Toronto police reported that managing hundreds of demonstrations that have taken place since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 has cost $7.5 million.

The police said they responded to 343 demonstrations witnessed in the city since the start of the war, and the $7.5 million amount includes other proactive work related to Project Hazem, an initiative launched by the Toronto Police to add patrols around areas sensitive to Jewish and Muslim communities.

The police indicated that this figure represents the costs of human resources associated with monitoring the demonstrations, including about $2.9 million in overtime wages.

Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said in an email, "As the chief mentioned, the number of demonstrations and events attended by Toronto officers since October 7 is an example of the pressures we face in monitoring our ever-growing city, which is uniquely affected by geopolitical events. Our officers have worked tirelessly to manage more than 340 demonstrations involving dozens to more than 25,000 people, which is significantly higher than any other city in Canada."

She continued, "As a result, the service had to redeploy and transfer officials from other areas of the service to respond, meaning other work was not carried out or was temporarily halted, as we prioritize immediate public safety needs."

Toronto witnessed multiple demonstrations weekly over the past few months.

While most protests occurred without incidents, some targeted businesses and neighborhoods, and charges were filed related to a few of them.

The police are under pressure to provide more security in the community amid rising hate crimes amid the ongoing war.

The police confirmed the cost of managing protests amid ongoing disputes between City Mayor Olivia Chow and Chief Myron Demkiw over the police budget.

While the Toronto Police Services Board approved a $20 million increase in the Toronto Police budget for 2024, this increase was reduced by about $12.6 million when city staff issued their proposed city budget earlier this month.

Demkiw said the reduced increase will make it impossible to provide the expected level of police service.

Chow said on Thursday that the Toronto Police are receiving a "significant" increase in their budget and pledged to provide more details on the ways they are financially supported.

In a tweet on the same day, Demkiw said the force is requesting a "modest 1.7 percent increase" and that the budget cut approved by the board will make it impossible to achieve recruitment goals.

He added, "By 2025, any frontline gains will be eliminated due to retirements and growth."

Chow is expected to receive feedback from the Budget Committee before presenting the draft budget to the City Council next month.