Salsa on St. Clair won't return if safety concerns aren't addressed: organizer

The organizers of Toronto's Salsa on St. Clair festival have declared they will not host the event next year if safety concerns are not adequately addressed. This strong stance comes in the wake of a fatal shooting that claimed two lives during the festival earlier this month.

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Many don’t want to return and we don’t want to return, unless things change.

Aldo Di Delice, group president of TLN, the festival's organizers, stated at a roundtable discussion that many involved "don't want to return and we don't want to return, unless things change." The incident occurred on July 11 amidst thousands of attendees. Toronto police are investigating the shooting as an exchange of gunfire between two individuals who were reportedly targeting each other within the crowded festival.

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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.

City Councillor Mike Colle described the situation as a "kick in the gut," questioning how individuals could attend a public festival armed and engage in such violence. He emphasized the need for a collective response from all levels of government and police to ensure the safety of attendees at mass events and to prevent such incidents from affecting other festivals across the city.

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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.

While organizers stress the urgency of addressing safety as the festival season continues, other event organizers are also reviewing their plans. Taste of the Danforth organizers are working with police and private security on a comprehensive safety plan and will make necessary adjustments. However, Toronto Police Superintendent Shane Branton cautioned against assigning blame to any single group, highlighting the importance of bringing all stakeholders to the table to collaborate on solutions. As of now, no suspect descriptions have been released, and no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.

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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.