The organizers of the Salsa on St. Clair festival say they won’t return next year if safety concerns are not addressed.
The declaration comes following a fatal shooting that occurred during the festival earlier this month that left two men dead.
“Many don’t want to return and we don’t want to return, unless things change,” Aldo Di Delice, group president of TLN, the organizers of the festival, said at a roundtable discussion Monday.
Thousands of people were attending the festival on July 11 when gunfire broke out in the crowd. Toronto police said they were working under the theory that there was an exchange of gunfire in the middle of the crowd by two people “targeting each other.”
Toronto Coun. Mike Colle said the situation was like a “kick in the gut.”
“How do you rationalize two people that we know of, probably, walking to a festival with men, women and children, armed and then engage in shooting,” he said.
Rafael Gomez, a University of Toronto professor and director of the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources said all levels of government and police forces need to work together to protect the safety of people attending these mass events.
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“What are we doing? What is the city, what are different levels of government, what are individuals, what are actors doing in the city to make sure this doesn’t happen again. And that other festivals across the city aren’t affected,” he said.
Organizers said there needs to be more urgency in addressing safety concerns as festival season continues.
Taste of the Danforth organizers told The Canadian Press they’ve been working with police and private security for months on a “comprehensive safety plan.”
They’ll make any needed changes in light of the recent shooting, but the street festival will go ahead as planned, said Tony Pethakas, the chair of GreekTown on the Danforth.
But Supt. Shane Branton with the Toronto Police Service said it is important not to point figures or place the burden of safety on any one group.
“I think it’s important to attend so that we have all the right people at the table. Not all of them were here today, but when we get together on an issue like this, we can all work together,” he said.
So far, police have not released any suspect descriptions for the shooting or made any arrests.
The force’s homicide, guns and gangs officers are leading the investigation into the shooting.
Security at other festivals on the city’s packed summer calendar now is under scrutiny.
—with files from The Canadian Press
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