The City of Toronto has cancelled its viewing parties for Thursday's World Cup games, citing a "demand on resources" amid sweltering heat. The cancellation was announced on social media late Wednesday night, with the city citing an "extreme heat forecast and the demand on resources to ensure the safety of all".
The city did not provide specifics about the strain on safety resources, but said that resources are focused on safely managing large crowds at fan marches, Toronto Stadium, and FIFA Fan Festival Toronto. The decision to cancel the viewing parties at Nathan Phillips Square comes as the city prepares for a high of 35 C in Toronto for Thursday.
The strain on resources follows a staffing crunch at the private security contractor hired to handle the World Cup, and comes after soccer fans were turned away from Fan Fest at Fort York when it hit capacity one day last weekend. Dozens of guards didn't show up for work during the first weekend of the soccer tournament, leading to a scramble to hire extra security companies to make up for the shortfall.
The Toronto Police Service was left to pick up the slack, with officers racking up overtime. The TPS said it is "well positioned to support FIFA-related events … while maintaining policing operations across the city", but noted that the extreme heat can increase demand across a range of city services.
Despite the cancellation of the viewing parties, the game at Toronto Stadium is still expected to go ahead, with viewing parties also taking place at Fan Fest and throughout the city. Fans attending the game can bring a water bottle and take advantage of cooling areas with shade and misting systems.
FIFA said it "continues to monitor conditions in real time" and "stands ready to apply established contingency protocols should extreme weather events occur". The tournament organizer touted its approach to heat, citing protocols for hydration breaks and work-rest cycles for staff and volunteers.
The City of Toronto has made tweaks to help soccer fans beat the heat, including enhanced heat relief measures at Fan Fest such as shaded cooling areas, misting stations, and lots of water. Fans can bring a reusable plastic bottle and fill up at public fountains or water filling stations.
The extreme heat is not the only challenge facing the city, with concerns about safety resources also following a conflict related to security costs at another public event in Toronto. The pedestrianization of Church St. around Wellesley St. faces a deficit as the costs have grown to $500,000.
