A Toronto hospital is paying tribute to Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie and his bandmates by releasing a video of staff singing one of their biggest hits.

As the Tragically Hip鈥檚 tour rolls into Toronto for the first of three shows, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has released a video of staff and family members singing 鈥淐ourage鈥� on the front lawn in tribute to Downie.

The Tragically Hip has been touring across Canada for their 鈥淢an Machine Poem鈥� tour after announcing in May, that the band鈥檚 52-year-old frontman is suffering from incurable brain cancer. Downie has been receiving cancer treatment at Sunnybrook.

鈥淪unnybrook wanted to thank Gord Downie, his bandmates and everyone who has kindly donated to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research,鈥� read a statement from the midtown Toronto hospital.

As the iconic band kicks off the first of three shows at the Air Canada Centre, Mayor John Tory declared Wednesday 鈥淭ragically Hip Day.鈥�

Toronto officials have also set up a public tribute video booth, in which fans can create messages for Downie and the band.

鈥淚 just wanted to say thank you for telling us our stories,鈥� Tory said in his own video. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e been the quintessentially Canadian band.鈥�

In July, the band kicked off their all-Canadian tour in Victoria, B.C. After shows in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, London, Ont. and Winnipeg, they play the first of three Toronto dates Wednesday evening at the Air Canada Centre. Shows in Hamilton, Ont. and Ottawa are to follow, with the final concert of the tour to be held Aug. 20 in the town they started out in: Kingston, Ont.

'Family experience'

Meanwhile, Peterborough, Ont. man John Davidson, who is battling cancer, is getting the chance to go to one of the Hip鈥檚 Toronto shows, thanks to the CEO of a downtown Toronto bar.

The Ball Room had 10 pairs of Hip tickets that it gave away as contest prizes. The family鈥檚 contest entry came too late, but when the bar鈥檚 CEO Paul Donato heard their story, he decided to step in and offer them concert tickets, hotel accommodation and limo transportation.

John Davidson said he is a 20-year fan of the Tragically Hip.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be an awesome family experience,鈥� Davidson told 麻豆影视 Channel on Wednesday.

Davidson鈥檚 daughter said she鈥檚 still surprised by the turn of events.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think it would go this far, just writing a little story about the last 11 years of dad battling this, so it鈥檚 honestly insane,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am forever grateful to (Donato) because this would have never happened if it wasn鈥檛 for him.鈥