The #TorontoStrong Fund is a partnership between the City of Toronto and Toronto Foundation, advised by a volunteer steering committee, to help support the victims and survivors of the April 23 van attack on Yonge Street and the July 22 shooting on the Danforth. The fund was created to ensure the generous outpouring of philanthropic support was collected and distributed to those affected in an accountable and transparent manner.
In December 2018, the Fund completed distributing over $4 million donated to the 41 victims and families of the Yonge Street van attack and the Danforth shooting.
To distribute the collected funds, the pro bono fund administrator, former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall, met with bereaved families, survivors, medical and social service personnel, reviewed best practices from around the world and received guidance from the #TorontoStrong Steering Committee to create a disbursement framework. The review process also took into account the short- and long-term physical and psychological injuries sustained by survivors, as well as the impact of loss of life on families left behind.
Following the disbursement of all the donations to the victims, Toronto Foundation announced the creation of The Barbara Hall Community Resilience Fund. Working in partnership with the Wellesley Institute, this new initiative will develop and support a network of crisis responders to ensure strong coordination and collaboration between organizations.
To mark these tragic events and memorialize the victims, the City of Toronto will launch consultations with survivors, bereaved families and impacted communities on permanent memorials in early 2019.
