Toronto

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Date: Saturday 13 June 2015
Time: Gather at 12 noon for socializing, body painting, bike decorating etc. Bring food to share if you wish. Ride starts at 1 pm, following a route along several major streets in the downtown core.
Location: It starts at Coronation Park (by the waterfront at the centre of the park)

In order to stay in touch be sure to sign up to get ride updates directly at World Naked Bike Ride, and/or check this Toronto WNBR wiki.

Facebook has deleted its Toronto WNBR group just before rides and thereby subverts our event by first attracting new riders then shutting them out. Even if some riders subscribe to Facebook and Facebook happens to own a "Toronto WNBR" page at the moment, don't depend on it or take it seriously; it belongs to Facebook, not to any of us, and it is subject to vanish.


Posters/flyers

If you would like to create and contribute a poster for this ride, please do and share it!

Wnbr2015.jpg


Click here for larger version Jumbo size (I also have a layered file so the image can be re-purposed for future rides, target audiences, different versions etc.)

A WNBR Toronto 2015 poster by Leif Harmsen, [email protected]


Help promote the ride. Print and put up the posters. Print has hand-bills and attach to parked bikes and hand out. If the Metro or 24 hour boxes are empty, (they're not filled on the weekends), you can slip a poster in the window of the box.

Route

WNBR Toronto Route Link to Google Map.

Start: Coronation Park by the lake. South of the CNE's Princes Gate. Meet at 12:00 noon, ride 1pm. Bring water and sunblock, and perhaps a picnic lunch and decorating materials. Coronation Park on the waterfront has always served us well as a picturesque and practical gathering/staring point.

Route The clockwise route passes many of Toronto's landmarks and popular areas. Highlights include Trinity Bellwood's Park, Kensington Market, University of Toronto, Queen's Park, Yorkville, Yonge Street, Church Street, Ryerson University, Dundas Square, City Hall and the bank towers on Bay Street. The official end is at the Jack Layton Memorial Ferry Docks where some riders depart by Ferry to Hanlan's clothing optional beach while others scoot west across Queens Quay back to Coronation Park.

We may altar the route slightly to avoid road construction, because someone has a really good detour idea, or just to shake things up.

What to bring

  • Water
  • Sunscreen
  • Decorations
  • Signs for yourself and your bike
  • Posters
  • Costumes
  • Body paints
  • A personal picnic lunch including beverages for the day
  • Bicycle helmet – let's be good role models!
  • Footwear.
  • Camera


Tips

-Lipstick works great for body paint. Remember, if it is hot outside, they become soft, but last the day.

-Bike carriers. Front or back. They are a safe and convenient way to carry your things.

- Old style potato carving stamps work. Paint your carving with paint or lipstick and stamp it on yourself.

-Funny hats, funny bikes

-Can't ride? Rent a bike taxi. Roller blade.

-This is your event and as such there is decidedly no dress code or fashion-nazi. What if anything you wear and the look you like are entirely your prerogative. Otherwise, what would be the point in being you?

Legality

Remember, it's perfectly legal for women to go topless in Canada anywhere that a man might, which includes cycling on city streets.

Furthermore, the Crown has acknowledged that participating in an orderly event naked is not illegal, so long as you are wearing something, such as shoes. (<- Those links now work! June 2012)

And you will also be happy to know that we had a polite and respectful bicycle police escort from 2005 to 2010, who kindly stopped traffic for us on busy left turns, and who did their best to keep us all together as a group.

Press, Photos, Movies and Audio

There's been a surge of interest in recent years - in part because of the radical trajectory the Canadian federal government has taken against ecological, economic and financial sustainability. Canada is running itself into the ground in every way imaginable in order to pad the pockets of a few; a policy more typical of third world failing states. If it feels like there's a strong political headwind, there is, leaving only one option for those of us who care about ourselves, our home planet and all future generations: to pedal harder, inspire and prevail.

It would be great if someone could take the time to research for missed media from previous years - there's probably a lot of interesting material to dig up.


