Repeating Islands

The ribbon has been cut and the colourful participants in Toronto’s internationally renowned Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival were out bright and early this morning (Saturday, August 4, 2012) rocking the road in a massive parade.

Olivia Chow, Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina, was one of the first personalities to be snapped jumping up in celebration. Pictures of Chow in a sparkling, skin-bearing costume complete with giant wings and a white feather halo appeared on Twitter Saturday morning. [. . .]

The parade got underway at 10 a.m., starting at Exhibition Place. It will travel along a 3.5-kilometre stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard. The waterfront route was closed between Strachan Ave. and Colborne Lodge Rd. at 1 a.m. and will remain fenced until 6 a.m. Sunday.

[. . .] Toronto police say they don’t expect this weekend’s festivities to be marred by violence, but will be on patrol to ensure a safe environment for the internationally-renowned celebration. “We will be there in sufficient numbers to ensure that it is safe,” said Mark Pugash, Toronto Police Service’s manager of corporate communications. “It is to make it safe, it is to make people feel safe, and it is to send a clear message about what the community’s expectations are about the carnival,” Pugash told CP24. An outbreak of gun violence, highlighted by a public shootout that left two young bystanders dead and more than a dozen others injured, sparked outrage in the community and prompted politicians to vow to find an end to Toronto’s gang problem. [. . .]

The carnival is one of Toronto’s largest outdoor summer events and brings an estimated 800,000 people to downtown Toronto.

For full article, see http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/caribbean-carnival-rocks-toronto-1.903583