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2010 Olympic Torch Relay in Toronto

Posted by Jerrold Litwinenko / December 18, 2009

33 Comments

olympic torch relay torontoThe 2010 Olympic Torch Relay came through Toronto yesterday evening, much to the delight of crowds of proud onlookers.

The relay made its way through municipalities surrounding the city before being paraded through the streets of Toronto en route to a celebration at Nathan Philips Square. There, the Toronto leg of the relay ended with in the lighting of an Olympic Cauldron (which will remain lit for the duration of the games).

Pictured above is the final Toronto torch bearer Vicky Sunohara lighting the special cauldron (great photo by GBrydson Photography!) and plenty more reader photos that capture the celebrations are compiled below.

olympic torch relay toronto"Make your dreams come true" by Karan Makvandi.


olympic torch relay toronto"Torch Kiss" by jugolic.


olympic torch relay toronto"Pride of a nation in palm of your hand" by Karan Makvandi.


olympic torch relay torontountitled by willy_chan88.


Olympic Torch Relay Toronto"2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay -- Richmond Hill" by _aron.


Olympic Torch Relay Toronto"Run With It" by bikeroo.


Olympic Torch Relay Toronto"Torch Runner Dave" by pic_snapper.


Olympic Torch Relay Toronto"Olympic Spirit" by See You, Jimmy.

Did you endure the cold and join in on the celebrations? Want your photos to appear in the slideshow below? Simply tag your Flickr photo with: blogto_torontotorch_2009 and it should automatically appear in the collection.

And there was a little bit of rain on the parade, in the form of a small but loud protest that managed to force diversion of the icon from its planned route.

Discussion

33 Comments

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Nerysa / December 18, 2009 at 10:27 am
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I ran with the torch down Yonge Street in Thornhill on December 17. I was torchbearer 170, running from Thornhill Public School to 7388 Yonge Street. If anyone has photos of that leg of the relay, I would love to see them. They can email nerysa26 at hotmail dot com.

Thank you!
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Angry / December 18, 2009 at 10:52 am
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I went out to see the torch last night, but didn't get to see it because it was diverted due to the protest. I asked a protester afterward what they were so angry about - he said it was wrong to move people to build for the Olympics, and while he didn't know Vancouver very well, he heard that the Olympic Village is being built on sacred native land. Well asshole, I DO know Vancouver after living there for many years and I can tell you the village is being built on a parking lot. An ugly, waste of space waterfront parking lot. So congradulations - you ruined thousands of peoples evening, stole a once in a lifetime opportunity from me, and you don't even know what the f*** you're talking about. Youre an embarrassment.
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Nerysa replying to a comment from Angry / December 18, 2009 at 11:01 am
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Angry - I understand your frustration, believe me. I would have been so frustrated as well, and my heart goes out to those torchbearers who had their moment ruined because of the protesters. Their routes had to be diverted, which also meant confusion and frustration to everyone who had come out to watch them.

I was down at the community celebration when I heard about the protest, which was the reason for the delayed arrival of the torch. The protestors then showed up at the celebration, and it angered me that the actions of a few misguided people can ruin it for everyone. I am embarrassed as well, it's disgusting.



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Jacob / December 18, 2009 at 11:03 am
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Don't you mean the 2010 CTV/Coke Torch Relay?
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Jonathan / December 18, 2009 at 11:11 am
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I'm confused, are these pictures from a pro-marijuana march?
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Reggie replying to a comment from Jacob / December 18, 2009 at 11:18 am
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...you forgotthe Royal Bank: The CTV/RBC/Coke Torch Walk
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Alex / December 18, 2009 at 11:34 am
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Nice photographs.
Wasn't able to take any of mine because of the stupid protest.
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Angry2 / December 18, 2009 at 12:09 pm
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Even worse, I was at Sick Kids hospital where the kids were waiting to see the torch. It's one thing to protest something, but it's another thing to try and take away something special from children who are sick and dying. These kids have been looking forward to this for a long time, it's been the one ray of hope they can hold on to while going through their own personal hell. How dare anyone try and take that away from them. Hope the protesters realize that they lost all their support after what they did to these children last night. It just makes them look really stupid in the end. There is a place and a time for everything, last night was not the right moment for that protest.
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MillerOut / December 18, 2009 at 12:27 pm
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I found all the media personalities carrying the torch rather pathetic and shameful. There are so many people worthy of the privilege and to let these talking bimbos and teleprompter readers steal these spots is a disgrace.
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thatguy replying to a comment from Jonathan / December 18, 2009 at 12:29 pm
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It does like like a splif.
What is up with that design, it looks like an apple designed star trek prop rather than a torch.

I don't care much about the olympics, but at the same time i think the protesters are a bunch of idiots. Why don't you protest yourself, we are all here on stolen native land, we are colonialists, conquers and killers. We won, this shit is ours now, as bad as the truth is, that is the truth.

also you seem to be protesting for the sake of protesting since there doesn't to be a single issues you can agree on.
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iSkyscraper / December 18, 2009 at 01:04 pm
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OCAP is an embarrassment and frankly anyone associated with that group of lowlifes should be thrown in jail. They may have underlying good intentions but the only way they know how to execute them is to get media attention and hurt honest, decent, innocent, law-abiding citizens in the process. This is not the first idiotic "protest" they have pulled on the people of Toronto. Next time they show up on a corner, "no permit = night in jail" would be a recommended policy.
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MrPlow replying to a comment from MillerOut / December 18, 2009 at 01:40 pm
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I couldn't agree more.

