2 weeks Ago By Justin Holmes
Seven years after the Yonge St. van attack, there still is not a permanent memorial for the victims — but Councillor Lily Cheng promises progress is being made. On Wednesday afternoon — seven years since the day of the attack, April 23, 2018 — Mayor Olivia Chow led city council in a moment of silence and announced Canterbury Place in North York will be ceremonially renamed Heroes’ Way to honour the first responders who sprang to action that day.
On Thursday, council approved a motion from Cheng to begin the process of designing a permanent memorial at Olive Square Park, at Yonge St. and Finch Ave. Cheng told the Toronto Sun she feels “terrible that this has been delayed to this point.
” Planning concerns and staff turnover played a part, and despite its geographic significance, city hall has decided they couldn’t make a memorial work at Mel Lastman Square. The square will host a commemoration at 10 a.m.
on Saturday, at which the Heroes’ Way street signs will be unveiled. That will take place near the temporarily plaque set up years ago to honour the victims. Eleven people died and more than a dozen more were injured in the attack.
The murderer, Alek Minassian, was convicted in 2011. “It was the deadliest mass murder in Toronto’s history and sent shock waves throughout the country,” Cheng’s council motion said. Councillors billed Toronto taxpayers for popcorn, podcastsCOVID-era official’s ‘credibility’ in ruins since city hall firingToronto Zoo collecting e-waste this weekend Cheng told the Sun that while not the Toronto landmark that Mel Lastman Square is, Olive Square Park is significant for Willowdale residents as that’s where many came to mourn the day after the disaster.
“A lot of tributes and flowers were put there (in) the aftermath, so it is a fitting place for this memorial,” Cheng said. The rough plan is for the memorial to feature greenery, light and water — something “calming” and less “splashy” than a fountain, Cheng said. But Thursday’s motion didn’t finalize that — it calls for a report to come to a city hall committee in July that would establish the timeline for a design contest.
“I think it’s better to do it right than to rush it,” Cheng said, “and, you know, seven years is definitely not a rush, but I think that this approach, where we have prioritized journeying with the steering committee, which includes friends of victims, it’s important that we do it in the community.” The council motion, Cheng said, is meant to provide “comfort that there is a plan and it is moving forward” when the community meets for Saturday’s commemoration. Cheng added that despite all the delays in creating a memorial, the attack lives on as “still a very fresh memory” for many Torontonians.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Councillor Chris Moise said he was at the scene and even performed CPR on two victims who died, and it’s “a day that’s etched in my mind.” “I think anyone who witnessed (it) will not forget,” Moise added. Cheng said that’s the point of Heroes’ Way, which applies to a short North York road with a police, fire and paramedic station.
“I have heard that some who responded that day still have challenges that they deal with because of what they had to do or witness that day,” Cheng said. She said one of her constituents, Diane Broome, was essential to the Heroes’ Way project and personally checked in on the Canterbury Place stations after the attack. She said she hopes the memorial can pay tribute to both the victims and “recognize the strength of our community that emerged” with the actions of people like Broome.
“Right after the tragedy, I noticed all kinds of people stopping to check in on neighbours ...
you don’t see that in an urban setting very often,” Cheng said. “We hope that this memorial also ..
. reminds us of who we are and who we can be.” jholmes@postmedia.
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