At today’s update on the city of Toronto’s COVID-19 measures, Mayor John Tory announced that the city is cancelling all public events through to June 30 including the Pride Toronto Festival.
The team at Pride Toronto was quick to issue a press release upon hearing the news stating that they were going to be working hard to “deliver Pride celebrations in new, creative and unique ways that ensure safety and physical distancing.”
In alignment with the City of Toronto’s statement, Pride Toronto will no longer host the Festival Weekend on June 26-28th, 2020. Our full statement is available online https://t.co/KSXeLOs9E3 Stay proud and stay safe, Toronto. #PrideToronto #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/T7ANaknTpJ
— Pride Toronto (@PrideToronto) March 31, 2020
Recognizing how essential the festivities are for its communities, the Pride team said it is also critically important that all organizations take any and every action to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The decision by public health authorities to cancel permits through the month of June is a necessary one. Any future programming will be in alignment with the recommendations of the public health authorities and the communities we serve. At this time, we must all do our part to ensure the health and safety of our community.”
The cancellation of municipal events including Pride comes just days after the Luminato Festival announced that it was stopping all programming this year.
It looks like this move could also put the kibosh on the NHL, NBA, and MLS in the city.
Toronto’s ban on public events through June 30 casts doubt on NBA, NHL, MLB seasons https://t.co/foV2DMb1FL pic.twitter.com/pzQPzaOexQ
— Sporting News NBA (@sn_nba) March 31, 2020