A 19-year-old man in Durham Region was arrested for threatening to shoot a synagogue. He was charged just a day before a gunman opened fire outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., injuring Const. Jeff Smith stationed outside.

Alexander Parfitt, a resident of Whitby, is accused of posting about carrying out a shooting on an online message board, according to Durham Regional Police . Officers received information about the threats from a law enforcement partner.

Police were able to identify the user and executed a search warrant at the man’s Whitby home on Sept. 19.

He was charged with threats motivated by hate.

The shooting in Belleville, roughly 140 kilometres west of Whitby, took place around 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, when a 29-year-old suspect Sean Ward fired shots at the synagogue.

At the time, there were roughly 25 congregants inside the building for evening prayers on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community. None of the congregants were injured. Smith was rushed to Kingston General Hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.

Meanwhile, the suspect is in life-threatening condition.

Durham police said it had increased patrol during the Jewish high holidays at community centres and places of worship.

Synagogues across Canada have become the target of antisemitic attacks.

In January, a synagogue in Winnipeg was graffitied with swastikas . In March, three synagogues in the Greater Toronto Area were hit with bullets. In June, a suspect was arrested after an attempted arson at a synagogue in Montreal.

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Ontario food banks, meanwhile, recorded 8.7 million visits in 2024–2025, a 13 per cent increase over the previous year and a 165 per cent increase since 2019–2020. Food bank use in Canada has doubled since 2019, according to informational handouts.

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The officer who was shot outside a Belleville, Ont. synagogue on Sunday has been identified as Const. Jeff Smith.

He is recovering in hospital and is in critical but stable condition, according to Belleville Police Service’s Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks, who spoke to media on Monday.

In a post on X, former Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams shared a photo of Smith and called him a hero. Belleville police confirmed to National Post that the picture in Williams’ post was Smith.

Jeff Smith is a real hero.

A Belleville Police officer who put himself in harm’s way protecting our community.

Please pray for Jeff, his family and his fellow officers.

Our community is behind you, Jeff. Stay strong. Keep fighting. Come home to your family. pic.twitter.com/7tBeWH0C4T

— Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy (@Ryan_r_Williams) September 21, 2026

“While he continues to face a significant road to recovery, his condition has stabilized, and we remain hopeful and encouraged by his progress,” she said. “Our thoughts are with Const. Smith, his family, his friends, and his colleagues. Supporting them has been our top priority.”

Smith was stationed outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The officer was present because of safety concerns, especially on a night where there would be many congregants in attendance, the synagogue’s president Norman Weddum told National Post.

Belleville Police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks says the shooting suspect has been identified as Sean Ward, 29, of Quinte West.

Belleville Police Constable Jeff Smith, who was stationed outside the synagogue, sustained serious injuries. His condition has since stabilized. pic.twitter.com/qZxiGSe76R

— Toronto Crime Watch (@CrimewatchTO) September 21, 2026

Weddum said that before entering the building, he thanked Smith for being there. Soon after the evening prayer service started, around 7 p.m., dozens of shots rang out.

A 29-year-old suspect armed with a shotgun opened fire at Smith, who then is believed to have shot back, said Kristy Denette on Monday. She is a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the province’s police watchdog that is leading the investigation.

Denette said it is currently believed that the man drove to the area in a truck. A second officer got to the scene shortly after and fired back at the suspected shooter before more officers arrived.

During the incident, Smith sustained serious injuries, said Meeks.

Smith joined the Belleville Police Service on Dec. 27, 2013. Meeks said he served the community with distinction for nearly 13 years.

“He is a longstanding and highly respected member of our emergency response unit, known by his colleagues as a dedicated officer, trusted teammate, and committed public servant,” she said.

The suspect was hospitalized in life-threatening condition. There were an estimated 25 people gathered inside the synagogue, Weddum told National Post, but no one in the congregation was injured.

While the SIU is involved because police officers discharged weapons at a person, the Belleville police are leading the criminal side of the investigation.

Meeks said the Belleville police are “committed to being as transparent as possible and keeping our community informed” but would not be commenting on the investigation further at this time.

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While most Canadians reject collective blame and sweeping claims about religious and ethnic groups, younger Canadians are substantially more likely to accept them, according to a new poll.

Data collected by the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) found that more 57 per cent of Canadians find it unacceptable — not very or not at all — to suggest that a particular religion has harmful beliefs. The only outlier among the age groups was 18-24-year-olds, 56 per cent of whom felt it was somewhat or very acceptable to say that.

Nearly seven in ten respondents (69 per cent) think it’s either degree of unacceptable to say that members of a specific ethnic or religious group cannot be trusted. The youngest cohort was the only one with observable conflict, with 42 per cent of on the accepting side.

When it comes to holding members of a religious group collectively responsible for the actions of a foreign government, three quarters (75 per cent) deemed it unacceptable, but, again, nearly a third (32 per cent) under 25 were more accepting.

