Toronto police stepping up security measures at Big on Bloor Festival

A visible police presence, more security checkpoints, and even new temporary cameras watching the streets will all be used to help keep residents safe for the 20th annual Big on Bloor Festival happening this weekend.

Officials say there will be a visible police presence throughout the area all weekend, including officers on foot and on bicycles, as well as members of the Neighbourhood Community Officer team.

“From a policing perspective, the event is fully staffed, and we are prepared,” TPS spokesperson Nadine Ramadan tells CityNews. 

“We’re looking forward to a great weekend at Big on Bloor and to seeing residents and visitors come out to enjoy the festival and support local businesses,” she adds.

“We’re doing all of our due diligence so that the public safety is not only visible, but also actionable as well too,” said festival director Darren Leu.

“We have vendors who were also vendors at Salsa on St. Clair, who obviously need time before they participate in a public setting. Between our artists and our staff, there are obviously concerns as well too, but our best thing is communicating out what we’re trying to do, how we’re making sure this is gonna be a safe event.”

Mayor Olivia Chow says every street festival goes through a rigorous planning process and increased funding from City Hall should help improve security.

“The City of Toronto has increased the budget to fund festivals from $2 million to now $4.1 million to assist them to provide more safety, whether it’s public or private safety, security guards, for example, to keep everyone safe.”

The festival comes less than a week after a targeted shooting erupted at the Salsa on St. Clair street festival, which left two people dead and five others injured.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw called it a “tragic and violent night in Toronto.”

“The brazen violence we witnessed in the middle of a community festival where thousands were gathered to enjoy a summer evening with family and friends is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” he wrote in a social media post.

While the violence remains fresh in people’s minds, residents and businesses on Bloor are welcoming the opportunity to bring Toronto together again.

“We had like 150,000 people come here last year, it’s safe, friendly, amazing, exciting,v…it’s a really wonderful experience,” said Harrison Mazis, owner of Duffy’s Tavern.

“There’s a bunch of new businesses along the block, so I really think it’ll be good for everybody to just come out and feel a sense of community, and I think it’ll even bring people back together from what happened,” added Carina Cavalheiro, owner of Lashed by Carina.

The Big on Bloor Festival, one of Toronto’s leading community-based art festivals, runs from July 18 to July 19 and celebrates all the small businesses that make up Bloordale.

Bloor Street will be shut down from Dufferin Street to Lansdowne Avenue all weekend, with the festival running from noon to midnight on Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.