Little Portugal is a Toronto neighbourhood that is located in the west end of what is sometimes known as “
Old Toronto.” The neighbourhood’s boundaries are
College Street in the north,
Lansdowne Avenue in the west,
Ossington Avenue in the east and
Queen Street and the CNR/CPR mainline railway tracks in the south. The area in the west of the neighbourhood, between
Dufferin Street and Lansdowne is part of a Toronto neighbourhood known as
Brockton Village. As the Little Portugal name suggests, a number of Portuguese businesses and residents call the area home. Most Portuguese businesses and storefronts are located along the neighbourhood’s major streets such as
Dundas Street West and College Street. The remaining streets are mostly residential, with a number of single-family homes in the region. There are a number of schools within the Little Portugal neighbourhood including Shirley Street Public School, Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Public and St.Helen’s Catholic School. McCormick Recreation Centre and Arena is also located with the Little Portugal neighbourhood.
Little Portugal, Toronto Crime
When analyzing the crime of an area, it is also important to look at the surrounding neighbourhoods to get a clear picture of crime in the entire region. Criminals do not stop at neighbourhood boundaries which are just streets in many cases. Neighbourhoods near the Little Portugal neighbourhood include
Trinity-Bellwoods,
Dufferin Grove,
Parkdale and
Queen West. Here are the Little Portugal crime rates against people and property. All rates are per 1,000 living and working in the area.
| Region | Crime Against People in Little Portugal | Crime Against Property in Little Portugal |
| Bordered by Ossington, Dundas, Queen, Dovercourt Road | 6.02 per 1000 | 24.09 per 1000 |
| Bordered by Ossington, College, Dundas, Dovercourt | 6.5 per 1000 | 25.07 per 1000 |
| Bordered by College, Dundas, Dovercourt, Dufferin | 5.69 per 1000 | 18.03 per 1000 |
| Bordered by Dovercourt, Queen, Dundas, Dufferin | 8.48 per 1000 | 22.48 per 1000 |
| Bordered by Dundas, Dufferin, Lansdowne & the Railway Tracks | 11.22 per 1000 | 27.25 per 1000 |
| Bordered by College, Dovercourt, Dundas & Brock Avenue | 5.69 per 1000 | 18.03 per 1000 |
| Bordered by Brock, College, Dundas & Lansdowne | 8.69 per 1000 | 23.22 per 1000 |
Little Portugal, Toronto Crime
In August 2008, a shooting took place on Ossington, between between Argyle and Humbert. From BlogTO:
Ossington between Argyle and Humbert is roped off by police tape this morning following a four car gun battle. According to police I spoke to, witnesses reported seeing two Chevy Impalas and a BMW chasing a Honda along Argyle, down Ossington and onto Queen, leaving a spray of bullet casings along the way
In November 2009, a man was shot in the Dundas and Dufferin area. From the Toronto Star:
A man is in hospital after being shot in the thigh near Dundas St. W. and Dufferin St. early Saturday morning. The victim was in the vicinity of Beaconsfield Ave. around 3 a.m. when he got into a dispute with another individual and was shot, said Toronto police.
