Unsanctioned anti-lockdown Christmas protest held in Toronto

Heather Seaman Sunday, December 20th 2020 – 5:16 pm

An anti-lockdown Christmas protest made its way northbound along Yonge Street this afternoon, impacting city traffic.

It started at Yonge-Dundas Square around 1 p.m. and headed north on Yonge, towards St. Clair.

A couple hundred demonstrators participated – most of them not wearing masks or physical distancing – many of them with children in tow. 

Organizers say they disagree with the cancellation of the Santa Claus Parade, saying that “Christmas is essential.” They also disagree with the restrictions on gatherings. 

Police and city officials warned people to stay away from the area as the procession made its way north. 

Our media partner CP24 said that a couple days ago, police tweeted that this was not a sanctioned event, that no city permits had been issued. 

Police warned that commercial vehicles in the procession will be ticketed. It’s unclear how many tickets, if any, were issued.

CP24 even spotted a couple trucks decked out for the holidays, including Santa on a float.

Toronto Police tweeted out about 1 p.m. today that the event organizer had been “identified and served a summons to appear in court, under the Reopening Ontario Act”.

The organizer has not been named, because this is not a criminal charge. It will be up to a Justice of the Peace to determine a fine.