Toronto Police Are Predicting Major Traffic Delays Downtown This Weekend & Here's Why
Police presence will be heavy.
Chief James Ramer at a press conference. Right: A Toronto protest at Queen's Park.
Toronto's downtown core will be a cluster of traffic delays and noise on the weekend, with the area set to host several protests and demonstrations.
Police are warning residents to anticipate significant congestion and road closures in the city on Saturday as officers work to "ensure public safety."
"The public will notice an increased police presence in and around the demonstration areas, and we will be implementing both rolling and static road closures with the objective of safely redirecting people and traffic," Chief James Ramer said during a press conference on Friday.
"The Toronto police service will be visibly present and actively monitoring these events," Ramer added.
Dozens of demonstrations, protests, and celebrations are currently scheduled to take place across the city through Saturday and Sunday.
"The Toronto police service will be visibly present and actively monitoring these events," Ramer added.
Ramer issued a stern reminder that police will not hesitate to take action if they witness any harassment or hateful acts taking place at the events.
"The Toronto Police Service will always support peaceful demonstration, I want to be very clear that we will not tolerate any intimidation, harassment or hate-motivated behaviour aimed at specific communities," he added.
The police chief also opened up on the city's spike in hate-motivated crimes while adding that TPS's Hate-Crime Unit members will be on the scene to gather evidence of suspected hate crimes, speech, or signs.
"While I have every hope that this will be a weekend of peaceful demonstration, I again want to be clear, anyone whose behaviour crosses a line from lawful demonstration to criminality should expect to be arrested," he concluded.
If you're planning to travel through the city's downtown area this weekend, you'll want to give yourself plenty of extra travel time or find an alternative route, as you may experience some delays.