Outrage after loud military fighter jets overfly Toronto with almost no warning

A pair of fighter jets screamed over Toronto this past weekend for a ceremonial flyover appearance at an Argos game (your annual reminder that the CFL exists) with almost no advance notice, leaving locals confused and angry amid a tense period of conflict across the globe.

If you were wondering what all that commotion in the skies was this past weekend, two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-18s performed a low pass over the Toronto Argonauts game against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The aircraft from the 425th Tactical Fighter Squadron, stationed at 3 Wing-Canadian Forces Base Bagotville in Quebec, passed around 500 feet over BMO Field to cap off the national anthem for the Argos' Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Game.

Just like every single CNE Air Show in Toronto, the noise of fighter jets roaring over the city has generated anger among locals.

Unlike the annual CNE display, nobody was expecting this flyover, which just so happened to come with very little notice on the heels of a new conflict breaking out in the Middle East.

Y'all can take yer hearts outta your mouths. Two fighter jets for the friggin' Argos game. Real classy.

— Fast Romantics (@FastRomantics) October 14, 2023

Concerned blogTO reader Adam Wynne reached out, saying, "two fighter jets are doing the flyover for the Argos game, but the government failed to notify in advance anyone living near the stadium. A lot of people in the West End are very disturbed by this."

Wynne adds that, aside from a notification that was not publicized by media, "no other notice was sent to residents."

oh it’s because of an argos game but like bro…jets…really? https://t.co/h6CykZLAIc

— clo (@phamniyu) October 14, 2023

Residents on the west side of the city took to social media, alarmed by the sudden engine blasts from the CF-18s' twin General Electric F404-GE-400 afterburning turbofan engines, generating 10,000 foot-pounds of force and deafening whole neighbourhoods in the process.

Cool yeah let’s just fly military jets right over fucking Parkdale in this climate for an Argos game totally normal Canadian behaviour

— oh god i'm so tired (@nullborder) October 14, 2023

Military aircraft flyovers have faced increased blowback from Toronto residents in recent years.

The city is home to a growing population of residents from current and former war zones, while the outbreak of new conflicts in Ukraine, the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and most recently, the deteriorating Israel-Gaza situation, have only increased public sensitivities about military displays.