Toronto residents say attack won’t shake their way of life
TORONTO – This city is reeling in the aftermath of this week’s van attack that killed 10 and injured 14 more, but its residents refuse to be broken.
The Queen City began edging back to normal Wednesday as police reopened the roughly 16-block stretch of Yonge Street, where suspect Alek Minassian allegedly mounted a sidewalk in a white van and plowed down pedestrians.
Marie Lewis, 53, who lives near the crime scene, made the sign of the cross as she walked by the growing makeshift memorial near the corner where the suspect began the attack. Lewis said she has not shed her last tear over the tragedy, but she refuses to let the incident instill fear.
“My Toronto is a beautiful city,” said Lewis, who moved to Canada’s biggest metropolis from Newfoundland at 17 and never left. “I will still do the things I’ve always done. I will feel safe walking on my streets and enjoy my life. If you live by fear and stay at home, you can die at home.”
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne noted the “unnatural calm” along Yonge Street in recent days had been an eerie and “stark reminder of violence” cutting through the city. This portion of Yonge Street — one of the busiest streets in Toronto — includes a mile-long stretch of Asian restaurants, grocery stores and businesses and is seen as a second downtown for the city.
At one end of the crime scene sits Mel Lastman Square — a public space named after the founder of Bad Boy Furniture, who went on to serve 24 years as mayor — that’s the site of festivals, concerts and an ice rink in the winter.
“The lives of the families and friends of the victims are changed forever,” Wynne said. “But our collective job now is to find a way to grieve, to acknowledge that pain and stand with those who have lost so much — and then to make sure that the life of this vibrant, good city and province goes on.”
To that end, the city’s sports fans got a much-needed diversion Wednesday on one of the most important nights in Toronto history for its big league teams. The Maple Leafs faced the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the NHL playoffs, the Raptors played a pivotal Game 5 against the Washington Wizards in the NBA playoffs, and Toronto FC soccer club met Chivas Guadalajara in the final leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final.
The suspect, who police say posted a cryptic note on Facebook praising a misogynistic killer shortly before the incident, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder.
Canadian authorities say it will be some time before they officially identify the 10 killed in the van attack, but families and friends of a few of the victims have confirmed their loved ones were among the dead.
Some Toronto residents said there is an awareness the tragedy was a rare moment of evil in a city that has a relatively low violent-crime rate.
“Every time you drive down the street, you’re trusting the guy coming the other way not to come in your lane,” Toronto resident Brian Hull said. “We live in a trusting society. We have to have faith.”
“My Toronto is a beautiful city. I will still do the things I’ve always done. I will feel safe walking on my streets and enjoy my life. If you live by fear and stay at home, you can die at home.” Marie Lewis