Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said the service is recommending the increase because of the "substantial increase in the event footprint, and not due to elevated security risks."
"We have a festival that is less than six weeks away," Modeste said. "We need concrete answers. We need to know that our governments at all levels take the lives of the queer community seriously."Toronto Metropolitan University professor of hospitality and tourism management Wayne Smith said the cost increases Pride Toronto has seen are happening across North America.
But Smith said Pride events in particular are struggling because of increased costs related to threats, especially in the United States where in some instances they can't even get insurance to hold events. "It's a constant song that has been sung that folks just are not certain that they will be able to have events," he said.A spokesperson for the federal public safety minister said the government is concerned about the increase in anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate and the potential impact on safety at Pride events."We have heard about the need for increased security identified by Pride event organizations and the related costs," Audrey Champoux said in a statement.