top cop says taste of the danforth will have 'increased police presence'
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toronto police chief myron demkiw says the public can expect to see an increased police presence at the taste of the danforth this weekend after the double fatal shooting at salsa on st. clair last month.
“i think you’ve seen our footprint changing for quite some time and it’ll continue to where you’ll see much greater presence of police officers,” said demkiw at a wednesday press conference on retail crime arrests and charges.
“we’re working very closely with organizers as well as private security and the community there to make sure we can do everything we can to secure the event. but you can expect to see more police officers present. you can expect to see police officers with different types of equipment as we’ve been deploying in a number of different ways over the past weeks and months.”
salsa on st. clair was tragically disrupted by a deadly shooting on july 11 when a gunfight led to two people being killed and five others injured.
toronto police officers clear the area following a shooting at the salsa on st. clair festival in toronto, canada, on july 11, 2026.
laura proctor
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hillcrest village bia ended sponsorship of salsa at st. clair
in the aftermath, the hillcrest village bia ended its sponsorship of the popular street festival.
“especially, post-covid, when it restarted, our members noticed there was much more of an unruly crowd, much more having to deal with garbage, fights, open alcohol,” bia chair dr. heather hannah previously told the sun.
“so over the past five years, there’s been a steady decline in members who want to participate for the whole weekend or maybe don’t want to participate at all. and then, unfortunately, the tragic events of the saturday, of the 11th (of july), sadly brought that to a head and made any support that might have been there just vanish.”
tln media group, who co-founded salsa on st. clair, wasn’t surprised saying: “the invasion of the festival by reckless criminals on july 11, 2026 resulted in horrific scenes of violence, chaos and lasting trauma. it is understandable therefore that the bia businesspeople would so respond in the wake of such a tragedy. our primary concern is the absolute safety and security of all participants.”
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taste of the danforth this weekend
meanwhile, the taste of the danforth is back for the second time since 2019. the festival, which runs from friday to sunday, has received funding commitments from ontario and the city while the federal government has been asked for financial support.
demkiw is encouraging everybody to “come out and enjoy the festival. it is the return of the taste of the danforth, an iconic street festival in our city. please come out and enjoy it. and more importantly, if you see something that’s concerning, approach one of our officers, let them know your concerns. if you see something, say something. and let’s all go out there and enjoy ourselves this weekend.”
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