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TORONTO – The sound of chants, whistles and drum beats filled the air outside a downtown Toronto hotel Thursday night as a crowd of hospitality workers gathered to demand salary increases amid skyrocketing accommodation costs during Taylor Swift’s concerts in the city.

Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Fairmont Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.

Employees of Royal York and other hotels rallied as Swift began her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.

Shelli Sareen, the union’s secretary treasurer, said the rally aims to highlight the need for fair compensation for hospitality workers amid soaring profits for the industry during the concert period.

“Our members are predominantly women. They are people of colour. They are the heart and soul of the hospitality industry,” said Sareen.

“We wanted to draw attention to, while Taylor Swift is an economic force in the city, our members are fighting for their fair share.”

The union, which represents employees including food service workers, room attendants and bell persons, says those who will be serving Swifties during the Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the cost of living.

During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.

Sareen said fans are being “gouged on ticket and hotel prices,” while hospitality workers are often the first people who greet them when they arrive in the city.

Royal York workers have been demanding a wage increase since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the hospitality industry, Sareen said.

Many workers have had to take on multiple jobs to support themselves and their families, Sareen added.

The union says Royal York workers have fallen behind what union members have negotiated at other Toronto-area hotels. Sareen noted that she believes hotel management has been negotiating “in good faith” and further bargaining sessions have been planned.

Fairmont Royal York did not respond to requests for comment.

Grace Guanzon, who has worked at the Royal York as a room attendant for more than 30 years, was among those demonstrating on Thursday. She said she loves her job and providing service to guests, but more compensation is needed to get by.

“We would like to send a message to our employer that we’re really serious about this rally today,” Guanzon said, noting that many workers, including those at other city hotels, had taken the day off to join them.

A wage increase would make a big difference in their lives, she said.

“Our family, our transportation, our rent, our housing, our groceries, and cost of living — we can’t afford that anymore, and we cannot wait any longer,” Guanzon said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Pop superstar Taylor Swift kicked off the first of six shows in Toronto with fans cheering her entrance.

The singer brings her record-breaking tour for a Canadian leg that hits Rogers Centre over 10 days.

Here’s the latest:

FOLKLORE BELONGS IN CANADA

While leaping into the “Folklore” era, Swift suggested that the rustic album might best be suited for the north.

“Doesn’t it seem like the entire ‘Folklore’ era belongs in Canada?” she asked to a roar from the audience.

“The kind of place I imagined in my mind, where ‘Folklore’ took place, is very natural — wilderness, beautiful; forests that have been since the beginning of time. And this kind of feels like we’re returning the ‘Folklore’ era to where it belongs anyway.”

WARM EMBRACE

Taylor Swift offered her Canadian fans a warm embrace on the first night of the six-date Toronto stop for The Eras Tour.

The Nashville pop singer paused several times during the three-hour concert to show her appreciation for a city that’s welcomed her with open arms and much anticipation.

“You guys have turned this into something that feels more than just a concert,” she said during an early break.

“The way the city of Toronto has embraced us and welcomed us. We notice all of that.”

CONCERT KICK OFF

“All right Toronto, we have arrived!”

Taylor Swift opened her first night at Toronto’s Rogers Centre with a bang as The Eras Tour kicked off in the city after more than a year of anticipation.

Swift opened the show with “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” and “Cruel Summer” before pausing to take in the enthusiasm radiating from the stadium.

“Oh Toronto, we are so back!” she exclaimed early on, while encouraging more cheers.

“What you just did and also the way you’ve been treating me for the last five minutes,” she added.

“I’m feeling dangerously good right now.”

LINE-UP LATEST

A light rain has started to fall over the Rogers Centre, where Taylor Swift is due to take the stage later this evening.

Small crowds are still milling outside the venue, and some have hopes of nabbing last-minute tickets to the sold-out show.

DEEP CUT REFERENCES

Hamilton resident Amy Ladouceur went deep into the fandom with her look, dressing as Greek Philosopher Aristotle, a sly nod to Swift’s “So High School” from “The Tortured Poets Department.”

In the song, Swift sings, “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle,” referring to the differing interests between her and her football boyfriend.

“It’s the end of the tour so there’s been a lot of costumes so far,” Ladouceur explained of her look. “We were just trying to wear costumes people haven’t worn.”

The details were very specific. She donned a toga, gold laurel wreath and grey fake beard. On her back it read: “I know Eras-totle.” She was confident that fellow Swifites would get the reference.

“These are my people, she did. “They know puns and they know all the lines.”

HOLDING OUT HOPE

Standing outside the Rogers Centre wearing a large friendship bracelet-like necklace, Marsha Stagg held up a sign saying “we need (tickets).”

Stagg had come from Stephenville, Nfld., with the hopes of getting some last-minute tickets for her best friend, who has stage 4 cancer.

“It’s on her bucket list,” Stagg said. “She didn’t think she would make it to today.”

Stagg and her group of friends have known one another since kindergarten, she said, and their friendship is symbolized by Swift’s music.

While Stagg said she hasn’t gotten any leads yet on tickets, she said she’s not giving up hope.

“We are going to make sure it happens,” Stagg said. “I know that we will get in.”

ALL DRESSED UP

Amid the glitter tops and cowboy boots, a few fans went the extra mile on opening night at the Rogers Centre by paying tribute to Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Chad White flew in from Boston with plans to wear a fully decked out Kansas City Chiefs football uniform in homage to No. 87. But he says he had to settle for the jersey, gloves and pads after security wouldn’t let him carry in his football helmet.

