Toronto police to maintain road closures and heavy presence downtown day after large protest

Toronto police say they are maintaining road closures and a heavy police presence downtown on Sunday following a massive demonstration on Saturday in which trucks blocked a major intersection for hours.

Staff Supt. Lauren Pogue, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, said the plan on Sunday is to limit disruptions to the downtown core and to continue to protect an area known as Hospital Row, a stretch of University Avenue where there are a string of hospitals. The plan is the same as it was on Saturday.

"We have a very similar goal today," Pogue said. "Yesterday, our priority was to protect hospital row."

She said ensuring access for workers, patients and their visiting families remains key. 

"Those health care workers had unimpeded access to the hospitals. And we were successful in doing that. That continues to be a priority for us today," she said.

"If demonstrators return, then we will work with them again to move them along and that includes the trucks. We hope we have their full co-operation. Everything went well yesterday. We have been very clear and continue to remind everybody that we will not allow prolonged protests or anybody staying throughout the night."

Pogue said police are not aware of any demonstrations against COVID-19 measures and vaccines mandates going on in the city on Sunday.

She also said police do not have an accurate number of protesters who gathered on the north lawn on Queen's Park on Saturday but acknowledged the event drew a "significant" number of people. 

Pogue said there were only two official noise complaints made to the police as a result of the demonstration.

She noted that there was only one arrest made: a 22-year-old man on the north side of Queen's Park. He has been charged with assault with a weapon, administering a noxious substance — a smoke bomb — and public mischief.

"We facilitate peaceful protests. But as soon as somebody does something that puts anybody's health and wellness in jeopardy, we certainly have to deal with that swiftly," she said.

Large crowds gathered on the north lawn of Queen's Park after 12 p.m. on Saturday. The protest continued at the intersection of Bloor Avenue West and Avenue Road, where several trucks blocked the intersection starting in the afternoon. The vehicles were cleared out by 8 p.m.

Pogue said the police presence downtown will be "heightened" and officers will be able to respond as needed.

She said her message to downtown residents is, "be patient. I'm hopeful that we won't see anything today. Certainly, let us know if they have any concerns, if they're approached by anyone, accosted in any way.