How Toronto festivals this year were upended by congestion, cancellations and crime — and what we must do to fix it
It has been a summer of thwarted celebrations.
Marquee street festivals in Toronto were cut short, moved out of the city or cancelled outright over issues with financing, space, violence and thefts.
Some organizers say growing security costs and concerns since the deadly vehicle attack in Vancouver last year and shootings at Salsa on St. Clair last month made their events too expensive to host. This was worsened, they say, by the World Cup siphoning away corporate sponsorship money this year, forcing local events to make do with less. Even Taste of the Danforth, one of the city’s most storied, well-funded festivals, had supporters petition the federal government this week for more help with payments.
