'This is a moment for Toronto': Crowds squeeze into city to witness Raptors victory parade

Ahmad Bokhari and his friends arrived to downtown Toronto'sUniversity Avenue around 10 a.m.,secured a good spot along the street ahead of the Raptors victory parade, went toget some food an hour later,and then waited.

And waited. And waited some more.

Finally, despite all the delays, hours after theywere scheduledto make their way through the downtown streets, the red double-decker buses carrying the NBA champions passed their wayand all that waiting and complainingbecame a distant memory.

"The excitement took over at that point," Bokhari said. "It was really exciting. We were anticipating this for so long and then finallyto see it happen, finallyseeing all the playerscome out, and the trophyitself,it was a real surreal feeling. It still hasn'tkickedin yet."

Bokhari was one of more than an estimatedone million people who squeezedinto the city, many standingshoulder to shoulder, all to catch a glimpseof the parade motorcade that slowly crawled through Toronto's downtown core.

Plans for the massive celebration were announced last weekafter the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA playoffs to claim the championship for the first time in the team's 24-year history.

"The people here are great. Everyone was happy to be next to everyone. This is the greatest moment in Canadaright now," said Etobicoke resident Sam Tabit, who stood along University Avenue since 6:30 a.m., waiting to see the convoypass.

Like Bohari, he said the wait, andthe large crowds, was all worth it.

Nathan Phillips Squarethe final destination of the parade routeand the scene of a late-afternoon rally that started about three hours latewas so packed by midday that officials urged people not to come down.

But asRaptorsofficials, playersand political dignitaries, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier DougFord and Toronto Mayor John Tory, took centre stage, the area was marred by violence. Hundreds were sent fleeingaftergunshots were heard.

Although the rally continued, the shooting left fourpeople woundedand three people were taken into custody.

The parade itself was not without organizational problems. Osgoode subway station, the main stop forNathanPhillips Square, was at capacity and closed around midday because ofovercrowding.

With no barricades to keep people off the main parade route, crowds clogged the streets, causing huge delays as themotorcadeinched its way along.

People were forced to stand in the crowded streets for hours, under, at times, a blaring sun. District Chief Stephan Powell of the Toronto Fire Service said firefighters dealt with about a dozen calls for dehydration in the square.

There were at least two reports of children temporarily separated from their parents.

Meanwhile, some fans took dangerous steps to get a view, climbing up the arches at Nathan Phillips Square, where an estimated 100,000 people had gathered, according to the estimates of city officials, while others got restless and brought down the barricades there.

Still, earlier in the day, the parade was enjoyed by hordes offans, who viewed it as a must-see eventsomething that needed to be attended to in person and not justwatchedon television.

"This is a moment for Toronto," said Sunny Aujla, 27, from Brampton, Ont.

Richard Simpson, 27, from Bradford, Ont.,said he had to come to this Raptors celebration simply because "there's never going to be another first championship parade. So it's something you have to experience.

"It's not something you can miss out on."

Some offices shut down to allow their workers to attend the event. But many, like Matt Waskey, tookthe day off to ensure they could celebrate the historic celebration.

"My boss said, 'I'mglad you had the day off, because Iknow youwouldn't be here anyway,'" he said.

"I told them Ican't [work]," said Lequan Maxwell. "This is too big of a moment to miss out. I've never seen the city like this in my life. It's crazy. It's unbelievable. Thecity has been waiting for this for a very, very long time."

Maxwell, 25, hadpurchased a vintage Blue Jays World Series championshipT-Shirt to wear in order tomark the occasion.

"Mix the old with the new," he said.

Indeed, the last time Torontoexperienced such a celebrationwas 1993, when the Blue Jays won a second, back-to-back World Series title. Thatwas this reason that Rowan Cunningham brought his son, Logan, to the parade.

"I remember doing it in 1992 and '93 with the BlueJays; myparents bringing me down around the same age. So Ithought, you know, can'tmiss it," he said."Itwas cool back then and it's cool right now."

Toronto Raptors victory parade erupts into massive celebration

5 years ago

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The parade shut down parts of Toronto's downtown area for cheers, chants and champagne showers.

Gregory Lawrie, of Toronto, said attending the parade was important, in part, because it may not happen again any time soon."When is this goingto happen again?When are the Leafs goingto win? When are the Jays going to win? When are the Raptors going to win again?"

But not all were satisfied with the oversized celebration.

Carley Lynn Tanfieldand her mother, Linda,arrived at Nathan Phillips Square around 11 a.m., and were still able to getvery close to the stage, despite the fact some had camped out overnight. But then the crowds got too rowdy, Tanfield said, and somebroke down a barricade.

The pairdecided to instead move to University Avenue,and waited hours to watch the parade from there.

"I don't know if it was worth it," she said. "I kinda wish I stayed at home and watched the awesome view on TV."