of the QEW. This incident raised fears about the safety of the highway, particularly with memories of the then-recent overpass collapse in Laval, Quebec. On the evening of May 10, 2009, as part of the protests against the Sri Lankan Civil War, approximately 2,000 protestors blocked the downtown section of the Gardiner Expressway in both directions, leaving thousands of motorists stranded for several hours, and backing up traffic on the Expressway for several kilometres. Toronto Police chief Bill Blair called this demonstration by Tamil protestors on the Gardiner "unlawful" and "unsafe". Police forces from across the Greater Toronto Area including the Ontario Provincial Police were brought in for reinforcement. The highway was reopened shortly after midnight, when the protestors moved back to Queen's Park. This marked the first time that the Expressway was shut down due to a large-scale demonstration. See also Allen Road Don Valley Parkway References Notes External links City of Toronto Gardiner Expressway web site Gardiner Expressway at TorontoRoads.net Gardiner EA study and 'e-consultation' web site Video of the Gardiner Expressway between Highway 427 and the Don Valley Parkway Photos of the Gardiner East demolition from the City of Toronto Archives City of Toronto RESCU Traffic Cameras (also includes traffic cameras for the Don Valley Parkway and Lake Shore Boulevard) Technical Briefing report of the future of the Gardiner Expressway by TWRC, Simplified Version Google Maps of Gardiner Expressway Toronto highways Expressways in Canada