womens march toronto

Organizers expect big crowds at anti-Trump Women's March in Toronto

You might be hearing a lot about the Women's March on Washington, a rally happening on Saturday, January 21 (or Donald Trump's first day in office) that's expected to draw about 200,000 participants.

For those who can't make it to D.C., there are satellite events happening all over North America, including here in Toronto.

Co-organizer Kavita Dogra says ten women, who were strangers until about eight weeks ago, came together to organize the Women's March on Washington: Toronto.

She's running the event under the banner We Talk Women, the organization she founded to raise awareness about issues effecting women and girls.

The rally will start at Queen's Park at noon, before it moves south towards the American Embassy. It'll end at Nathan Phillips Square.

On Facebook, nearly 6,000 people say they're attending, while 8,000 have indicated they're interested in the event.

“We obviously take those numbers with a grain of salt," says Dogra. "You know 7,000 people may not show up, but they might. We are kind of preparing for thousands of people to come.”

To help get ready for Saturday, Dogra and her team set up a GoFundMe page, which brought in more than $12,000.

That money will go towards making sure the rally's accessible, renting sound equipment and hiring ASL interpreters. There will be about 100 volunteer marshals on site as well as police.

At Queen's Park, and later, at Nathan Phillips Square, speakers will address the crowd, touching on a variety of issues relevant to those living and working in Toronto. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, for instance, will be speaking at the end of the march outside of City Hall.

"Although we certainly stand in solidarity with the women in Washington, our speakers will focus on issues that are impacting marginalized communities in Toronto," says Dogra.

Ultimately, the march aims to stand up to hate and to do something active in what feels like a rapidly changing world.

"We come together to say we will not be silent in the face of the hate that has threatened, demonized and insulted so many of us – Muslims, Jews, racialized people, Indigenous people, migrants and those with precarious or no legal status, members of the LGBTTQQ2SI communities, disabled people and women," reads the Facebook event description.

And as Dogra iterates, it's about giving all people a chance to march right here at home.

“It’s not in everybody’s capacity to be able to go to Washington, and I was in the same boat, which is why we decided to do something locally."

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Mysterious Parisian-style pavilion in Toronto hides abandoned secret tunnel

Canadians could be getting even more money from the feds next week

Deadline approaches for Canadians to claim part of $1.8M Nissan settlement

Ontario Place bulldozed under cover of darkness and people are livid

German neighbourhood has streets named after Toronto and other Canadian cities

Here's when Toronto could get its first snowfall of the year

Ontario child dies of rabies after contact with bat in their home

Canada just got a stunning new sundial coin that can actually tell time