St. Patrick's Day Parade set to return to Toronto after two-year absence

Torontosun.com
Feb. 3, 2022
Jane Stevenson

Irish eyes will be smiling again in Toronto.

The city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is coming back on March 20 after a two-year absence due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We were planning on March 13 but then the (COVID-19) protocols that (Premier Doug) Ford announced said they were lifting the restrictions on (March) 14, so we just moved our parade,” Shaun Ruddy, St. Patrick’s Day Society chairman, said Wednesday.

“So we’re a couple of days after St. Patrick’s Day, which is a first for us.”

Ruddy, whose family is from Donegal, Ireland, said about 4,000 participate in the parade and with people on the streets and watching on TV, he expects it to be a record year.

“I think people are going to come out. They’ve missed it,” he said. “I’m getting calls from places that before were hard to get onside -- they’re anxious, they’re looking forward to something, they want to be involved.”

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Ruddy said the 3.5-km parade route will begin at St. George and Bloor Sts. at 12:02 p.m. and wind its way east on Bloor to Yonge St., then south to Queen St. before heading west on Queen to Nathan Phillips Square.

Brad Ross, City of Toronto spokesperson, didn’t confirm the route but said in a statement: “In the coming weeks, city staff will be working with parade organizers, as they have in past years, to assist them with their preparations, ensuring a safe and fun event for all.”

Mayor John Tory said he is looking forward to the event.

“This was welcome news from the organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day parade,” Tory said. “Over the coming weeks, City staff will be working with parade organizers -- as we have in past pre-pandemic years -- to assist in their preparations for a safe and fun event.

Tory added: “I hope to attend and hope to have a green beer at a Toronto bar or restaurant that day to show the progress we are making following the province’s reopening plan.”