Vaccines, protests, flashes of normalcy: This is what 2021 looked like in the Toronto area
CBC
Many Torontonians are emerging from 2021 feeling exhausted — worn out by 12 months of tumultuous ups and downs.
It was the year that saw the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines and a much-needed return to some normalcy — including concerts, indoor gatherings and sports games. But 2021 also saw city streets filled by protests and vigils as Torontonians spoke out on issues such as Islamophobia and the horror of Canada's residential schools.
CBC's photographer Evan Mitsui was there for all of it.
Scroll down to see his most memorable photos taken in and around Toronto in 2021.
As the pandemic continued into its second year, Ontarians were forced to learn the names of a string of dangerous new COVID-19 variants.
In January, the Alpha variant ripped through Roberta Place long-term care home in Barrie, Ont., killing 63 residents in less than a month. In this shot, the body of a deceased resident is removed from the home on Jan. 18.
(Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The first COVID-19 vaccines were given out in Canada in mid-December 2020. As 2021 began, the shots were prioritized for health-care workers, Indigenous adults and the elderly.
In this photo, a team from Humber River Hospital administers first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to parishioners of St. Fidelis Parish church on March 17.
(Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Esther and Eduardo Teodoro, 75, are pictured in the intensive care unit at Scarborough Health Network's Centenary Hospital on April 8 as Eduardo recuperates from COVID-19.
(Evan Mitsui/CBC)
As Ontario's vaccination campaign gathered steam, anti-vaccine protests became a regular sight in downtown Toronto.
On Sept. 2, hundreds of people gathered in front of Toronto police headquarters for an anti-mandatory vaccination rally — one day after the Ontario government announced a vaccine passport system effective Sept. 22.