as I walk Toronto

Yesterday there was a large protest in front of Queens Park. Thousands of people from around the province gathered to demonstrate against Doug Ford and his Conservative party proposed cuts to education funding. It was so crowded that you couldn’t move through the center of the park in front of the parliament buildings. So many people were arriving by TTC that there were line-ups just to get out of Queens Park station. Buses, some say 170 arrived from out of town, were parked on both sides of Queens Park Circle. In the beginning, the road was open but police soon closed it along with some of the other streets in the area. Here are some of the people and the signs they carried:

below: Time to use our outside voices. There were lots of families with kids there.

below: Ford Faild. Ours to recover. There were a number of signs that played on the licence plate motif as one of the things that Ford wants to change is the motto on the plates.

below: Queens Park from the east.

below: The protest was organized by 4 unions. Many people carried pre-printed signs but there was an abundance of hand made signs in the crowd as well.

below: From Kitchener, a “Cuts Hurt Kids” sign.

below: Another licence plate: “Importanter than education”.

below: Drug Ford is a villain in big letters

below: Oosteroff’s mom would be very busy.

below: Queens Park Circle, south end. Buses letting passengers/protesters off.

below: Job losses aren’t saved by retirements, they’re stolen from the young work force.

below: Think before it’s illegal. Tax cuts for the rich or cuts to education?

below: Those who can teach, those who can’t become premier of Ontario.

below: Art matters.

below: I’ve seen better cabinets at IKEA

below: Communication means talking and listening.

below: The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald stands beside a sign that depicts the Conservative caucus as Doug Ford’s puppets. Ford pulls the strings and they all dance along.

below: Kids are cool, cuts are cruel. We are the future, the future needs funds.

below: #cutshurtkids in colour

below: A great visual for DoFo flushing our education.

below: A math question? How many one dollar beers is education worth?

below: Ford Wars, may the budget be with you

below: Fordnation has no imagination – unlike this sign.

below: Give me back my education Doug! and another Yours to Recover.

below: Climbing trees for a better view

below: Another attempt at a crowd shot.

below: Size does matter and a lovely spelling mess.