The City of Toronto will commemorate those who lost their lives or were injured during the tragic events of April 23, 2018 with a ceremony at the Mel Lastman Square Amphitheatre on Tuesday, April 23 at 1:30 p.m. This commemoration coincides with the time, one year ago, when the incident took place along Yonge Street.
Date: Tuesday, April 23
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Mel Lastman Square Amphitheatre, 5100 Yonge St.
This spring, the City will launch consultations with survivors, bereaved families and impacted communities on permanent memorials. Until then, to mark this tragic event and memorialize the victims, the City will be installing temporary signage at both Olive Square Park and Mel Lastman Square during the day on April 23 prior to the 1:30 p.m. commemoration ceremony.
The Willowdale community is also undertaking commemorative activities along Yonge Street from Olive Square Park to Sheppard Avenue throughout the day. More information about these activities is available at http://www.welovewillowdale.ca.
The City of Toronto, together with the Yonge Street Tragedy Commemorative Steering Committee, has chosen to refer to the incident as the Yonge Street Tragedy to emphasize the tragic nature of the deaths and injuries rather than focusing on the incident itself.
Note: Due to the sensitivities of the occasion, there will be no access to victims’ families or survivors. Media are asked to respect their expressed wishes and not approach them during or after the ceremony.
Accreditation
Media accreditation is not required to cover the commemoration ceremony. Members of the media are asked to make sure they are easily identified as media.
Audio pool feed
There will be an audio-only pool feed for media to connect to on the top level of the permanent seating and above the audio booth. If applicable, all cable runs should avoid crossing pathways, and accessible cable matts are required.
Photographers and Videographers
Out of respect for the victims and their families, and due to space considerations, photographers will not be permitted access to the stage area at ground level.
North York Civic Centre
North York Civic Centre will not be accessible to the media to file stories or to conduct interviews.
Getting to Mel Lastman Square
Media and members of the public attending the commemorative ceremony are encouraged to take public transit. TTC subway stops near the square include North York Centre Station (central), Finch Station (north) and Sheppard-Yonge Station (south).
Parking will only be provided for network broadcast trucks. These trucks should be parked on the southbound curb lane (west side) of Yonge Street at the east end of Mel Lastman Square. No additional parking has been reserved for media. Vehicles will not be allowed onto Mel Lastman Square. To access curb-lane parking, media must turn south from Park Home Avenue.
During the commemorative activities, the Toronto Police Service will be establishing road restrictions as well as making some changes to on-street parking in the area around the North York Civic Centre. Additional details about roads affected are available at http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/43678.
An overhead image of Mel Lastman Square is available at
https://www.toronto.ca/data/parks/prd/facilities/complex/956/index.html.
Additional details about the Commemorative Ceremony are available at http://www.toronto.ca/commemoration.
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