People in the 25-34 age group (30 per cent) and the 45-55 demographic (31 per cent) also registered above the overall net acceptable number (25 per cent).

“There needs to be some increasing thought and sensitivity about the extent to which people make those connections,” ACS president Jack Jedwab told National Post in an interview, noting that none of that should ever be acceptable “in democracies like ours.”

Without ascribing any symmetry to the subjects, the poll sought to understand which religious or ethnic groups Canadians feel should be apologizing for the one they are perceived to be affiliated with outside of Canada.

It found that 43 per cent of respondents are most likely to think that Muslims should be expected to publicly condemn terrorist acts carried out in the name of Islam. Meanwhile, 36 per cent suggested Russian Canadians should be expected to publicly condemn actions of the Russian government with which they disagree, and 32 per cent felt the same about Jewish Canadians and the Israeli government.

“I’m not comparing the acts of the Israeli government to the actions of terrorism in the name of Islam,” said Jedwab.

“But what is common about it is the accusation of responsibility for such actions, because I sometimes get the impression that some people feel that some of this is okay, but the other sort of expression of it isn’t.”

ACS’s data also showed that the people most likely to say that members of a specific ethnic or religious group are responsible for the actions of a foreign government are the ones who expected to publicly condemn acts “over which they have no individual control or responsibility.​”

A plurality of people who feel that’s very (73.2 per cent) or somewhat acceptable (54 per cent) who feel that way said Muslim Canadians should be expected to publicly condemn terrorist acts carried out in the name of Islam.

Asked if Jewish Canadians should be expected to publicly condemn actions of the Israeli government with which they disagree, the majority (52.7 per cent) from the very acceptable ranks agreed, as did 38.2% among those on the somewhat acceptable side.

“People who make that statement, who support those views, think that it’s okay for Muslim Canadians to publicly condemn terrorist acts carried out in the name of Islam — it’s not okay,” Jedwab said, noting the same holds for Jewish and Russian Canadians.

“These aren’t free expression issues. They’re a threat to free expression.”

The poll of 1,538 respondents, conducted by Leger on behalf of the Association for Canadian Studies, was conducted Sept. 4-6. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. However, a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.​

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OTTAWA — The Quebec election is two weeks away and the separatist Parti Québécois is well on its way to form government, with new polling showing they remain in the lead.

While the Liberals either remain mum on the issue or claim that the situation can still change, Bloc Québécois MPs are already cherishing the idea of working with their provincial cousins to hold a third referendum for Quebec to separate from Canada.

“The election of the Parti Québécois will bring us closer to Quebec’s independence. And in that sense, for me, it is fantastic news, because it is a way to move toward our goal,” said Bloc MP Alexis Deschênes in an interview with National Post.

The PQ has promised to hold a referendum on separation in a first mandate, but only after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office in January 2029. That means that the party would have a small window to hold one if it stays in power for a four-year term.

Deschênes said the last time the PQ took power with a promise to hold a referendum in the first mandate was in 1994 under Jacques Parizeau. He ended up holding a vote on separation a year later and nearly succeeded in Quebec seceding from Canada.

But for the moment, PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is not campaigning on independence, instead insisting on good governance and slashing taxes. He even refused to say the word “referendum” in the first debate of the campaign.

Despite support for Quebec independence being at historical lows, Deschênes believes the PQ will respect its commitment to hold another referendum in a first mandate.

“What we see coming is the election of a Parti Québécois government with a mandate to achieve independence. So, it is a vitally important mandate,” he said.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has been busy campaigning this summer with some PQ candidates in the suburbs of Montreal. His MPs have been doing the same, giving a helping hand to their local candidates in events and meeting stakeholders.

“It’s an organic relationship, I’d say. We’re part of the same family,” said Deschênes, who represents the riding of Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj.

The federal Liberals are carefully not endorsing any of the provincial parties in the Quebec election to avoid any accusations of political interference from Ottawa.

Whilst there was speculation Prime Minister Mark Carney was backing incumbent premier Christine Fréchette because of their many joint announcements in the lead-up to the election, he has refrained from interacting with her since the writ dropped.

On Friday, Carney’s Quebec lieutenant Joël Lightbound said he was closely following the election in Quebec, but he said it is “too early to speculate on the election result” because there is still lots of time left and a large portion of voters are undecided.

“We will see what Quebecers decide, and then we will act in Quebec’s interest with the Quebec government,” he said.

But two more polls published on Monday are cementing the PQ’s lead as the frontrunner in Quebec, as has been the case for the last three years. Fréchette’s Coalition Avenir Québec and the provincial Liberals are still several points behind.

St-Pierre Plamondon is well on track to form a minority government as things stand right now, but he is now calling on voters to give him a majority mandate on Oct. 5.

