The City of Toronto has confirmed that this year's Canada Day celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square have been cancelled due to "resource constraints."
A city representative said preparations had been made for the celebrations, including volunteer recruitment and information sessions, but will no longer "activate" the celebrations in front of City Hall due to insufficient resources.
Other Canada Day festivities will still take place throughout the city, including the fireworks display in Ashbridge's Bay and the lead-up activities in the week leading up to July 1.
The comment follows a recently launched campaign by the City of Toronto encouraging residents and businesses to petition the federal government to provide matching funds to the city.
Toronto's nearly $1 billion budget shortfall will result in further cuts to city services if not addressed soon, the city said, including vital construction and transit projects.