The City of Toronto is honouring the first responders and other heroes who rushed to the aid of the 26 victims of the Yonge Street Van Attack.
On Saturday morning, during the seventh annual memorial gathering for the tragedy at Mel Lastman Square, Mayor Olivia Chow and Willowdale Coun. Lily Cheng unveiled new blue-and-white Heroes’ Way street signs. They will be installed at Canterbury Place, a street near paramedic, police, and fire stations in the vicinity of the April 23, 2018 incident.
Chow thanked those who helped the victims, saying that their efforts “prevented more deaths” and “brought comfort to countless others.”
Eleven people died as a result of the attack and 15 others were injured when a man drove a van along a busy stretch of Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard avenues. The perpetrator of the attack was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life in prison on June 13, 2022.
The Yonge Street Van Attack is the biggest mass murder in Toronto’s history.
Plans are also in the works to erect a permanent memorial at parkette near Yonge and Finch. A design contest will be launched for that project in the coming months.