Many federal Liberals questioned by the National Post would not comment on the scenario of another separatist threat looming in Canada, adding to the referendum in Alberta that could pave the way to another vote to secede from the rest of the country.

“My focus is here in Ottawa,” said Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, on his way to the first question period of the fall session on Monday. “There are so many things to do. It will be a very busy session,” he added.

Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, from Montreal, simply said he will be casting his vote in the Quebec election and is encouraging every Quebecer to do the same.

The PQ has vowed to pull out of federal priorities, such as the Alto high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City, and possibly review others, like the Churchill Falls energy deal between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

His Liberal colleague Jean-Yves Duclos, from Quebec City, said that the federal government will do everything in its power to work collaboratively with the party that will form government in Quebec on Oct. 5, including working on those two priorities.

But he admits that, depending on the colour of the next government in the National Assembly, the federal level might have to “work harder” than with others.

On Monday, the federal Liberals were cheering in the House of Commons as they welcomed one of their newest additions to caucus, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord MP Daniel Gobeil, who won the byelection in Quebec with more than 50 per cent of the vote.

In the coming months, three more federal seats in Quebec will be up for grabs. And with Carney’s popularity in the province, Lightbound already sees more room for growth.

“I never take anything for granted, but you can see that people are satisfied.”

National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com

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OTTAWA — The federal government tabled legislation that fundamentally reorganizes how it approves major projects, promising a “one project, one review, one year” process all the while implementing sweeping changes to Canadian labour rules around collective bargaining and work stoppages.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government tabled a new omnibus Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, on Monday afternoon.

“Today we introduced our most significant piece of economic legislation yet,” Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a press conference with other federal ministers after the bill was tabled. “This legislation will give our country the tools we need to build more, better, and more efficiently.”

“Our objective today is straightforward: to make it easier for Canadian businesses to build, invest, grow, and get their products to market, while creating an economy that delivers certainty, prosperity, and opportunity for all Canadians,” MacKinnon added.

The bill aims to designate yet-unspecified areas as “regions of national interest” in which major infrastructure projects would receive the same fast-track approval process as those deemed to be “projects of national interest” under legislation (Bill C-5) passed last year.

It also removes the responsibility of conducting impact assessments for major energy and nuclear projects away from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and puts it into the hands of specialized bodies: either the Canada Energy Regulator or the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

“This will provide a better look at the project as a whole, and lead to more efficiency and less consultation fatigue in the consultation process,” said one senior public servant during a background technical briefing for reporters.

The government adopted almost all the proposals it included in a series of discussion papers published through the spring, with consultations extending throughout the summer.

One Canadian Economy Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government held nationwide engagement with Indigenous peoples, provinces and territories, investors, municipal leaders, and Canadians over the past few months.

“While we are working quickly, Canada’s government is also doing its part to listen to Canadians,” he said.

The bill also proposes significant changes to how federally-regulated industries — transportation, telecommunications and banking, for example — negotiate union contracts, mediate disputes and resolve work stoppages.

The bill would mandate parties to begin renegotiating a union contract six months before it expires if the previous negotiations were acrimonious or if the expiring deal lasted five years or more.

It also proposes yet-undefined monetary penalties for parties found to be negotiating in bad faith by a labour arbitrator, and compels union and employer representatives to attend the labour version of couples therapy (“relationship development work”) at the end of negotiations that included work stoppage or binding arbitration.

Unions have been vocally opposed to how the Carney Liberals wielded a controversial section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to prematurely end multiple strikes in the transportation sector, including one by Air Canada flight attendants in the summer of 2025.

The government looks to address that criticism by proposing two new “guardrails” to when it can invoke section 107’s power to order a federal labour arbitrator to end a work stoppage and resolve the dispute between employer and union.

“First, the consideration of a report from a special mediator, and second, the minister has to be of the opinion that a strike or lockout would adversely affect the national interest based on a national impact assessment,” said a senior government official during the briefing. The assessment would be conducted by the labour program at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said any suggestion that the government is weakening the right to strike is “incorrect.”

“In fact, what it does is put a guardrail around a very contentious tool, Section 107, that many unions had said was used without transparency by the minister. And so, in terms of workers’ rights, we’re actually strengthening their rights,” she said.

With Bill C-39, the government also looks to reorganize the administration of Canada’s biggest ports and create “national trade corridors” and a new “corridor council.” Its goal will be to “identify what’s causing delays and bottlenecks in our supply chains and propose remedies,” the officials said during the briefing.

Speaking to reporters Sunday alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Carney described the upcoming bill as “the most consequential economic legislation certainly of this parliamentary session, arguably over the course of the next few years.”

NDP Leader Avi Lewis said it is precisely for that reason that he is making a public appearance on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, for the first time in 36 years of public life to respond to that consequential legislation.

“Prime Minister Carney is using our fear and disorientation around the trade war to push through a series of unpopular measures that he did not run on, has no mandate for, and would never get away with under normal circumstances,” Lewis said.

