200 soldiers armed with rifles and bayonets to march through Toronto next week

A contingent of 200 Canadian Forces reservists will march through downtown Toronto next week, but try not to be alarmed when hundreds of troops armed with rifles and fixed bayonets file past your home or workplace, as it's all part of a military ceremony scheduled for April 25, 2026.

The Canadian Forces' 48th Highlanders of Canada will hold its Freedom of the City ceremony next Saturday, set to include a march from the Moss Park Armoury at Queen St. E. and Jarvis St. to City Hall at Queen St. W. and Bay St.

The Department of National Defence is notifying the public that, while the soldiers will march with rifles and fixed bayonets, they will not be carrying ammunition.

Troops will depart the armoury at about 10:30 a.m. via Shuter St., marching south on Jarvis St. and turning west at Richmond St. E. towards City Hall. The march will continue north on Bay St. before heading west on Queen St. W., then back north on Osgoode Ln. and into Nathan Phillips Square. 

Upon arriving at City Hall, troops will attend a ceremony led by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, held from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

The Freedom of the City is an honour granted to a military unit by request of a city's mayor, dating back to the 15th century in England, when military units required permission from the local administration to pass inside defensive city walls. The 48th Highlanders last exercised this honour in 2001.

Reservists will then reverse course through downtown back to the Moss Park Armoury.

During the march, locals can expect to hear beating drums setting the pace of the procession.