Closed-circuit television cameras will keep a watchful eye during the holiday season on the downtown Toronto shopping district where a teenaged girl was killed during a shootout last Boxing Day.

From Dec. 18 to Jan. 7, three CCTV cameras will be placed on poles at intersections along Yonge Street.

Bright green posters will mark the intersections along Yonge Street where police cameras have been placed to monitor activity over holiday season.
(Toronto Police Service)

One will be located at Yonge and Dundas streets, the intersection at the north end of the Eaton Centre where innocent bystander Jane Creba, 15, was killed by a stray bullet and six others were wounded during a gang-related shootout on Dec. 26, 2005.

The two other cameras will be placed farther north on Gould and Gerrard streets.

"Events over the past year have concerned members of the business community," Toronto police acting chief Kim Derry said in a news release. "We are working closely with them on an ongoing, comprehensive strategy to fight crime."

Businesses in the area that saw sales plummet after the shooting have been lobbying to have cameras installed in hopes the safety feature will bring wary customers back to the shopping district.

Concerns were reignited in November when a gunman opened fire on a vehicle near suppertime just east of the Eaton Centre on Shuter Street near Yonge.

Over the past year, Toronto police have been testing the effectiveness of video cameras to deter crime and catch criminals at large-scale events such as the annual Caribbean festival and this summer's International AIDS Conference.

As is required under privacy commissioner guidelines, signs will be posted notifying passersby that they are under the surveillance of a video camera.