2014

WNBR 2014 poster by Gene Dare

The World Naked Bike Ride Jenette Martin, NOW Magazine

World Naked Bike Ride Toronto Min Lee

Nude Bike Riders Protest on City Streets Marcus Hondro, Digital Journal

Naked Cyclists Streaking Across Toronto Katelyn Verstraten, Toronto Star

Naked Cyclists Streak Across Toronto staff writer, Metro News

Naked Cyclists Ride Through Toronto staff writer, Global News

Naked Cyclists Ride Across Toronto Protest Oil Dependency staff writer, Xinhua News Agency at globalpost.com

Naked Cyclists Ride Across Toronto Against Oil Dependency , Vancouver Desi

World Newsbits for June , Manilla Bulletin

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - Promotion Gene Dare

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE TORONTO .COM WNBR Toronto Photo Archive - a work in progress.

2013

WNBR Toronto Social Group The Nook

World Naked Bike Ride hits Toronto, protests oil dependency ... CTV News

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - THE SHORT DOCUMENTARY 4 min.

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - 2013 Slideshow Gene Dare

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - Promotion Gene Dare

World Naked Bike Ride in Toronto Toronto Star

Naked cyclists take message to Toronto streets Julia Alexander, Toronto Sun

World Naked Bike Ride hits Toronto, protests oil dependency Globe and Mail

Ride Along WNBR Toronto 2013-540p Enlightened Couples

WNBR Toronto 2013 Naughty Toronto Blog

Coccozella WNBR - Toronto 2013 by Gem

photo by R. Jeanette Martin, WNBR 2012 at Toronto City Hall

Bikers in Toronto ride naked to fight against big oil companies Demotix

Parade of flesh rolls through Toronto Rolling Spoke

Search Getty Images

It’s back. FS Local

Toronto Naked Bike Ride Howard Pang

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE 2013 Eric Parker

Flickr Search Flickr

World Naked Bike Ride Toronto 2013 Victorinoxs

2012

WNBR Toronto 2012 poster by Leif Harmsen / WNBR Toronto 2012 PDF Poster
Toronto 1912 photo courtesy City of Toronto Archives
photo by Scott Snider, WNBR 2012 at Toronto City Hall


2011

2011 WNBR Toronto Poster: Leif Harmsen, Photo: Ethan Eisenberg

2010

WNBR 2010 Toronto Photo Credit Ethan Eisenberg

2009

2008

WNBR 2008 Toronto Poster by Leif Harmsen

2005

2004

History

2014

I'm guessing around 200 riders came out for the 10th Anniversary Ride, but maybe someone actually counted. The day was lovely, people were in good spirits and enthusiastic. Naked News made a splash at Coronation Park where we gather. Riders were as usual a very mixed lot which is good to see because everyone is welcome. One rider is in his 70's! We did early photo ops at Denison Park in Kensington Market and in front of Queen's Park, in addition to the usual line up in front of City Hall. This year we altered the route slightly to go through Ryerson University where in the courtyard a wedding party was thrilled to death! I got to hold the WNBR championship trophy - the one featured in the new WNBR 2015 Toronto poster - Everyone is a champ at the WNBR - we champion a cleaner and healthier future. A group "peeled off" at the ferry docks and went over to Hanlan's Point Beach for a glorious afternoon in the sun. Press is thin on the ground this year so far, but then again the ride is barely over - more might appear by tomorrow.

2013

Can anyone write about the 2013 ride?

2012

It was a perfect ride - perfect 28C weather, wonderful participants and some good press. Estimates stood between 100 and 200 riders, the press mostly reported 150. It was definitely the largest Toronto WNBR yet. Road construction near the start did not slow us down much. One participant, Oscar, was not even a year old and is probably the youngest participant yet! He seemed to enjoy the 14km ride in the sun - wearing a smart summer outfit while his mom pedalled as most riders did, naked. Some police happened by at the start but once again they did not join us for the ride. Traffic was calm, apart from all the welcome honking and cheering, and respectful. We rode through a giant rummage sale at Trinity Bellwoods, Convocation at U of T and the NXNE music festival at Dundas Square. We ended the ride at the park by the Toronto Island Ferry Docks. Some participants continued back to the starting point while a bunch of us caught a Ferry to the beautiful Toronto Islands, where we enjoyed the long summer late afternoon at Hanlan's Point beach. Toronto looked great and so did we!

