TORONTO, ONTARIO | The status of a planned Children’s Walk for Gaza at Toronto’s Downsview Park remained unclear Thursday after two elected officials raised concerns about the event.
York Centre MP Roman Baber said Canada Lands Company, the federal Crown corporation responsible for Downsview Park, told him it had not authorized the walk and had no prior knowledge of it.
However, an Eventbrite collection still displayed a Children’s Walk for Gaza at Downsview Park scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 5.
The Centre for Social Justice also included the Downsview event in a Sept. 3 community newsletter.
Those listings do not establish that the event has received permission or will proceed. Online event pages can remain visible after plans change.
No direct public statement from Canada Lands confirming whether the walk was rejected, withdrawn or cancelled could be located.
Baber Asks Canada Lands to Intervene
Baber wrote to Canada Lands on Aug. 27 asking that the event not be permitted to proceed.
“I wrote to Canada Lands asking that next weekend’s Children’s Walk for Gaza does not proceed at Downsview Park, in the heart of York Centre,” Baber said in a public statement.
He described the planned gathering as potentially inflammatory and expressed concern about involving children in anti-Israel activism.
Baber later said Canada Lands informed him that it had not granted permission for the event and was previously unaware of it.
Toronto Coun. James Pasternak raised separate objections on Aug. 28.
Pasternak said he was deeply concerned about the planned walk and reportedly asked Toronto Police to monitor the gathering if it proceeded. He characterized children’s participation as possible political indoctrination.
Organizers Describe Humanitarian Fundraiser
Forgotten Women, the organization promoting the series of walks, describes the initiative as a humanitarian fundraiser for women and children in Gaza.
A fundraising page says the event allows children to demonstrate solidarity with children affected by the Gaza war.
Promotional information indicated that registration was free and that each participating child was encouraged to raise $150. Medals and certificates were reportedly planned for participants.
Organizers have maintained that the walk is humanitarian rather than political.
Critics argue that events focused on Gaza can become vehicles for anti-Israel messaging, particularly when children are encouraged to participate in activism surrounding a highly divisive conflict.
Supporters accuse Baber and Pasternak of attempting to suppress a peaceful charitable event. A petition opposing their intervention claims the original Downsview listing disappeared following the politicians’ statements.
That claim is complicated by the walk’s continued appearance on Eventbrite and other community listings.
Related Forgotten Women walks have also been advertised for Mississauga on Sept. 6 and Vaughan on Sept. 19.
No Confirmed Antisemitic Incident
There is no verified evidence that antisemitic statements were made at the proposed Downsview event because it had not taken place as of Thursday.
The dispute should therefore be classified as a contested anti-Israel-related development rather than a confirmed antisemitic incident.
Several questions remain unanswered, including whether organizers applied for permission, whether a permit was required, and whether the walk will proceed at Downsview Park or move to another location.
A direct explanation from Canada Lands or Forgotten Women is needed to establish whether the event was formally rejected, voluntarily withdrawn, or remains scheduled without authorization.
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