“This approach will create crises, not solve them. It will cause labour unrest, not bring peace to workplaces, and it will create a Canada where Indigenous rights, workers’ rights, and the protection of our precious natural environment will all be sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit.”

Union leaders said they were very worried about the new legislation introduced in Parliament.

“If this government thinks that they’re going to take away our fundamental rights, they’re in for a very big wake-up call,” said Mark Hancock, the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, who joined Lewis at his press conference.

Bea Bruske, the President of the Canadian Labour Congress, said her organization has had a first look at the changes to the Canada Labour Code and while there are measures that are welcome in terms of protections for workers, she said the government broke its promise to workers on the right to strike.

“This bill gives government the new and expanded power to end a legal strike when it decides the strike is, or could be, against the national interest,” she said.

“We reject the idea that workers’ bargaining power is somehow contrary to the national interest.”

Before the bill was tabled, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet denounced any move by the Liberals to curb workers’ right to strike or mandate binding arbitration to parties in a labour conflict.

He said it was much better that the government be forced to “grow a spine” and table special back-to-work legislation if it wants to end a strike and face the music in Parliament.

“The State must be an mediator between the interests of the workers and large industry. What we fear is that the government will abandon that responsibility in one direction, to the benefit of industries that know that, in general, arbitrators… generally rule in favour of employers,” he said.

Asked whether the government is “flooding the zone” in a similar fashion to U.S. President Donald Trump, Hajdu said the government is making all these consequential changes to respond to the crisis of the trade war.

“We’re doing exactly what Canadians have asked us to, which is to stand up for them, to stand up for their families, to stand up for their jobs. We’re fighting every single day to save jobs, to grow jobs, and to make sure that we can actually build big things in this country and get our goods to market,” she said.

Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Canadians want to come together and build Canada in a time of uncertainty.

“That’s what Canadians expect us to do.”

National Post

cnardi@postmedia.com

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Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, along with other politicians and police forces across Canada, have condemned antisemitic violence following a shooting that took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sunday night.

Two people, including a police officer, were wounded in the incident that occurred as worshippers gathered for Yom Kippur , the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. No one inside the synagogue was hurt, according to a social media statement by the Sons of Jacob Congregation . A police officer and suspected gunmen were injured and taken to Kingston General Hospital after exchanging gunfire outside the synagogue.

“Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish lives,” Carney wrote in a statement on X . “Canada’s government will do everything in our power to support law enforcement in ensuring that the perpetrator is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. My thoughts are with the injured officer and his family, and the entire Jewish community.”

Poilievre echoed Carney’s support for the Jewish community, but called on the government to take action. “This vile antisemitic violence in Canada must end, and this Liberal government must act now to protect our people,” the opposition leader wrote in a statement on X.

“Jewish Canadians must once again be able to live in their communities and pray in their places of worship without fear of being shot at or attacked.”

On the holiest day of the Jewish year, a police officer was injured, a man suffered life-threatening injuries, and worshippers at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville were forced to take cover as gunfire erupted outside.

This vile antisemitic violence in Canada must end,…

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 21, 2026

Belleville Police said on social media that one of their officers “encountered an individual in the area at about 7:10 p.m.” and “the officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to hospital,” adding that there was no further threat to public safety.

The province’s Special Investigations Unit said the “exchange of gunfire” involved a 29-year-old man “armed with a shotgun” who is now in life-threatening condition. The officer is listed as critical but stable.

Laryssa Waler is on the board of Allies for a Strong Canada, an organization dedicated to mobilizing non-Jewish Canadians in the fight against antisemitism in Canada. She told National Post that she wants decision-makers and policy leaders to understand that “it’s not the responsibility of the Jewish community to solve antisemitism.”

“Jewish people can’t make non-Jews not hate them,” she said. “They can’t be nicer. They can’t be more giving. They can’t be more polite. It’s on us not to hate them and to defend them and to say loudly, ‘We live in Canada. You can’t hate another group of people.'”

Meanwhile, other political leaders have also expressed sorrow and support for the Jewish community following the shooting. Tyler Allsopp, Progressive Conservative MPP for the Bay of Quinte riding, representing Belleville, said in a statement on X that he is “heartbroken” by news of the incident.

“My thoughts go out to all members of our Jewish community, and to the police officer who was wounded and his family,” he said. “This attack was a disgusting act and it has no place in our society. It is my sincerest hope that the individual responsible feels the full weight of justice.”

My statement on the senseless shooting attack last night at Belleville's Sons of Jacob Synagogue. pic.twitter.com/TJPrS8tEIq

— Tyler Allsopp (@tylerallsoppPC) September 21, 2026

And Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he is “disgusted” by the shooting.

