For many people in the GTA, the Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) is a staple event signalling the unofficial end of summer, but once again the event has people divided.
Organized as a means of celebrating aviation, the air show showcases vintage and modern aircraft used for both civilian and military purposes, according to the CIAS website.
“We continue to focus on producing Canada’s best airshow, while educating future generations on the exciting opportunities within the aerospace industry which are inclusive for all,” the website reads.
This year, the show runs Aug. 31 to Sep. 2, from 12:00-3:40 p.m. daily at the CNE. However, once again, activists are calling for an end to the annual event.
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“This Labour Day Weekend, the annual Toronto Airshow is back to glorify militarism, war, and to promote fighter jets like those being used to massacre people across the world, including in Gaza, at this very moment,” reads a collaboration post on Instagram from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Palestiniantian Youth Movement Toronto, UofT Occupy for Palestine, Jews Say No To Genocide, Parkdale High Park for Palestine and Tkaronto/Toronto World Beyond War.
“The airshow is used by arms dealers to showcase and sanitize their products – like Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons producer and maker of the F35 and F16 fighter jets – currently being used in Israel’s genocide in Gaza to drop bombs on homes, schools, and hospitals, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians in the past year alone,” the post continues.
It goes on to call the annual show a celebration of war, saying it re-traumatizes immigrants and refugees in the city who have had to leave their homes due to wars involving such aircraft.
“We call on the City of Toronto to stop the airshow! Stop the glorification of the weapons being used to kill thousands of people from Sudan to Palestine!” the post continues, sharing that there is a demonstration calling for a cancellation of the Air Show on Aug. 31, at Coronation Park beginning at 11 a.m.
World Beyond War, a group advocating for world peace and an end to war, agrees and says the show should also be cancelled due to its cost and carbon emissions.
“The air show is a harmful waste of public resources to showcase ‘demonstration squadrons’ such as Canada’s Snowbirds and the USA’s Blue Angels,” the website reads.
“These squadrons serve as publicly funded recruitment tools that burn thousands of litres of fuel per hour to put on aerial displays. After a summer that found Toronto blanketed in smoke from record setting wildfires, the air show is a costly and unnecessary contribution to carbon emissions at the taxpayers’ expense.”
This is not the first time a protest against the air show has happened. There have been demonstrations against the air show for at least the past three years.
TORONTONIANS HAVE MIXED THOUGHTS ON THE AIR SHOW
Online, many people are sharing their thoughts on the air show, and on calls to cancel it. Some feel that having the show is not as important as ensuring the safety and well-being of people in the city.
“Sure, air shows are cool – but I don’t need to watch a jet fly around at the expense of those with PTSD; a group of people that INCLUDES our troops and our veterans,” wrote one person on Instagram.
“So shameful that this still happens in a country full of immigrants and refugees from war torn countries. Absolutely disgusting and inconsiderate,” wrote another.
“I’ve been saying this for years. Imagine how traumatizing this is for refugees.”
“I haven’t been in a war zone since I was 3 years old and the air show ravages my nervous system. Imagine all the people here where the experience is fresh. Enough!” shared one person on Instagram.
While others disagree with cancelling the show, claiming it has an important place in the city.
“The military is an essential part of the maintenance of freedom as much as the parliament is. You can’t have a nation without its defence,” wrote one Instagram user.
“I really dislike the airshow and have almost exclusively lived in homes that get absolutely blitzed by the show. Nevertheless I hope it never stops. Maybe not for me but it’s part of the city and I know a lot of people like it,” another person posted to Reddit.
