air show toronto

CNE Air Show practice sparks flurry of complaints from Toronto residents

Unless you're out of the city for the week or somehow have the most soundproof walls in all of the Toronto, you've likely noticed that today is the start of pilot practice for theCanadian International Air Show, which takes place on Labour Day weekend as part of the CNE.

For 3.5 hours each afternoon from Saturday, September 2 to Monday, September 4, professional pilots will take the skies to perform a series of jaw-dropping stunts, risky maneuvers and stunning synchronized shows, flaunting some very rare and magnificent aircraft in the process.

But, as much as some love the show — which is now in its 74th year — its unignorable, disruptive noise has people upset before it even takes place.

As is the caseevery year,居民抱怨阿布社交活动t how loud the jets overhead are, describing their sheer panic and confusion before they realized what the heck was going on.

Many are also concerned about how the end-of-summer tradition (and the reverberating sound of fighter jets that it entails) will impact people from war-torn countries, such as the 160,000+ Ukrainian refugees that Canada welcomed this past year.

Then there are the terror-stricken pets and bewildered wildlife to worry about, with many on X (formerly Twitter) citing shaking pups and cats running for cover.

Enivornmental concerns abound, as well, especially given the amount of jet fuel that is being needlessly burned whilemuch of the country is ablazeamid the most destructive wildfire season ever seen.

Still, some are rightfully impressed by the awe-inspiring twists and turns of the pilots, as stomach-turning as they may be to witness...

...while others are just sick of the complaining that comes with the practice and the show every year more than anything else.

This year's performanceover the waterfront includes the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and their F/A-18 Super Hornets (for the first time in 14 years), a USAF Heritage Flight with an F-16 demo and a P-51 Mustang, iconic 81-year-old air acrobat Gord Price, and, of course, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, among others.

Lead photo by

Greg David


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversationLoadcomments

Latest in City

Someone visited every TTC subway station in just a few hours

Mystery RCMP spy plane circling Toronto and it's not part of the Air Show

Canada has underestimated non-permanent resident count by almost one million

Police go to new lengths to prevent Ontario car rally that has distressed locals for years

Swarms of flying ants are emerging across Ontario right now

CNE Air Show practice sparks flurry of complaints from Toronto residents

Toronto is hiring for a bunch of roles and many pay over $100K

People are trolling Ontario Place megaspa developer's strange booth at the CNE