In a statement shared on X , Ford wrote: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear. I expect that all those responsible are arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

He added: “My thoughts are also with the police officer who was shot, along with their family and loved ones. We owe an immense debt of gratitude to this brave officer and to all the first responders who acted so quickly to keep the community safe.”

The Ontario Liberal Party released a statement in which the party’s interim leader, John Fraser, called the shooting “a horrific act of antisemitic violence.”

“For years, we have seen a growing number of Jewish centres targeted by gunfire,” he said. “In most cases, they were empty, but these attacks have instilled fear and dread in the Jewish community. It was only a matter of time before someone was brazen enough to do something like this.”

Please read the Ontario Liberal Party’s Statement on Yom Kippur and the shooting at the Belleville synagogue this weekend. pic.twitter.com/GMmxQvpLZD

— Ontario Liberal Party | Parti Libéral de l'Ontario (@OntLiberal) September 21, 2026

Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidates Lee Fairclough and Eric Lombardi also commented on the shooting.

Fairclough called it “horrifying” and said her thoughts are with the Jewish community and the injured police officer in a post on X , while Lombardi said the incident “comes amid an alarming rise in antisemitism and threats against Jewish institutions across Canada.”

He added : “Jewish Canadians deserve to live without fear and to gather and worship in safety and peace. We must stand unequivocally against antisemitism and ensure our Jewish communities are protected from rising hate.”

Elsewhere, Toronto mayor Olivia Chow wrote in a statement : “My thoughts are with the Jewish community and the injured officer in Belleville,” adding, “The Jewish community will see an increased police presence as we take precautions to keep people safe.”

She said: “Jewish Torontonians should not need police presence to observe Yom Kippur, or to simply live their day-to-day lives. As long as we contend with rising antisemitism and hate, we will spare no expense keeping the community safe.”

Brad Bradford, a Toronto city councillor and Chow’s main contender in the upcoming mayoral race, also shared a statement on social media. “Gunfire outside a synagogue hurts a community that has already carried far too much this year, in Toronto, in Montreal, and across Canada. No community in this country should have to live like this,” he wrote.

Bradford added: “An attack on a place of worship is an attack on all of us.”

Tonight, on Yom Kippur, shots were fired outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, and early reports indicate a police officer was shot responding.
Kathryn and I are keeping Belleville’s Jewish community, first responders, the officer who was injured, and everyone near…

— Brad Bradford (@BradMBradford) September 21, 2026

Meanwhile, former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole called the incident “horrific” in a social media post , adding: “A reminder that the troubling rise in antisemitism leads to real risks to the Jewish community & our entire society.”

And Senator Leo Housakos, who serves as the leader of the Opposition in the Senate, said he is “horrified and beyond angry” by the shooting in a post on social media , adding: “We are failing Jewish Canadians. This violence persists and escalates because we allow it to. Governments in Canada can no longer pretend that antisemitism is anything less than an emergency.”

Conservative MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman said she is “deeply concerned” by the incident, Liberal MP Evan Solomon called it “horrific and despicable,” and fellow Toronto MP Leslie Church said : “A police presence should never be necessary to gather for worship in Canada, yet this is a terrible daily reality for Jewish Canadians.”

Elsewhere, Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario, called the act of violence “deeply troubling” in a statement shared on social media.

“I am outraged by this attack on the Jewish community and their sacred space,” he added. “Those responsible must be brought to justice and held fully accountable.”

Absolutely appalling news out of Belleville. A Belleville Police Service officer was shot while bravely guarding the Sons of Jacob Synagogue and the Jewish community during Yom Kippur. Our thoughts are with the officer, their loved ones, and everyone affected by this horrific… pic.twitter.com/akdE8TEUuF

— Mark Baxter (@PresidentPAO) September 21, 2026

The Durham Regional Police also released a statement on social media in which it said its membership is “saddened by the senseless violence” that took place in Belleville. “We join all in condemning senseless acts of violence,” it said.

Police services that have commented on the shooting include York Regional Police, which said in a message to the community that “officers will continue to be visible in the areas where people gather to worship, and we remain in close contact with community and faith partners.”

And Winnipeg Police said it will be increasing its presence at gathering spaces and places of worship as a precaustion, adding: “Our thoughts are with the Jewish community across Canada during this time, as well as with the officer in Belleville who remains in hospital.”

The Bay of Quinte’s pro hockey team, Belleville Senators, also shared a statement on social media, writing: “The Belleville Senators family is deeply saddened to learn about the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Sunday evening. Our thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville, as well as the injured officer and first responders and who attended the scene.”

The Belleville Senators family is deeply saddened to learn about the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Sunday evening. Our thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville, as well as the injured officer and first responders and who attended the scene. pic.twitter.com/xCn6lMzf0T

— Belleville Senators (@BellevilleSens) September 21, 2026

Multiple synagogues in Ontario, specifically the Greater Toronto Area, have been targeted in shooting attacks in recent years as antisemitism grows in Canada. This March, three separate GTA synagogues were hit by gunfire within a five-day span — Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto in Thornhill, North York’s Temle Emanu-el and Shaarei Shomayim. York Regional Police have charged three suspects in connection with a pair of the shootings.

