The 2019 Toronto Raptors Championship Parade (also known as We The North Day) was a victory parade and rally held on Monday, June 17, 2019, in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to celebrate the Toronto Raptors' first NBA championship, won on June 13, 2019, following a six-game series victory over the Golden State Warriors. The parade drew an estimated median of 1.5 million participants, making it the largest public gathering in Canadian history, followed by the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays World Series parade with 1 million participants. The celebration was marred near its conclusion by a shooting near Nathan Phillips Square that left four people with non-life-threatening injuries and resulted in multiple arrests.

Background The Toronto Raptors captured their first NBA championship on June 13, 2019, defeating the Golden State Warriors 114–110 in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. It was the franchise's first title in its 24-year history and the first major professional sports championship for a Canadian team since the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993. Kawhi Leonard, who had been acquired via trade from the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the season, was named NBA Finals MVP.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) announced on June 14, 2019 that the victory parade would be held the following Monday. Raptors president Masai Ujiri said: "This means so much to our city and to many in Canada, and we are looking forward to showing everyone the Larry O'Brien Trophy on Monday." Staff of the municipal government of Toronto corresponded with MLSE, Toronto Police Service, Toronto Transit Commission, and GO Transit for full road closures and other plans.

Toronto Mayor John Tory officially declared the day "We The North Day," after the Raptors' franchise slogan, and urged all residents who could not attend to watch the viewing party at Coronation Park.

Parade route and participants

The parade began at 10:00 a.m. at the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place, traveled east along Lake Shore Boulevard West, north along York Street and University Avenue, and east along Queen Street West, concluding at Nathan Phillips Square adjacent to Toronto City Hall. Players and team personnel rode on open-air double-decker buses along the route.

Well-known Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia served as grand marshal of the parade, travelling via golf cart. Rapper and Raptors fan Drake got atop one of the buses during the parade. Drake was given a microphone by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation live on television; Drake said, "Coming to you live, from the big city with the greatest in the world of champions."

Head coach Nick Nurse waved to crowds from an open truck. The Canadian Armed Forces also joined the route, and bagpipe players marched through the streets. The Snowbirds, the Royal Canadian Air Force's aerobatic demonstration team, performed a flyby over Nathan Phillips Square.

Due to the massive amount of participants, numerous fans bypassed barricades and spilled onto the parade route, delaying the start of the procession by several hours. Several major subway stations were closed by the Toronto Transit Commission due to overcrowding.

Attendance The parade drew an estimated one to two million participants along its route, with various sources offering various figures. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) recorded approximately 2.7 million trips across its network on the day of the parade, roughly 1.1 million more than a typical Monday, representing a 70 percent increase; setting a new single-day ridership record for the transit authority. The previous TTC single-day record had been set in 2010 with 1.7 million rides recorded. GO Transit also reported record-breaking ridership to and from Union Station throughout the day.

The parade is suspected to be the largest public gathering in one place for one event in Canadian history, with roughly 1.5 million in attendance.

Rally at Nathan Phillips Square

Following the parade, a rally was held at Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto City Hall. Speakers at the rally included Mayor John Tory, who presented Kawhi Leonard with the key to the city and dedicated a section of road near Scotiabank Arena as Raptors Way. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the crowd and shook hands with some fans waiting for eight hours. Team chairman Larry Tanenbaum also spoke, as did players and team president Masai Ujiri.

At approximately 3:45 p.m. (EST), whilst speakers were on stage addressing the crowd, shots were fired at Bay and Albert streets. The rally caused people to scram into clusters for minutes, after the suspects were arrested, the rally and speeches continued.

Four people sustained injuries in the shooting, none of which were life-threatening. Toronto Police took three people into custody and recovered two firearms in the immediate aftermath, with two arrests connected to one incident and one to another. Police Chief Mark Saunders noted that the firearms recovered did not match the bullet casings found at the scene, and police continued to seek an additional person of interest. residentes and media outlets tracked ongoing updates regarding the suspect search.

Separately, several people were injured in two stabbing incidents near the Toronto Eaton Centre on the day of the parade, approximately one hour before the shooting at Nathan Phillips Square.

Mayor Tory was on the stage in the square when the shooting occurred. He later addressed the situation saying: "It is disappointing and I'm sure a source of anger for more than just me that anyone would carry a gun and discharge it at what was otherwise a joyous celebration." The rally concluded at approximately 4:35 p.m., roughly three hours later than originally planned.

Notes

References