Toronto cancels Pride Parade, other public events until end of June

Thestar.com
April 1, 2020
Francine Kopun

All major city events in Toronto between now and the end of June -- including the Pride Parade -- have been cancelled as part of the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.

“While we treasure these events, and the important contribution they make to our lives and the city, protecting the health and safety of Toronto residents has to be our primary concern right now,” said Mayor John Tory, speaking at a Tuesday city briefing on developments related to the deadly pandemic.

The order includes all city-led major events including festivals, conferences and cultural programs. Museums and cultural centres will remain closed. The city is also cancelling all permits for major events organized by external groups at civic centres, squares, parks and public spaces, including road closures for neighbourhood events.

While the annual Pride Parade is cancelled, Tory said he looks forward to celebrating Pride Month virtually and online.

Pride Toronto tweeted its agreement with the decision to cancel the public June 26-28 event, saying in a statement everyone needs to do what they can to “flatten the curve” of new infections.

Doors Open Toronto, a celebration of building and spaces with guided tours that was set for late May, is also cancelled.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, told reporters that by 1 p.m. Tuesday the city had 793 COVID-19 infections including 628 confirmed cases -- up 37 from Monday -- and another 165 considered probable. Sixty-five people were in hospital, 33 of them in intensive care.

De Villa told reporters she was “truly disappointed” to see people still ignoring pleas to stay home as much as possible and when venturing out for essentials to remain at least two metres from others who don’t share their household.

 “I hear stories of people selfishly going for walks in large groups,” she said. “Essential workers are getting sick and others are dying in our community,” as the rate of local transmission -- now at about 25 per cent -- grows, she said.

After an escalating series of order from the city and province to enforce social distancing, more is on the way from Toronto Public Health, she suggested.

“Given the increased number of cases, the increased hospitalizations, and the increased deaths that we are seeing in places like New York City just to the south of us, I am concerned that this may be our reality unless we move to stronger measures,” de Villa said without elaborating.

A day earlier she gave as an example public health orders to force people with a disease to stay in quarantine, saying the power has been used in the past.

Tory continued to express frustration with people using city park amenities, including sports fields and off-leash dog areas, despite signs and barriers closing them to the public to enforce physical distancing.

An enforcement blitz targeting those rule-breakers has begun, said Matthew Pegg, head of the city’s emergency operations, with nine people getting $750 tickets. Enforcement will ramp up Wednesday with 60 bylaw officers dispatched to parks.

Tory suggested that since the province passed an Ontario-wide prohibition on using park amenities, those caught in future risk much stiffer penalties.

Also Tuesday the city opened four child-care centres for the children of essential and critical workers with a big demand for the spaces available around the clock.

Some 487 families with a total of more than 705 kids had applied as of Tuesday morning for the free provincially funded service. About two-thirds of applicants are frontline health-care workers with the rest being eligible city employees deemed “essential.”

“More than one hundred children have been placed so far and will begin attending an emergency child care centre today,” with more sites being opened if demand requires it, the city said in a news release.

Criteria for eligible parents and locations are on the city’s COVID-19 website.