Hundreds of thousands celebrate return of Toronto Pride parade to downtown streets
The streets of downtown Toronto were awash with colour, music and smiles Sunday as the city's Pride parade returned for the first time in two years.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined Yonge Street on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the parade's comeback after it was sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic. The procession began at 2 p.m. on the corner of Bloor and Church streets.
Colourful floats – some blasting music to energize the crowd -- dancers, drag queens and other marchers waving rainbow flags and carrying signs about love and acceptance slowly walked the route and made their way to Yonge-Dundas Square, where the parade culminated.
Among those who marched include a group who had never walked at a Pride parade until Sunday, community organizations, labour unions, emergency services, sports teams and dignitaries. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, widely known as Dr. Lady Phyll, was the parade's international grand marshal.
One of the dignitaries at the parade was Toronto Mayor John Tory, who marched with other members of city council.
He said it was good that city events like Pride were back following a long pause.
"It's so good at a time when rights are being diminished elsewhere in the world that we're able to celebrate the fact that we've made such progress. We've got lots to do. But, I think we're happy respecting each other and embracing each other," Tory said. "And so I think that's what pride is all about."
Tory was also with his grandchild Isabel who came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier, the two attended a Pride breakfast hosted by PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
"It's so important that kids and adults, everybody in Toronto, feel they can be who they are, and that they can celebrate who they are, and that we celebrate them. And that is the essence of what Toronto is all about. And we've got to keep it that way. So I was proud to have Isabel with me today," Tory said.
People march in the Pride parade marking the return of in-person festivities for the annual LGBTQ celebration, in Toronto, Sunday, June 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima
CP24 spoke with dozens of people at the parade, several of whom were their first time at a Pride parade, and all of them were happy to see it back and everyone having a good time. Some of them were from other countries, including the U.S., Israel and Nicaragua.
"I've never been around this many like queer people at once. And it just makes me feel really at home and stuff. So I like it a lot," said one reveler, who moved to Toronto from the United Kingdom. "It feels like a big old family."
When one paradegoer was asked what Pride means to him, he said it is about accepting and expressing who you are and not caring what others think.
"It feels nice to know that there's more than just you and a couple of your friends and just feels nice that there's even like straight people, allies that all support you because throughout your day, obviously there's gonna be people that don't, so it's nice to see everyone celebrating it," he said.
Crowds of people watch the Pride parade, marking the return of in-person festivities for the annual LGBTQ celebration, in Toronto, Sunday, June 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima
Pride Toronto said it was expecting approximately 1.8 million on Sunday.
Ahead of the weekend, organizers said the festival was working with private security firms to conduct checks at designated spaces.
They say the extra measures are necessary given a reported increase in anti-LGBTQ incidents this month.
- With files from Beatrice Vaisman, Shanelle Kaul and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.