A man was gunned down in broad daylight in Halifax, there was a nightclub shooting in Winnipeg, and in Toronto four people died in gun violence over the weekend -- most tragically, an 11-year-old boy was caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout.

Other incidents in Toronto over the weekend included an execution-type slaying of a man who was shot four times in the head, and a man was killed and another injured in a nightclub incident in the entertainment district.

Toronto Police seemed shocked by the events of this weekend, especially the slaying of a child who was attending a family birthday party.

"It takes nothing more than an animal to be able to perpetrate such a crime on such a young victim," said Insp. Greg McLane of the Toronto Police Service.

The incident seemed similar to the Boxing Day 2006 shooting of Jane Creba, another youngster gunned down in the midst of gang warfare.

As many as 70 people were at the party where 11-year-old Ephraim Brown was killed, which means there were many witnesses to the early-morning tragedy.

Another man, who is known to police, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound after the incident -- but he isn't cooperating with the investigation.

Mayor David Miller re-iterated the need to toughen up gun laws.

"We know where the guns come from," Miller said. "Half come across the border, sometimes more than half. We need real action on border security.

"And the second thing we need is to take care of our own house. Handguns are still legal in Canada, partially, and we've got to make them completely illegal."

The problem isn't limited to Toronto, often thought of as Canada's gun capital.

In Winnipeg, four people were injured badly early Sunday when someone opened fire outside a nightclub. It was the ninth shooting in the city in the past two weeks, and the second incident involving a nightclub.

In Halifax, Glenn Brian Bourgeois, 37, died of his wounds after he was shot multiple times and left on the street in a residential district. Police are looking for two suspects and appealing to the public for help with their investigation.

Police across the country are dealing with the problem. "It's something in this day and age, law enforcement is being forced to deal with more and more... and more," Sgt. Kelly Dennison of the Winnipeg Police Service said.

Canada's overall crime rate has dropped to its lowest point in 25 years, Statistics Canada announced this week. But the number of serious violent crimes -- such as attempted murder, aggravated assault and robbery -- is up.

One in eight robberies involves a firearm, an increase of four per cent.

It's believe some of the weapons are stolen during break-ins and sold or traded, but more often officials blame smugglers bringing them in across the border.