The shooting comes two months after Statistics Canada data showed that Jews were targeted in 71 per cent of religious hate crimes in Canada last year. While this represented a 16 per cent decline from the previous year, it remained 50 per cent higher than in 2022.

“In Canada, we would not tolerate any other community being shot at, being harassed,” Waler told National Post. “We would lose our collective minds if a Catholic girls’ school was shot at three times,” she added, making a comparison to Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School in Toronto’s North York, which was shot at for a third time in December 2024 .

“Are Canadians going to continue to be tolerant of other Canadians being shot at, harassed and made victims of violence for the crime of their religion?”

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A Belleville, Ont., police officer is in critical but stable condition today after being shot while exchanging gunfire with a shooter outside a synagogue where worshipers had gathered to mark Yom Kippur on Sunday evening.

In a Monday press conference near the scene outside Sons of Jacob Congregation in the city’s east end, Belleville Police Service deputy chief Sheri Meeks said Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year officer, has a long recovery ahead, but they are “encouraged by his progress.”

The suspected shooter, meanwhile, was identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward of nearby Quinte West, who is in life-threatening condition, according to the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) spokesperson Kristy Denette.

“It’s my understanding that he was very critical and was (vital signs absent), but was sort of brought back to life, so to speak,” she said, noting he sustained “multiple strikes from the officer.”

Both, according to The Intelligencer, Belleville’s newspaper of record, are being treated at Kingston General Hospital.

It’s unclear what charges he might face and Meeks said Belleville police would not release any further information while SIU investigates.

Denette said preliminary evidence suggests Ward arrived in a black pickup truck just after 7 p.m. with a shotgun, which he fired at Smith, who was already on the scene in an unmarked police vehicle. Smith returned fire and was joined by another responding officer who also fired at Ward, who was struck.

As they continue to gather body-cam and police vehicle camera footage, Denette said it’s too early to determine the exact sequence of events.

“I don’t have a sense of timing right now, but what I can tell you is there are dozens of bullet holes in the street behind me,” she said.

“And some homes have been hit and there are some vehicles with shot-out windows, that sort of thing. So it would have been quite the scene indeed.”

CP24 footage shows what appears to be a shotgun on the ground near the scene of the shooting. It also showed a black pickup truck left with multiple bullet holes.

Denette couldn’t confirm if the synagogue was damaged, but synagogue president Doug Weddum told National Post that stained glass windows decorating the outside were peppered with bullets.

The SIU spokesperson also couldn’t confirm if the place of worship was the target of the attack and refused to speculate, but said “common sense would say that probably was the case.”

Still, Denette stressed that the civilian-led SIU’s legislative mandate is to investigate police officers who have discharged their weapons in the line of duty, not Ward’s alleged crime.

No one inside the shul was hurt, according to a social media statement by the Sons of Jacob Congregation, but the situation was still quite alarming for those inside.

A security guard on site identified only as Mike told The Intelligencer the first shot sounded like it came from a “heavy rifle” and was met with rounds from a smaller gun.

“Sitting there, we hear, ‘Pop! Pop! Pop!’ We don’t know if there’s only one shooter,” congregant Doug Lobel told National Post. “For me the biggest concern was … are they going to get into the building?”

The roughly 25 congregants took cover on the floor until police came in to sweep the building, after which they went to the police station by bus and returned home later. The synagogue has cancelled all remaining Yom Kippur day services and will advise when they will resume.

Tactical officers, aerial drones to scan neighbourhood backyards, and an armoured vehicle were dispatched during Belleville police’s initial response, according to The Intelligencer.

Neighbourhood resident Scott Granville posted a video to X that he said was recorded “about a half a block away after the majority of the gunfire.”

“I was backing away and did record a large bang, followed by 3 more shots,” he wrote.

This was about a half a block away after the majority of the gunfire. I was backing away and did record a large bang, followed by 3 more shots. pic.twitter.com/9zb8cBnS89

— @DirectKicksSoccerTV (@directkicksTV) September 21, 2026

On Facebook, Granville said he heard about 50 shots and that an unidentified witness told him she saw “a full shoot out between 2 shooters” that ended with “one man down.”

“I was a half a block away so heard but did not see the event,” he wrote. “I was close enough to worry about stray bullets though especially with the houses nearby.”

Another neighbour, Chris Masterson, told CBC he heard about “25 shots back and forth” before a siren sounded and a police officer commanded someone to “stop.”

Denette said 20 to 30 gunshots “would be a fair estimate” based on early evidence.

A heavy police presence remained outside the synagogue on Monday, one which Denette said would remain for a couple of days.

