Hundreds of protesters are expected to occupy the heart of Toronto's financial district on Saturday in a call for more economic equality, even as the memory of G20 violence and repressive policing is still fresh in the city's memory.
The protesters are expected to initially gather at the stock exchange at King and York streets as part of the global movement that aims to draw attention to the growing gulf between rich and poor.
"The movement is still coming together, there is a lot of energy," Farshad Azadian from Occupy Toronto told CTV Toronto. "We understand what is wrong. Us, the 99 per cent, are voiceless, while a tiny minority is making billions of dollars."
The protest will mirror the month-old Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S.
Kevin Konnyu, who has been involved with the planning of the Toronto event, said that violence, like the kind seen in June's G20 riots, is a concern.
"A lot of people are quite fearful of an overreaction by the police," he told The Canadian Press.
A petition to Toronto Chief Bill Blair is calling on police to show restraint and respect for the rights of demonstrators.
The petition states, "Neither the people of Toronto nor ... its police force want to see a repeat of the G20 weekend.
"It is the responsibility of the Toronto Police Service to ensure the safety of citizens, ensure that individual rights are upheld and that property is protected, not to act as political agents on behalf of the current government."
Police spokesperson Mark Pugash said that the city's cops have been paying attention to the upcoming protest for some time.
"The goal is public safety and facilitation of peaceful protest," he said.
City councillor Adam Vaughan said that he's not worried that the protests will turn violent.
"I think that if everyone behaves it will be fine," he said. "That's everybody on all sides of the debate."
However, some insurance companies in the city are putting out warnings ahead of the protests in case violence does occur.
"I think the incidents of G20 indicate that anything can happen, quite quickly, and the best laid plans sometimes go awry," said Julie Oosterman from Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance.
Though hundreds have been arrested during the protests that have spread across the U.S., including in Manhattan, Boston and Washington, the movement has remained largely peaceful.
Azadian said he expects the same in Toronto.
"For us, throwing a brick through a window doesn't change nothing," he said.
A forum is planned for Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto to discuss further details of the movement.
A protest is also planned for Vancouver at the Art Gallery on Saturday.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney
