The Pan Am torch has been travelling around the GTA recently in an attempt to generate interest and excitement in the Pan Am games, which take over parts of Toronto and lots of near(ish) cities and towns beginning July 10. The torch will make a local stop on Thursday, bringing attention to a noble institution, CAMH, and its president and CEO, Dr. Catherine Zahn, who has been appointed an official torchbearer.
Thursday’s event at CAMH is planned for 11:45a – 12:30p. The torch is coming from Roncesvalles, and east on Queen to it’s stop at Queen and Ossington. Besides seeing a lot of press photographers and the torch itself, you’ll be able to enjoy some performances and buy lunch on site.
Based on the Olympic torch model, the Pan Am torch is always lit by indigenous peoples from the Americas, usually Aztecs. This year the torch was lit in Mexico in May, the last site of the games in 2011, and will finally stop moving on Friday at the opening ceremony. It’s been travelling across Canada, and has been in and out of Toronto for the last weeks. It will take a circuitous route around the west end into Chinatown, Little Italy, Bloor and the Annex and downtown after the CAMH stop. You can check out the map here.
