By Gabriel Hilty Toronto Star July 9, 2026

Peel police data shows reported hate crimes across the board increased for the fifth year in a row last year.

Reported hate crimes in Peel Region increased by 17 per cent in 2025 compared to the year before, with incidents targeting the South Asian community “significantly” spiking by more than 100 per cent, police data shows.

The 2025 hate-motivated crime report presented to the Peel Police Service Board in late June says that 195 hate-motivated crimes were reported to police last year across the region in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon — an increase from the 166 reported in 2024.

Race, ethnicity or nationality was the most common motivating factor, accounting for 75 per cent of the hate-motivated crimes reported in 2025.

Increase mainly in crimes targeting race, ethnicity or nationality

One hundred and forty six of the 195 hate-motived crimes reported in 2025 were motivated solely or in part by race, ethnicity or nationality, an increase of nearly 50 per cent compared to the 98 incidents in 2024. They are the most commonly reported hate crime in Peel Region since 2018.

The South Asian community was affected the most, being identified as the sole or a partial motivating factor in 84 incidents in 2025. The number is an increase of 115 per cent compared to 39 incidents in 2024.

The stark increase marks a shift from previous years, when members of the region’s Black community were targeted the most in reported incidents. In 2025, they were impacted in 42 incidents, the same amount as the year before and a slight decrease from 45 in 2023.

Nearly 70 per cent of people in the Peel Region identified with a racialized group according to the 2021 census, with the South Asian community making up over 54 per cent of the racialized population.

The 195 reported incidents in 2025 are above the five-year average of 142, and follow yearly increases since 2020.

The increase in reported hate crimes “likely reflects a combination of increased reporting, expanded investigative oversight, and greater community awareness following the establishment of a dedicated Hate Crime Unit,” according to the report.

It shows that out of the 195 reported hate-motivated occurrences, 46 resulted in charges being laid in 2025. Mischief continued to be the most common reported offence type with 104 incidents, an increase of 49 per cent compared to 2024, police said. 

Peel police launched a retooled Hate Crime Unit last October that aimed to provide a more “culturally responsive” way to addressing incidents, which included the specialized unit leading investigations and doing community outreach.

Still, the report acknowledges that some incidents are not reported to police, pointing to a combination of factors like the fear of retaliation, embarrassment and a lack of trust with police.

Religion was the second most common motivating factor, accounting for 47 of the 195 reported hate crimes in 2025, a decrease of 24 per cent compared to the year before. The Jewish community was most impacted with 24 incidents followed by Islam with 11.

Sexual orientation was the third most common factor with 28 of the reported incidents, an increase of 27 per cent compared to the year before.

Overall decrease, different motivating factors in Toronto

Unlike the increase seen in Peel Region, reported hate crimes in Toronto went down by 50 per cent in 2025 compared to the year before.

The annual hate crime report to the Toronto Police Service Board noted 231 hate-motivated and related offences reported last year, a drop from 443 in 2024.

However, police in May cautioned of a “concerning” rise in reported hate crimes so far in 2026, with a 40 per cent increase compared to the same time frame in 2025.

The breakdown of motivating factors behind the reported incidents is also different in Toronto. Religion was the most common motivating factor and accounted for 43 per cent of reported hate crimes in Toronto in 2025.

When combined, the categories of race and ethnicity were the second most common motivating factor in Toronto accounting for 21 per cent.

Source: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/hate-crimes-against-south-asians-more-than-double-in-mississauga-and-brampton-police-say/article_955c0266-8e43-4ffe-aa23-0d48132dacd9.html