. And it's not their fault.”.John Tory won his third term as Toronto mayor on October 24, his 342,158 votes taking a 62% share of the total. Acton placed a distant fourth with 8,893 votes for a 1.6% share. He said the media gave him little coverage on the campaign and left the electorate “naïve.”.“We've had a mayor for eight years that hasn't been able to figure this out? Over 300,000 people voted. If you know what I know ... it just shows you Toronto has a lot of stupid people living in it and that's shameful..“And you know what? I'm not afraid of offending anybody. I like to tell the truth. And the truth is what's been lacking in politics for many, many years. And the people are fed up with it. There's only so far you can push someone before they react.”.Action said he will run again in 2026 when he expects his city will be even worse..“Let's just see where the city is going in four years, and I'll bet the ranch on it. The city of Toronto is going to continue to decline. And people scratch their heads and say, ‘Well, why? I don't understand. Well, we know why. But nobody wants to do anything about it..“Toronto is turning into a toilet bowl. And when is it too late? When does it end and when does it stop? Well, when people start moving out, and property taxes are being paid, and people aren't coming and spending the money in the city, you're going to have a city just like Detroit, and it's going to be abandoned."