2011

Despite dire predictions of storms that never materialised, the ride was our biggest ever with approximately 150 ladies and gentlemen on our bicycles. We took a new route that went clockwise throughout the downtown core and passed new landmarks such as University of Toronto's King's College Circle, The Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park where we rode past a wedding that the newly-weds will never forget, and the heart of Canada's Financial District at King and Bay where important and often unsound financial decisions are made about our future and environment. Spirits were high among riders and the cheering public in general. Once again the police did not join us but we handily negotiated traffic ourselves. More media types than ever were present and the ride enjoyed much good and well deserved press.

4min Documentary https://vimeo.com/65453829

2010

The 2010 Toronto WNBR made a splash! 16C and rain didn't stop 80 or so enthusiastic upbeat people from enjoying the good clean fun protest against fossil fuel dependency. Riders ranged in age from under 10 to near 70 with a good number of both women and men. One couple rode on a side-by-side tandem called the "buddy bike". There was much festive dress-up and body-painting. The police had said that they were going to join us for the ride but they did not; we were able to manage traffic ourselves. The public was most appreciative, perhaps partly because of the terrible oil spill in the Gulf. It only started raining hard at the very end as we arrived at the finishing point.

2009

The 2009 Toronto WNBR was a hit! Over 100 women and men came out (110?), including a few that joined spontaneously along the route! Riders ranged from age 16 to near 70 and came from as far away as Ohio! The bicycle police did not join us this year, perhaps because we have always been so orderly that they thought it unnecessary. While we missed their help in guiding traffic on our behalf, a few volunteers were able to assume that role and did so well. Due to street closures for a festival, we took a small detour along Front Street at the start. We somehow took a wrong turn onto College Street near Kensington Market, but managed to quickly get back on route!

Facebook (an infamous privately owned networking website) censored/removed the 2 year old WNBR Toronto Facebook Group but inexplicably left the orphaned WNBR Toronto 2009 Facebook Event that has all the same perfectly innocent content. Facebook and the like have proven to be worse than useless and antagonistic - they have their own corporate anti-humanist agendas which are not compatible with the WNBR - they prop up the myth that humans are obscene and that a new SUV will make you deliriously happy. I reject Facebook because it is unacceptable, k-zap, gone. It parrots people you know to create an illusion that they are somehow helpful for socialising and that you'll be banished if you reject it - they're not and you won't be. Some things one has to do for oneself; socialising is one. It is best to maintain our own emailing lists so that we can contact each other directly, and direct each other and the public to this wiki at www.worldnakedbikeride.org.

2008

The 2008 ride in Toronto was the biggest yet. 75+ women and men participated. Once again the weather was ideal, the police courteous and the public enthusiastic and supportive. Artist Leif Harmsen had created posters to advertise the event, as had another volunteer, and efforts had been made to distribute them around downtown Toronto and online.

2007

The 2007 ride in Toronto was the best yet. The weather was ideal. 30+ women and men participated and a new contingent from Hamilton joined up with us shortly after we set out. The police escort was courteous and the public was very supportive and showed much appreciation. The press coverage was generally very good - with a few excellent quotes and a clear reporting of the WNBR mandate and global scope.

2006

The 2006 ride in Toronto was plagued by lack of organisation and cold weather, but we ended up having a great time. Someone faxed incorrect info to the Toronto police, who showed up at Coronation Park several hours before the rest of us. They ended up having a very long day, but were good sports about it.

We started gathering around 11:30, and left on our ride at about 13:00. It was only about 14 degrees, but the sun was very intense and it warmed up nicely. We took a nice long winding route through the downtown core, and encountered a warm if low-key reception from the good citizens of Toronto. It's amazing how many people downtown happen to have cameras with them.

Our police escort hung back for the most part, but assisted us through a few intersections and left turns. We look forward to better weather and an increase in numbers for 2007, and hope to have a few women join us.

Edited by John aka Scoutniagara and Spike

2005

2005 Toronto WNBR pioneers!

Ride report at TNT!MEN: Toronto 2005 World Naked Bike Ride: Fun and Fabulous! This page includes a number of reports from the 2005 ride, and provides links to photos of the 2004 and 2005 rides.

2004

We had about 40 or 50 riders on the Toronto 2004 ride from Grange Park, but had a difference of opinion from two different police divisions, so for the 2005 ride, after a lack of leadership, a meeting place, Coronation Park was chosen. It worked out well, but we weren't able to advertise in sufficient time to draw more riders. We only had 10 riders, but I think we had a great and successful ride.

Links

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Location information

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