ireland2canada

Evening all. I wonder if you guys would care to comment on the topic of self defense. I hope to go to Toronto later this year, and am now researching the methods of self defense that can be used legally in Canada.
For the record, I am not refering to guns or anything like that! More along the lines of mace/pepper spray or maybe a tazer gun.
I have read conflicting information so far as to whether pepper spray is legal to carry or not. I believe you are allowed to carry 'dog repellant' spray which may be similar?
Does anyone else carry anything for protection? Or have any knowledge on what is available for this purpose.

PS. I realise this may sound a litle odd, I'm not a nutcase or anything

ireland2canada

Whooops, sorry wrong part of the forum! Too late now.

Pretty Flowers

A pair of stale underpants is I think the best form of self protection!

Seriously though, I live downtown on my own and am single. This morning I woke up to a cold chill downstairs.

Turned out I had left the front door unlocked. Probably since getting home on Tuesday, as I hadn't left the house the day before - damn those migraines -

Anyway, I've always felt less need for protection in Toronto than I did in London, and I didn't carry pepper spray/ mace or a gun there either.

MikeUK

A map,
and local advice on which areas to avoid

ireland2canada

Pretty Flowers - your story about your front door will probably keep me awake tonight!
I guess the research continues.

Zoe Bell

Seriuosly I feel VERY safe in toronto. There are areas to avoid , but a lot of them , if you didn't live there , you wouldn't have any reason to go there.

I have happily walked back from the sailing club to our condo in the wee hours with not a second thought.

(have also done the not locking the door at night thing as well)

TiggyP

Just look very cross when walking around Toronto at night. A "Don't fook with me!" look on the face and people will avoid you.

I used to live in a dodgy bit, worked for me! Grrr.

Zoe Bell

you forgot the bit about avoiding eye contact. It is a skill you develop in big cities, the ability to know exactly who and what is going on around you without making eye contact with anyone!!!

club_biscuit

I often leave the door unlocked if I'm going out for a short walk in the area or going for a run and don't want to take a key. I've also come home a few times to find that I've forgotten to lock the door in the morning or left the back door open all day. I find the city very safe overall - I wouldn't walk around Jane and Finch on my own at night but most of the city is pretty safe.

It's never occurred to me to have any kind of pepper/dog spray for protection.

Zoe Bell

Me either , I suspect that in the even that I would need to use it , I would be more likely to get myself in the eye and thus render the muggers job easier !!!!

dbd33

Which sailing club do you belong to? I have a membership at ABYC though I rarely go there anymore, I don't think it can be that one as it'd be a long trudge.

dbd33

Jane and Finch is a suburb. In Toronto proper one ought to be cautious about Sherbourne and anything, Jarvis and anything and Regents Park; I thought it cute that lifeguard daughter had a job working the metal detector at the Regents Park pool; "is that a gun in your trunks?" Parkdale is another area where one might want to think before walking.

Zoe Bell

Queens Quay (on Rees )

http://www.queensquayyachting.com/

to be fair I do only live five minutes walk away, but it involves walking under the gardiner which could be described as not-so-well lit. I would certainly be tense walking under that kind of place in the UK

roanin

Many of these "first lines of defence" are illegal in most jurisdictions, and a tazer is right out of the question. It is entirely possible that tazers will soon be out-lawed even for police forces due to the number of deaths caused by their use. Although these items are commercially available, many have been prosecuted for using them, as their use often exceeds "use of force" parameters, resulting in charges of assault. Best to forget such a notion here.

ireland2canada

Well, many thanks for the input here. I would certainly not wish to break any laws in Canada! I find it interesting that none of you seem concerned at all about your personal safety?! I wouldn't dream in a hundred years of leaving my front door open, and I live in a nice area of a quiet town I certainly would not walk around alone at night, even with some form of protecting myself. Perhaps I have been unusually unfortunate so far in life in terms of being burgled or attacked in the street etc