A man wearing a giant replica of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's head led G8 and G20 protesters through Toronto's banking district on Thursday in a peaceful show of opposition to the summits' $1-billion price tag.

At least 30 people, many of them in business attire, paraded near the intersection of King and Bay streets. They handed out fake $1-billion bills in what organizers called a tongue-in-cheek commentary on spending for the summits at a time when foreign aid is facing cuts.

The parade ended at Union Station, Toronto's main train station, where protesters covered in an oil-like substance — actually chocolate — danced.

Police on bicycles monitored the protest, which was organized by At the Table Coalition, an umbrella group of non-profit groups.

The group is calling on Harper "to commit to the Robin Hood Tax, a 0.05 per cent Financial Transaction Tax on speculative trading that could raise billions each year for fighting climate change and poverty both at home and abroad," the group said in a statement.