When is a Christmas tree not a Christmas tree? When it’s at Nathan Phillips Square. The ongoing controversy over the city’s official symbol of the festive season went up at City Hall on Thursday. But like so many things that involve politics, it didn’t make the journey without controversy.
Toronto officials had been told to call it a ‘holiday tree’ – and not a Christmas one, to better reflect the city’s multicultural roots. The idea was not to leave out any of our diverse ethnic communities. But apparently it did – those who actually celebrate the yuletide event. The complaints finally caused Mel Lastman himself to wade into the fray.
Which more or less explains the Mayor’s final statement on the issue, designed to lay the controversy to rest once and for all. "Our special events staff went too far with their political correctness when they called it a holiday tree," Lastman notes. “"They were trying to be inclusive and their hearts were in the right place, but you can't be politically correct all the time. Let me set the record straight: Toronto has a Christmas Tree in Nathan Phillips Square, and everyone is invited to come out and enjoy it."
