The CNE opens in Toronto for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic
The Canadian National Exhibition has returned to Toronto after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 18-day event kicked off with an opening ceremony Friday morning.
Speaking at the ceremony, Toronto Mayor John Tory said he hoped residents would welcome the fair back with "huge enthusiasm."
"If you think about it, there are very few things in our city that embody the traditions and the city itself the way the CNE does," he said.
Health measures that restricted in-person events prevented the fair from operating in 2020 and 2021. The organization that runs the fair has said the cancellations cost millions in losses and missed revenue.
Darrell Brown, CEO of the Canadian National Exhibition Association, said earlier this week there's a lot riding on this year's event.
"For some of these vendors, the CNE is the big paycheque of the year. It was a struggle for some of them to make it through (the pandemic), but the vast majority are back and they're anxiously awaiting the gates opening," he said.
Mac-and-cheese lemonade and ketchup ice cream were among the new wacky foods fairgoers can feast on, along with the typical fair foods like hotdogs and poutine, and long-standing CNE favourites such as waffle ice cream sandwiches and mini doughnuts.
A nightly drone show has been touted as another of the fair's new attractions.
The CNE's return came amid a strike by unionized safety inspectors working for the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, who have raised concerns about how rides are being examined during the labour action.
The CNE previously said it has taken steps to ensure the strike doesn't affect the safety of visitors, staff or vendors, and has its own engineering team to carry out inspections on top of those performed by the TSSA's non-union staff and management.
Striking workers held a rally during the opening ceremony Friday, shouting slogans as organizers and officials took to the stage.
The fair runs from Aug. 19 to Sept. 5.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.