#TorontoStrong

The #TorontoStrong Fund

Mayor John Tory and the City of Toronto partnered with Toronto Foundation to establish the #TorontoStrong Fund in response to the April 23 van attack on Yonge Street that left 10 dead, 16 injured and a city in shock.

On July 22 tragedy struck again, this time on Danforth Avenue where two people were killed by gunfire and 13 others injured. The City of Toronto and Toronto Foundation, working with the pro bono #TorontoStrong steering committee established a second fund to provide direct support to the victims of the Danforth shooting.

Both events have demonstrated the pain that can be inflicted on our city and our residents. But they also reveal Toronto’s strength, our compassion and our resilience. First responders fought to keep victims alive and protect bystanders from further violence. Civilians comforted and supported the victims even as they witnessed unspeakable horror. Medical practitioners and social workers are working around the clock to save lives and heal physical and emotional injuries.

The over $4 million donated to the #TorontoStrong Fund has now been distributed to the 41 victims and families of the Yonge Street van attack and the Danforth shooting.

“I would like to sincerely thank all of the generous Toronto residents, businesses and community groups who made donations to support these victims and families,” said Mayor John Tory. “These events, while tragic, highlighted the compassion, resilience and humanity of the people of Toronto. While we will never forget these events, we will also never forget how so many people came together dedicated to helping those affected and to healing their communities.”

To distribute the collected funds from both tragic events, 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.