Canada Day celebrations taking place across Toronto

I encourage Ward 8 residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy Canada Day in Toronto and celebrate Canada's 150th birthday at City-organized and community events across the city.City of Toronto kicks off four-day Canada Days festival at Nathan Phillips Square with Barenaked Ladies and Buffy Sainte-MarieThe free Canada Days celebration officially begins today at Nathan Phillips Square. The City-produced four-day music festival includes live music, dance, circus and street arts from 5 to 11 p.m., with a fireworks finale at 10:55 p.m. The full performance lineup is available at http://www.toronto.ca/canadadays.Canada Days is part of the City's TO Canada with Love year-long program of more than 30 celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions marking Canada's 150th birthday.Date: Friday, June 30Time: 5 to 11 p.m.Location: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W.City bylaws prohibit members of the public from setting off or selling fireworks in City parks. Four-day Canada Days festival at Nathan Phillips Square from June 30 to July 3Beginning this Friday at 5 p.m., Canada Days, a free four-day music festival, will transform Nathan Phillips Square with music, dance, circus arts, food and more. Artists include Barenaked Ladies and Buffy Sainte-Marie on June 30; Ron Sexsmith and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on July 1; dvsn on July 2 and Belly on July 3. A fireworks show will end each evening at 10:55 p.m. More information is available athttp://www.toronto.ca/canadadays. The event hashtag is #C150TO.Canada Days at Humber Bay Park West, Mel Lastman Square and Scarborough Civic Centre on July 1Also on July 1, beginning at 2 p.m., free Canada Days events will bring Toronto's rich cultural fabric to life in three communities across the city. Residents who attend will experience musical performances, circus arts, dance, food and a fireworks show at 10:55 p.m.Canada Days is produced by the City in partnership with the Province of Ontario’s Ontario150 Program and the Government of Canada. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/canadadays. The event hashtag is #C150TO.Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremonies at four locations on July 1 – Toronto Stands for CanadaResidents are invited to join one of four Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremonies offering a special opportunity to reaffirm their Oath of Canadian Citizenship on July 1 at Nathan Phillips Square, Mel Lastman Square, Humber Bay Park West and Scarborough Civic Centre. Toronto, along with 17 other communities across the country, will "Stand for Canada" as presented by national sponsor CIBC in partnership with Canadian Heritage. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/canada150. The event hashtag is #StandforCanada.East TorontoScarborough’s annual Canada Day celebration in Thomson Memorial Park (1005 Brimley Rd.) will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents are invited to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday at this popular event with live entertainment, activities for the kids, food trucks, and vendors. A parade, featuring bands, antique cars, clowns and floats will begin at 4 p.m. west of the Scarborough Civic Centre on Brimley Road and will end at Lawrence Avenue East at about 5:30 p.m. A fireworks display at Milliken District Park (5555 Steeles Ave. E.) will begin at 10 p.m. More information is available by calling 647-214-1680.South and central TorontoEast York’s 60th annual Canada Day parade, featuring marching bands, will begin at Dieppe Park at 10 a.m. The parade will move east along Cosburn Avenue to Woodbine Avenue and end at Stan Wadlow Park (888 Cosburn Ave.). The July 1 celebration will continue at Stan Wadlow Park from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with live entertainment, a stage show with multicultural dancing and music, carnival games, free bingo, information tables and vendors. The Kiwanis pool (375 Cedarvale Ave.) will be open from noon to 7 p.m. A fireworks display will start in Stan Wadlow Park at 10 p.m. and the park will close at 11 p.m.The annual Canada Day fireworks display at Woodbine beach at Ashbridges Bay (1561 Lake Shore Blvd. E.), will begin at 10 p.m. on Saturday. Residents planning to attend are encouraged to leave vehicles at home and use public transit.West TorontoThe annual Toronto Ribfest will be held at Centennial Park (256 Centennial Park Rd.) on July 1. Residents can spend the day at Centennial Park and use picnic areas, playgrounds and a wading pool or stroll around the pond or through the Centennial Park Conservatory, with its seasonal plant displays. There will be a fireworks display at 10 p.m. More information is available at http://www.torontoribfest.com.Canada Day celebrations at Weston Lions Park (2125 Lawrence Ave. W.) on July 1 will run from 5 to 10:30 p.m., with a fireworks display at 10 p.m.The annual Canada Day event at Amesbury Park (1507 Lawrence Ave. W.) will start at 9 a.m. with a flea market and an assortment of multicultural entertainment, children's activities, a talent search and vendors. There will be a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. More information is available at http://www.amesburycanadaday.ca.Swimming pools, parks and community centresCity of Toronto parks, outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, splash pads and some beaches will be open on Canada Day. Indoor pools and community centres will be closed, unless permitted for an event. More information and swimming pool schedules are available at http://www.toronto.ca/swim. The status of designated swimming beaches is available at http://ow.ly/Grq830cMjPU. Water