Toronto reverses decision, says Canada Day festivities will be held at Nathan Phillips Square
Canada Day celebrations will be held at Nathan Phillips Square, after all.
A day after saying that there would be no July 1 festivities at the downtown square, the city confirmed on Wednesday that it is reversing the decision after a meeting between Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie and city staff.
"There will be dozens of Canada Day celebrations across the city on July 1, including in Nathan Phillips Square and Mel Lastman Square," Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said in a statement.
"I want to thank the City Manager for taking quick action to make sure we celebrate Canada Day and continue to encourage people to gather together and enjoy Toronto."
While Toronto has not marked Canada Day at Nathan Phillips Square since 2017, the city had begun preparations for a possible event this year, recruiting volunteers and holding information sessions.
However, due to insufficient resources, the city said Tuesday it decided not to move forward with its plan.
"Officials agreed to revisit their decision and proceed with Canada Day celebrations in the Square along with Canada Day celebrations in Mel Lastman Square and countless other Canada Day events," the city said in a statement on Wednesday.
Other July 1 festivities taking place across the city include the fireworks display at Ashbridge's Bay and lead-up activities in the week preceding Canada Day.
The city noted that staff will work to use funding in existing budgets and leverage community partnerships and "continue conversations with our Government of Canada partners around additional federal funding for Canada Day celebrations."
More details about the festivities be announced in the coming weeks, the city said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
What happens after we die? Most Canadians say an afterlife does exist, survey shows
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.