The Maple Leaf was everywhere: A child’s face, an adult’s arm, umbrellas and caps, mugs and blankets — everywhere.
Exuberant revellers and entertainers in traditional costumes and ethnic garb overflowed scores of streets and parks across the GTA for Canada Day celebrations yesterday.
The activities included parades and musket drills, roller-coaster rides and slides, songs and joyful displays of just being Canadian.
“Today is a day for all Canadians,” said Madeline Dawson, 12, a Scout who participated in the East York Canada Day Parade.
At Fort York, dozens of kids, between three and 12 years old, stood in a line and learned to march and fire.
A guard in red-and-white uniform explained to kids that being a soldier wasn’t just about fun — walking to Niagara Falls, he explained, could take three days, and it could take six weeks to Quebec.
Still, most children couldn’t fathom the hardship of defending York, the predecessor of Toronto, in the 1812-1815 war. Clayton Hansen, 8, just enjoyed the wooden musket drill and watched fife-and-drum music and artillery demonstrations with relish.
His mother chose Fort York as the first stop for yesterday’s celebrations because it offered a glimpse into Canada’s past and heritage.
Up at a packed Downsview Park, Jack Zou, a Chinese immigrant, echoed Hansen.
“It is important for my four-year-old son to learn about Canada,” he said.
Zou said he did not regret becoming a Canadian although he worked here as a labourer rather than as an engineer as he did in China. Nevertheless, he added, life in Canada is preferable — it’s more peaceful.
The Caribbean Pan Band kept the rhythm going on oil drums as kids enjoyed the swing sets and roller-coaster rides at the park.
There was also an exhibition of axes and muskets used by Canadian pioneers and soldiers, and guards in traditional military uniforms fired muskets to create the “fog of war.”
Earlier in the day, 34 brand-new Canadians joined the East York parade immediately after taking the oath of citizenship.
Organizers estimated some 4,500 local people — representing 82 ethnic groups and speaking 124 languages — participated in the two-hour parade. Thousands more lined streets to watch the spectacle.
