The summer of sensitive security concerns has claimed its first victim: A two-day celebration of urban music scheduled to take place at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square the same weekend as the city’s Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival.
The annual TD Irie Music Festival of reggae and world music will continue at Nathan Phillips Square around the same time but its urban music program a few blocks north will be cancelled. The festival declined to comment Wednesday evening after releasing a statement that said moving the events at Yonge-Dundas Square to later in the year was “partly in response to the security concerns arising from the recent increase in violence in Toronto.”
h/t wallyj
“partly in response to the security concerns arising from the recent increase in violence in Toronto.”
Damned Mennonite street gangs…
I particularly like the quote
“There’s so many events in the city where people are routinely searched,” he said. “We don’t really see the searching as being specific to one cultural group or another and it’s just an issue of safety.”
So they search everyone but refuse to “profile” lest it offend someone.
Section 8 of the Charter is just so passe´in Toronto. It is that distinction between reasonable and unreasonable that has them confused.
An Irie Fest at Nathan Philips Square in November is sure to be a big draw….
Not unlike the Zombie Fest being planned for inner city Detroit, maybe a Crack Dealer Guns a Blazin’ Fest in the Jane/Finch corridor would attract a lot of tourists. Probably get some good footage on the old iPhone.
Stay away from Toronto during this festival. Stay away at all costs. Trust me on this one. There’s going to be a lot of scores settled this year. Being in the crossfire’s a bitch.
Wonder how long Scotia Bank is going to sponsor this train wreck? My guess is that any hint of violence at the parade and Scotia Bank gets off the bus.
Ralph @ 6:18 – good advice
Waiting patiently n for the Heritage festivals to turn eventually into full blown riots. Kind of like hockey teams all leaving the bench.
I blame conservatards, if only they provided gang bangers with safe insite programs so they could learn to shoot accurately when trying to wage gang bangerism against their enemies. We all know if those poor dears could shoot straight they wouldn’t kill innocents, one day they’ll have a safe place to learn how to shoot their illigal guns.
The hitch is the alcohol and drugs, Rose. They may know how to shoot straight sober, but when they’re all tanked up …
I’m going to have to talk to my kids about not going anywhere near Caribana. I’m staying as far away as I can. (And I wouldn’t be caught dead — uh, wrong choice of words maybe — anywhere near any Olympic event or in the underground during the Olympics. There’s no way, no matter how beefed up the “security,” London’s going to be safe and secure with the number of people there.)
You can rest assured that the CBSA will be waiving carloads of “celebrants” through at Niagara, Fort Erie, Windsor, Sarnia, Queenston, Lansdowne, Prescot and Cornwall.
Just like every other year.
More illegal firearms show up with black folk coming to Caribana than at any other time..as stated, they just wave ’em on through at the border..I lived on Spencer ave. for years and witnessed many a gun deal from the back of a car from my balcony..
Maybe they should rename it Carribanga…
First they import it, then they expect everyone else to deal with it.
Hey, maybe next year if Pride merged with the Carribean carnival there won’t be any violence. Maybe my true calling is to be a Toronto city councilor.
kudos to the late, great Phil Mckellar!
Phil baby, you were right on the money!