Downtown Toronto venue confirmed as location for summer’s G-20 summit

Downtown Toronto venue for summer G-20 summit

TORONTO — Canada has announced that this summer’s G-20 summit will be held at a downtown Toronto venue close to the city’s financial district despite concerns from city officials over traffic congestion.

Labor Minister Lisa Raitt said Friday that the Metro Toronto Convention Centre will host leaders from the world’s wealthiest nations from June 26-27.

The meeting takes place as Toronto’s Gay Pride week kicks off. The signature parade event that sees tens of thousands of attendees has been pushed back by a week to accommodate the summit.

A Toronto Blue Jays weekend series is also scheduled for that weekend.

City officials were pushing federal politicians to hold the summit outside of the downtown area to avoid major disruptions for business and traffic.

Earlier this month, Canada hosted a G-7 finance meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the Arctic.