Toronto Maha Vihara Society temple now more secure.
Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, centre, greets Buddhist monks at the Toronto Maha Vihara Society Buddhist Temple on Tuesday following an announcement about the distribution of funds from the communities at risk security infrastructure pilot project.
Staff photo/DAN PEARCE
It was a little more than a year ago that the members of the Toronto Maha Vihara Society in Scarborough were filled with fear and sadness, but on the morning of Tuesday, July 27, vice-president Ben Seneviratne was filled with gratitude now that the society's temple and property is safe and secure.
"Fortunately, sir, you came to our rescue. If that happened again we'd be gone. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the thing you did giving us funds," he said to federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
Toews was at the Kingston Road property to announce more than $60,000 in funding that was granted earlier this year to three religious organizations under the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Pilot (SIP) Program.
The Toronto Maha Vihara Society received $43,000 to pay for 50 per cent of the cost of erecting a fence, installing security cameras and an alarm system, and securing the rear fence. The security measures were necessary after a fire bomb in May 2009 destroyed part of the main hall in the temple.
Seneviratne recounted the acts of terror that have been committed against the building and the society's members.
"In the wee hours of the morning they came through the side door," he said. "They were prepared with gasoline to completely burn the place down."
They arsonists were unsuccessful and managed to only burn down part of the building after the monks who live on the property woke up and called 911.
"The members they gathered that morning and they were crying. They were helpless. They were in a state of shock," he said.
"Even the monks were in a state of fear."
The community was unable to gather the funds necessary to pay for the security measures and in November 2009 arsonists struck again, this time damaging the back porch.
Shortly after the second incident the society learned about the federal program and applied for funding to help pay for the security measures. They received the money in March and the work has now been completed.
"Today we feel so secure, happy and content that we can live in peace," Seneviratne said.
The Gur Mandir Temple in Etobicoke is also more secure because of funding from the federal program.
"When we built it we had a few incidences of vandalism...but because we are a small community we could get everything fixed," said Krishan Vasdani. "This March when the funds came in the first thing we did was have a security system installed...Our community and our priest feel very secure on the premises right now."
Vashani is on the board of the Gur Mandir Temple. He said in addition to the security system, the fence contract has been ordered and they hope to have it complete within a few weeks. They received $9,000 from the federal government to cover half the project.
"We want to ensure that vulnerable communities are able to protect themselves from hate motivated crime," Toews said. "Hate motived criminal offences leads to more than just physical damage, it can lead a whole community into a state of fear or anxiety."
The other GTA organization present at the announcement was the Buddhist Mission Centre in Brampton, which received about $8,0000 for security measure as part of the $3 million, three-year pilot project.