quality reports for local beaches are available at http://www.toronto.ca/health/swimsafe/index.htm.Tennis L'Amoreaux Tennis Centre (300 Silver Springs Blvd.) will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on July 1. More information is available at http://ow.ly/Bj0G30cMkDX. All public tennis courts will have nets up and will be available for use. Public sites are free and available to the general public. Tennis players are asked to share the courts by limiting their play time to half-hour intervals if others are waiting to use the courts. More information about public tennis courts is available at http://toronto.ca/tennis.GolfAll five City golf courses will be open and offer holiday rates on July 1. These affordable, high-quality and TTC-accessible courses are open daily, including Canada Day. More information about City-run golf courses is available at http://toronto.ca/golf.Toronto's historic sitesSeven of the City's 10 historic sites will be open on July 1 with events, activities and tours on Canada Day. Programming highlights are listed below. Times and activity details will vary by location. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/museum-events.Colborne Lodge (south end of High Park on Colborne Lodge Dr.)Colborne Lodge will join other community partners to celebrate Canada 150 in High Park. The Lodge will unveil a new John the Maker Activity Tent, a TO Canada with Love legacy initiative that will highlight the innovative spirt of John George Howard and his fellow Torontonians circa 1867.Fort York National Historic Site (250 Fort York Blvd.)Fort York will celebrate Canada Day with a free, all-day celebration packed with family-friendly activities, demonstrations, tours and performances. In addition to flag raising and flag lowering ceremonies, the Fort York Summer Guard, dressed as members of the Canadian Fencible Regiment (circa 1815), will perform demonstrations of musketry, artillery as well as fife and drum music. Children can enjoy a drill activity, music classes, a scavenger hunt and hula-hooping. The fort's volunteer historic cooks will demonstrate and provide samples of period-specific cooking methods and recipes in the historic kitchen and the Fort York Historic Foodways program will feature recipes from the Confederation era. Guided tours at Fort York will focus on the evolution and history of the old western entrance into Toronto harbour and highlight the lives of soldiers and officers at the fort. The Fort York Visitor Centre features new exhibitions alongside permanent installations and films on the Battle of York and the War of 1812.Mackenzie House (82 Bond St.) Residents can celebrate Canada's 150th birthday with a visit to Mackenzie House. Visitors will be invited to use the1845 press to print a Maple Leaf on a postcard, a poster or a fabric patch.Market Gallery (95 Front. St. E., 2nd floor)The Market Gallery shows how immigration has transformed the city from the 1700s to the present in the Settling in Toronto: The Quest for Freedom, Opportunity and Identity exhibition. Videos, oral histories, artifacts and historic documents reveal and explore immigration through stories of struggle, triumph and celebration.Montgomery's Inn (4709 Dundas St. W.) Visitors can enjoy iced tea on the new patio of Montgomery's Inn's. The Canada Day menu will feature a pinwheel sandwich tea plate and a celebratory Canada 150 layer cake. At 2 p.m., a special introduction to the inn will precede a tour where visitors can learn more about how the building is being revitalized. There will also be children's activities, cooking and strawberry ice cream in the historic kitchen.Scarborough Museum (1007 Brimley Rd.)Scarborough Museum will celebrate the contributions of those who have come together since Confederation to create a diverse Canadian community. The program features traditional and contemporary local crafters, interactive printmaking of iconic Canadian symbols with InPrint Collective artists, a pie-eating contest, blacksmith demonstrations, leather working, traditional fiddler-and-caller square dancing and Canada Day cupcakes. Visitors are invited to share their experiences as Canadians at the community memories kiosk.Spadina Museum (285 Spadina Rd.) The free festivities at Spadina Museum will include live entertainment, community information tables and a barbecue. The museum's main floor will be open for tours.Gibson House Museum's staff will be a part of the TO Canada with Love Canada Days celebrations at Mel Lastman Square and Mackenzie House staff will be at Nathan Phillips Square. Staff of Todmorden Mills Heritage Site will be a part of the Canada 150 events at Stan Wadlow Park. At each of these events, staff will provide family-friendly activities and crafts.Toronto Island Park – closedFollowing record levels of rainfall in April and May, Lake Ontario and watershed levels throughout the city are higher than normal. Due to the flooding and to ensure the safety of the public and the security of facilities, Toronto Island Park remains closed to the general public and regular ferry service is suspended. This closure includes all beaches, attractions and amenities on the Islands.Public transitTTC service will operate on a holiday schedule on July 1. The TTC website at http://ttc.ca provides information for planning transit trips.Other municipal facilities and servicesCity of Toronto emergency and 24-hour services will operate throughout the long weekend. City administrative offices and service counters, City-operated child care centres and Children's Services district offices will be closed on July 1. The City of Toronto Archives, located at 255 Spadina Rd., will also be closed on July 1. More information about the archives is available at http://www.toronto.ca/archives.