Gary Turner said he heard 10 to 15 gunshots behind his house in Etobicoke at 9:30 p.m., Wednesday night; his dog ran rampant around the house, howling, and Turner and his wife were startled.

But the gunfire was a false alarm, as a production company was in the midst of filming on their set, located behind Turner’s home on Valcrest Dr.

Turner said he knew there would be some disturbances in the neighbourhood due to the production, but was never consulted or notified that there would be gunfire.

“With the gun crime in our city, and not telling us, I think it’s just ridiculous,” he said.

The company behind the shoot, Awake Productions, said it received the necessary permits from the city and were following the Toronto Film Board guidelines by sending out surveys and letters to the neighbouring area to notify residents of possible disturbances and to ask for their consent.

“There was no error on our end,” Awake publicist Mario Tassone said. “Obviously, we’re sad people didn’t read the letter and that they were offended by this, but we did nothing wrong.”

The production company sent out the first letter on Aug. 23. This letter did not contain any reference to gunfire in the area. There was another letter sent, Tassone said, when they decided gunfire would be necessary. However, he did not state if the second letter included a mention of gunfire; he said only that the company obeyed the film board’s guidelines.

“Long story short, we haven’t done anything contrary to (the) law.”

The Aug. 23 letter included a filming plan with hours and dates, set-up and tear-down scheduling, and information on the possibility of traffic delays.

“We were surprised because no one told us there’d be gunfire,” Turner said. “If they could have been more honest earlier on in the conversation, we could have at least prepared.”

After the rounds of gun shots rang out, he contacted the production company who told him, word-for-word, according to Turner, “You can’t stop us.”

The city could not be reached for comment, but has onlin an extensive list of guidelines and a code of conduct for film productions.

The allowing of gunfire is controlled by the film board through a letter of intent around special effects involving firearms and blanks.

“Prop guns can be mistaken for genuine firearms by members of the public. This poses potential risks for public safety. The Police will respond to any reported incident under the assumption that the firearm is real and not authorized,” reads the city website, which notes that, if the Public Safety Unit responds and a production lacks the necessary permit, it can be shut down with can also face criminal charges.

The current production began Sept. 13 and is set to continue until Sept. 23. Tassone said that Awake productions will be filming in the neighbouring area for the few days and that they “don’t want to burn anybody.”

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From 2014 to 2019, Toronto has seen a 237-per-cent increase in shootings, according to TPS analytics and innovation.

Correction – September 20, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Awake productions will be filming in the neighbouring area for the next five movies. In fact, it is a single feature film and filming is scheduled to be finished in the next few days.

David Venn is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @davidvenn_

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