“It’s quite a complex scene and there are a lot of cartridge cases to collect,” she explained. Reaction to another shooting incident near an Ontario synagogue was swift and widespread.

Premier Doug Ford said he “was disgusted” and expected all responsible to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear,” he said on social media.

“My thoughts are also with the police officer who was shot, along with their family and loved ones. We owe an immense debt of gratitude to this brave officer and to all the first responders who acted so quickly to keep the community safe.”

I’m disgusted by the shooting that took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville earlier this evening as Jewish community members gathered to mark Yom Kippur.

My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to…

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) September 21, 2026

Multiple synagogues in Ontario, specifically the Greater Toronto Area, have been targeted in shooting attacks in recent years as antisemitism grows in Canada. This March, three separate GTA synagogues were hit by gunfire within five days — Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto in Thornhill and North York’s Temle Emanu-el and Shaarei Shomayim. York Regional Police have charged three suspects in connection with a pair of the shootings.

John Fraser, a Liberal MPP in Ottawa, called it “a horrific act of antisemitic violence.”

“Families were gathered in community and prayer when shots came pouring through the stained glass window of their local synagogue,” he said in a statement.

The Jewish community is on high alert as they mark the holiest day of the year. Police forces had announced security plans for the Jewish holidays amid a wave of antisemitism.

“For years we have seen a growing number of Jewish centres targeted by gunfire,” said Fraser. “It was only a matter of time before someone was brazen enough to do something like this.”

Toronto Police Services said in a statement on X that it was not aware of any threats or connection to Toronto, but would still increase “visibility and patrols and synagogues and other places of worship out of an abundance of caution.”

“Our thoughts are with the Belleville police officer who was injured and their loved ones and colleagues.”

Police in York Region north of Toronto, about 180 kilometres away, said it understood the Belleville incident would ​cause concern in its jurisdiction, and they remain in contact with their “faith partners.”

“Our officers will continue to be visible in the areas where people gather to worship,” it said in a statement.

• 'Bang! Bang! Bang!': Confusion, gunshots during Yom Kippur service at Belleville synagogue
• Police officer shot outside Belleville synagogue identified, faces 'significant road to recovery'

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“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Norman Weddum recalled the sound of bullets hitting the stained glass at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community.

Weddum, who has been the synagogue’s president for the past eight years, attended the Sunday-night service with around 25 congregants.

When he first arrived, he said he spoke briefly to the police officer who was stationed in front of the building. He said he thanked him for being there. “We (request an officer) when we have a lot of people in the building, just for safety concerns,” he told National Post.

The choice to proactively have an officer at Sons of Jacob comes after several targeted shootings at synagogues across Canada. One person at the scene, a security guard, told Belleville publication The Intelligencer that he believed it was that officer who intercepted the suspect.

By the time Weddum walked into the building, it was 6:45 p.m.

Congregants were ushered into the inner sanctuary of the synagogue around 7 p.m. for the prayer service to start.

“At that point, that’s when the first, ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ started, and we all kind of stopped in our tracks,” he said.

And then another round of shots.

A handful of congregants, including Weddum, went out into the main lobby to see what had occurred. Again, they heard the same noise. “And this time it was so loud and deafening … that there was no question that was shot being fired.”

They ran back into the area where the service was being held and shut the doors.

“I yelled for everyone to get on the floor, to crouch right down,” said Weddum. The shots were still being fired and they could hear it hitting the stained glass windows that decorated the outer part of the synagogue.

The shooting stopped eventually, after what felt like hours. “We waited and waited,” said Weddum.

He could see a heavy police presence outside.

“There were two officers who were tending to an injured officer that was sitting on the ground,” he said.

While Weddum said he never expected such an incident to occur in Belleville, another congregant and Belleville resident Doug Lobel told National Post he “almost predicted this was going to happen.”

Lobel was also at the synagogue on Sunday night, with his wife, Eva.

He was walking into the service when he heard loud noises. He said it was confusing because they heard “a lot of shots” but had no idea what was going on outside.

“Sitting there, we hear, ‘Pop! Pop! Pop!’ We don’t know if there’s only one shooter. For me the biggest concern was … are they going to get into the building?”

He said when the shooting stopped, police entered to do a sweep of the building. Congregants were taken by bus to the police station and then dropped off at home.

Lobel said he felt like an incident like this could happen because of past events held in Belleville where the hosts used antisemitic rhetoric. He expressed concern to Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis in an email.

“(The mayor’s) response was really tone deaf because he said if you don’t feel safe contact the Belleville police,” said Lobel.

In a statement to National Post, Ellis said that he could not comment on the details of an individual interaction, but the “concerns about safety and antisemitism are taken seriously.”

“The safety and security of everyone in our community is our highest priority,” the mayor’s statement continued. “The Belleville Police Service is responsible for public safety and for responding to incidents such as this, and I have the utmost confidence in their professionalism and their ability to keep our community safe.”