“I’m a big Halloween guy so I love costumes,” he said before the show began.

White says this is the second Swift Eras Tour concert he’s attended with his partner Joanna O’Brien, and after she dressed up last time and he didn’t, he decided it was time to get in the spirit.

“She’s wanted me to dress up. And I wasn’t dressing up in Lavender Haze,” the firefighter said, referencing one of Swift’s songs.

“All my buddies are going to hear (about) it and I’m a Patriots fan, so this is really a betrayal.”

OUT-OF-TOWNERS

Among the tourists coming into the city were Lina and My Jae from upstate New York.

Wearing “Midnights”-themed tinsel tops and sashes made to look like giant friendship bracelets, the jubilant fans said they were hoping to see “mama and papa Swift.”

Swift’s boyfriend, football player Travis Kelce, is often seen at her shows but it’s not yet known if he will come to Toronto.

The sisters spent about $1,800 each for their floor tickets — but they say the price is worth it.

“You know what? Money comes back but Taylor Swift Eras Tour doesn’t,” said My Jae.

“Memories will be made and they’ll be worth it,” Lina Jae added.

GRINNING IN GLITTER

Meagan Morin, 27, of Ottawa, booked an Airbnb in July but only got tickets nine days ago.

Morin, who is a singer, spent $600, buying them at face value off of Ticketmaster.

And if Morin hadn’t managed to get tickets during the late release for the otherwise sold-out show?

“I would have sat out here and begged,” said Morin, adorned in glitter and wearing denim overalls hand-embroidered with the names of Swift’s albums.

“It feels like such a big family here right now, I’m so excited.”

THRILLED FANS

Fans have congregated outside the Rogers Centre with hours to go before the concerts.

Swift’s discography is blasting from the loudspeakers, and concertgoers are singing along.

Friends Savannah Williams and Karenza Federinko of Niagara Falls, Ont., were among those to secure tickets during the presale, thanks to one of their 30 verified accounts.

They said they snagged a great deal in section 103 behind the stage, and spent just $60 to $75 each.

“I love ‘Tortured Poets Department,'” said the 21-year-old Williams, who wore a T-shirt that said, “But Daddy I love Him,” a reference to one of the songs on Swift’s most recent album.

Federinko, 23, said her favourite Swift music was from her earlier albums, “Speak Now” and “Fearless.”

Swift’s three-and-a-half hour show spans the different “Eras” of her singing career.

TAYLGATE OPENS DOORS

Toronto’s unofficial Taylor Swift-adjacent party Taylgate has opened its doors for fans.

The event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is just down the street from the concert venue.

Inside, there’s a beading station for fans to make their own friendship bracelets, as well as numerous setups for photo opportunities.

They include a giant pair of hands making the shape of a heart, a big blue guitar and a large metal snake meant to represent Swift’s “reputation” era.

Taylgate is billing itself as a concert pre-party, a waiting place for parents of ticket holders and an alternative event for those who didn’t get tickets.

MAYOR’S BRACELETS

Toronto’s mayor is getting in the Taylor Swift spirit today, by showing off an arm adorned with friendship bracelets at a city council meeting.

Olivia Chow says she was at a Swift-themed bracelet-making event at a Toronto Public Library branch last night and she ended up with eight, including one with the words “bike lane.”

Chow says it was a joyful time making and exchanging bracelets, and seeing people connect through music.

She says welcome to all the Swifties in town and to the pop star herself.

TAYLOR TRAFFIC

Parts of downtown Toronto will be closed to cars today in anticipation of Taylor Swift concertgoers.

Some roadways near Rogers Centre are restricted to local traffic or closed altogether for an expected influx of people attending tonight’s concert or side events.

Dozens of buses and streetcars have been added to routes around the stadium.

The GO Transit system, which connects the Greater Toronto Area, added extra trips and extended hours in some regions.

LABOUR STRIFE

Skyrocketing hotel prices during Taylor Swift’s concerts have spurred labour action by a group of hotel service workers in Toronto.

They say they will hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as they seek a new contract with the hotel.

The union arm Unite Here Local 75 represents 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area.

Some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.

EARLY ARRIVALS

Fans decked out in Taylor Swift’s concert merchandise were among the morning commuters Thursday morning at Union Station.

A handful of Swifties in T-shirts emblazoned with dates for the Eras Tour munched on croissants at the transit hub, a few minutes’ walk from the concert venue, Rogers Centre.

In the heart of the financial district a few blocks over, one young woman in Swift-esque heart-shaped glasses hit a Starbucks alongside the weekday office rush.

–With files from Nicole Thompson, Rianna Lim, Allison Jones and David Friend

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

Ontario plans to ban registered sex offenders from changing their names.

Solicitor General Michael Kerzner says those who are on the provincial sex offender registry will no longer be allowed to legally change their name once new legislation is passed.

Kerzner says his government’s planned changes to Christopher’s Law would also require registered sex offenders to disclose their email and social-media accounts, and report any changes to their usernames.

Offenders would also face stricter travel rules, including a requirement to report new passports or driver’s licences.

Christopher’s Law is named for 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson, who was murdered by a convicted sex offender on Father’s Day in 1998.

His father, Jim Stephenson, says the changes will help police solve sex crimes and protect vulnerable children.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.