Celebration and protest erupts during Canada’s largest Pride parade in Toronto

TORONTO - Bubbles filled the sky and cheers rang through the streets of Toronto on Sunday as thousands of colourfully-clad revelers at Canada’s largest Pride parade voiced their support for a community facing rising levels of hate and intolerance. “Pride is a celebration but it’s also a protest,” said Sarah Rice, who travelled from London, Ont., to take in the festivities. Pride Toronto, organizer of Sunday’s parade featuring at least 250 participating groups, said it spent twice as much money on policing for this year’s event than it did in 2022. But attendees said the environment that makes extra security necessary also makes it all the more important to celebrate Pride and show solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has attended Toronto’s Pride parade in the past, missed this year’s festivities due to a two-day summit of Nordic leaders in Iceland.