Lobel said he is especially grateful for the officer who was stationed in front of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue. He’s not sure what would have happened if he wasn’t there.

Belleville resident Justin Gannon told National Post that his daughter was walking home on Sunday night when she heard the gunshots. She texted him anxiously just after 7 p.m. He decided to go to the scene to see what was going on and arrived near the synagogue around 7:20 p.m. He saw officers with their guns drawn.

One yelled at him: “Get out of here! Get out of here! There’s an active shooter!”

Gannon said he could still see smoke in the air and smell gun powder. He saw an officer on a stretcher being carried into the back of an ambulance. The officer was awake but seemed like he was in pain, he said.

“We’ve never had anything like this. This is like a first for Belleville,” he said. “Small town. Everybody’s friendly here. We’ve had shootings before but nothing this major.”

On Monday, he said police continued to scour the area.

“It just seems like there’s so much hate out there right now in the world,” he said. “You can just sense it. If you go online, it’s everywhere.”

A woman identified by her first name, Jose, was at home nearby when she heard a total of 25 to 30 gunshots, she told The Intelligencer . She said it sounded like two different kinds of weapons, perhaps a shotgun and a handgun, exchanging fire.

“I stepped out on the porch to kind of see like where is it coming from … and I saw a truck driving off of the road onto the sidewalk,” she said.

She eventually called 911 after hearing more shots.

Another resident, identified by his first name, Sheldon, told the publication that he heard the shots at Meyers Pier. The pier is roughly 2.5 kilometres away from the synagogue. He went to the area where police lights were flashing to see what was happening. On two occasions, he said he saw people telling officers that their mothers were in the synagogue.

The synagogue remained closed Monday to the roughly 100 families who are members, Weddum said.

“We should have had all-day service and concluding tonight at sundown. But we can’t do that,” he said. “We’ll have services again. We will continue on. This is not going to stop us.”

On Monday, Belleville Police Service’s Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks identified the officer who was stationed outside the synagogue as Const. Jeff Smith. He is in critical but stable condition.

Because Smith and another officer discharged their weapons, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ontario’s police watchdog, is leading the investigation.

SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said it is believed that the 29-year-old suspect drove to the area in a truck and opened fire on Smith with a shotgun. A second officer arrived at the scene, followed shortly after by multiple other officers.

The suspect remains in hospital in life-threatening condition.

Belleville police said it could not comment further on the criminal side of the investigation at this time.

This comes nearly a year after a deadly terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur. On Oct. 2, 2025, two people were stabbed to death and a third was killed by police after being caught in the crossfire.

Later that year, in December, members of the Jewish community were celebrating Hannukah, known as the Festival of Lights, at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, when more than a dozen were shot to death .

• Police officer, two people injured after Yom Kippur shooting at Belleville synagogue; suspect, 29, hospitalized
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Maya Gebala, the Tumbler Ridge shooting victim who was so critically injured it was thought she might never see another birthday, has just turned 13 years old.

In her latest post to Facebook, Maya’s mom, Cia Edmonds, included numerous photos of Maya celebrating the big day.

They include the little girl bowling, playing air hockey and blowing out candles on her birthday cake (with a little help from mom).

In other pictures she is smiling at the camera and making rock-and-roll hand signs with her mom.

“Happy Birthday, my biggest baby girl,” Edmonds wrote in the post. “13 looks different, but you wear it well.”

She continued: “I am forever grateful for the time we get to share. I am constantly proud at all the new things you are learning to do. I am watching you become someone new, again and again. Thank you baby. Thank you for staying with us. Thank you for your strength, your courage, and your determination.”

Edmonds said that a year ago, Maya’s big birthday wish was to go with her best friend to visit “galaxy land,” an apparent reference to the theme park in West Edmonton Mall.

“This year is different, but we make it worth it,” Edmonds wrote, adding: “Many more to come my Maya Moon. All the stars in the sky, forever and always.”

The Tumbler Ridge shooting took place on Feb. 10, when 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar went on a murderous rampage that left eight other people dead, most of them at the secondary school in the small British Columbia town. Maya was shot three times in the head, cheek and neck.

Maya, who was just 12 years old when the shooting occurred, was taken to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

She has undergone at least five complex surgeries but has made remarkable progress since the shooting, which left her with severe brain damage.

Her mother, who posts on social media under the name “Cia Later,” and her father, David Gebala, have released regular updates over the months with news of her continued recovery.

Earlier this month Edmonds posted a brief video clip of Maya saying “mom” to her.

“Setbacks and victories,” she wrote in the post. “Her level of awareness is incredible and devastating at the same time. She still lives in a hospital, she cries because she wants to go home. Soon baby, soon.”

In July, Edmonds changed her Facebook cover photo and profile picture to include images of a small French bulldog, along with the sad news that their dog had died after being hit by a car.

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