City eyes redesign of North York park as permanent memorial for victims of Yonge Street van attack
City council will consider a motion next week to move forward with plans to redesign Olive Square Park to honour the 11 people killed in the 2018 tragedy.Â
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ city council will consider a motion at the end of the month to move forward with plans to redesign North York’s as a permanent memorial to those whose lives were taken in the 2018 Yonge Street van attack.
The memorial is intended to honour the lives lost and affected on April 23, 2018, when Alek Minassian drove a white van down more than two kilometres of sidewalk along Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard Avenues, killing 11 people and injuring 16. The incident marked the city’s largest mass killing, and Minassian was sentenced to life in prison in 2022.
Mayor Olivia Chow said the “horrific, deliberate” 2018 Yonge Street van attack left a lasting
Olive Square Park, located within the corridor of Yonge Street where the attack took place, has since become an informal gathering place for remembrance, the motion said.Â
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Shortly after the attack, flowers left in the park were replaced with a plaque, which remains in place today, to honour the victims.
On the seventh anniversary of the attack, the City of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ announced that it would be placing commemorative “Heroes’ Way†street signs on Canterbury Place, a North York street that is close to the local police and fire stations that responded to the attack.
If approved, the general manager of parks and recreation, in collaboration with economic development and culture team, will begin working on a design competition set to launch in April 2026.
The redesign process, the motion says, will be guided by consultations with survivors, affected families, and the memorial steering committee, with public engagement beginning this fall. A consultant with “deep connections to the community” led early discussions on the memorial with survivors and family members of the victims, the city said.Â
According to the city, $118,452 in previously allocated funds will be used to support the initial phases of the project. Additional funding for the park’s redevelopment and memorial will be considered as part of the 2026 capital budget.
A detailed design is supposed to be completed by mid-late 2027, with construction not starting until 2028, 10 years after the attack.Â
With files from Elissa Mendes and Anastasia Blosser
Allie Moustakis is a staff reporter, working out of the Star’s
radio room in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. Reach her via email: amoustakis@thestar.ca
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