Watching the egregious 'CP24 talent' Melissa Grelo made me wish there was more thought put into the torchbearers. Couldn't we find better representatives of our fair city? If I'm going to get a reaction from a TV personality that sounds like it's from a 12 year old, I'd prefer it was from an actual 12 year old.
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Joel / December 18, 2009 at 01:53 pm
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I agree with all that's been said re: the protest and the media personalities carrying the torch. More than ever before, this Olympics feels like a media/major sponsor cross-platform orgy with many of these so-privileged media types being able to carry it. Shame on CTV. And shame on those protesters who don't have a damn clue what they're protesting about.
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Antony / December 18, 2009 at 03:30 pm
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Nerysa couldn't speak badly of Olympic sponsors no matter what - it's in the torchbearer contract.
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Vic De Zen / December 18, 2009 at 03:53 pm
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I had heard the torch bearer actually boarded a street car? Doesn't the TTC have strict policies against ANY fire lit object in their vehicles? Just curious.
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Angry / December 18, 2009 at 04:02 pm
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To add to my previous comment, I should add that the Olympic Village is partially being turned into affordable housing after the Olymipics. So they were actually protesting building affordable housing on a parking lot.
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alex replying to a comment from Angry2 / December 18, 2009 at 04:07 pm
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you idiots. the protest was intentionally planned so that the torch would be able to make it to Sick Kids, which it did. Stop getting yer facts from Olympic sponsor CTV.
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Joel replying to a comment from alex / December 18, 2009 at 04:33 pm
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So by that reasoning they intentionally planned it to rob an 83-year-old gold medallist from his one chance to carry the Olympic torch?
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SomethingClever replying to a comment from iSkyscraper / December 18, 2009 at 04:44 pm
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And then you'd bitch we're spending all this money housing people who aren't 'real' criminals. Except that's also everyone who doesn't agree with you at that moment.

Ps - re: parking lot - I'm sure it's always been a parking lot. ;)
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Nerysa replying to a comment from alex / December 18, 2009 at 08:05 pm
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Alex - the torch was always supposed to go to Sick Kids. It was a planned route stop anyway, prior to the diversion. You might want to get your facts straight before making accusations like this.
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Nerysa replying to a comment from Antony / December 18, 2009 at 10:16 pm
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Wow, are you always this much of a jerk? Seriously, why are you even wasting your time commenting?
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Malcolm Tucker / December 19, 2009 at 09:07 am
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Protesters are twats who never accomplish what they set out to do except when the goal is "to be an annoying douchebag."
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Malcolm Tucker / December 19, 2009 at 09:08 am
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Protesters are twats who never accomplish what they set out to do except when the goal is "to be an annoying douchebag."
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Maxxx replying to a comment from Malcolm Tucker / December 19, 2009 at 09:09 am
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Accidental double post or something that bears repeating?
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Malcolm Tucker replying to a comment from Maxxx / December 19, 2009 at 10:48 am
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Bit of both actually but my point still stands.
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JESUS / December 19, 2009 at 02:27 pm
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Sorry but why is everyone so angry? We do not need medals, we need affordable housing now! So you're sick of protests? Maybe you should be apart of attacking the cause of the problem not the effect. The protests were not just about the Olympics being held on stolen land, it's also about the displacement of hundreds, thousands of homeless, under housed individuals. I think the funniest thing they can upon the arrival of the torch is have the relay go down East Hastings..... There is all this money being spent on inappropriate things, when really it should be spent on fixing problems that are occurring! SHAME ON YOU and your false reality.........
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GOD replying to a comment from JESUS / December 19, 2009 at 02:36 pm
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This just in: This protest has worked! The Olympics have been cancelled, and the funds earmarked for it have now been diverted to provide affordable housing for everyone for free! Also, the non-native population of Canada has agreed to leave and turn the country back over to the Aboriginal community.

Merry Christmas to all!

And Happy Birthday, Jesus!
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JESUS / December 19, 2009 at 03:06 pm
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Well protests create awareness and are there to remind us of reality....as much fun as it is playing sports and winning all these shiny medals......The money spent which usually leaves cities in debt- should be put towards something substantial....at the end of day what the hell does having a metal do for us? What we whip it out in the middle of war and hopefully our enemy will be blindsided by all its beauty and glory......We won! We won! Or next time a homeless person asks us for spare change we whip out the medal, shine it in their faces and then run for our lives? Maybe just maybe, if all the people who are so invested in the Olympics and sports for that matter would use their voices to say enough is enough we would actually have change in this world......oh sorry did I distract you from your hockey game on television? I'll let you get back to that....I'll be on the streets....

ps- I don't follow your Christian mythology........ Amen!
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JESUS / December 19, 2009 at 03:13 pm
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ps- I still think the relay should consider going down East Hastings....maybe one of the drug addicts can light the flame with their crack lighters?

It's sad that we live in a world where thousands will take to the street to see a torch, or when an hockey teams wins the Stanley Cup but will not do it otherwise..........for change........ so you're perspective is from a majority versus a minority stand point. Many were pissed that they didn't get to see the flame because of a small group of people..........
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MadMan replying to a comment from JESUS / December 19, 2009 at 03:16 pm
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Can you repeat the above? All that came out on my end was a bunch of nonsensical gobbledygook.
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BIG BABY JESUS / December 19, 2009 at 03:42 pm
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YOU ALL SUCK.
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tim / December 20, 2009 at 09:36 pm
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Vancouver police bought a noise-weapon that can focus loud noise on crowds, to the point of causing permanent injury. The Olympic Spirit in action! I'm simply amazed people somehow buy the hype on this broad, government-financed and -enforced private commercial endeavor.
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MelS / December 21, 2009 at 11:46 am
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They all look a lil too cultish for me!
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