Toronto to honour victims of Yonge Street attack with #TorontoStrong vigil tonight

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Mayor John Tory are expected to be some of the dignitaries at a Sunday evening vigil to honour the victims of Monday's van attack in Toronto.

City expects 25K people at Sunday evening’s vigil at Mel Lastman Square

CBC News ·
A vigil is planned for Sunday evening at Mel Lastman Square to honour the victims of Monday's van attack. (Galit Rodan/Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Mayor John Tory are expected to be some of the dignitaries at a Sunday evening vigil to honour the victims of Monday's van attack in Toronto.

The city is expecting 25,000 people will attend the #TorontoStrong vigil, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at Mel Lastman Square in North York, just steps away from where the deadly attack took place. 

Ten people were killed when a white rental van mounted a curb and began running down pedestrians on the sidewalk of a busy stretch of Yonge Street on Monday.

The accused driver, 25-year-old Alek Minassian, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. He will be charged with three more counts of attempted murder at his next court appearance.

These are the 10 people killed in the van attack. Top row, from left to right: Anne Marie D'Amico, 30, Dorothy Sewell, 80, Renuka Amarasingha, 45, Munir Najjar, 85, Chul Min (Eddie) Kang, 45, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Forsyth, 94, Sohe Chung, 22, Andrea Bradden, 33, Geraldine Brady, 83, Ji Hun Kim, 22.

Sunday's vigil will also feature together speakers from different faiths and choirs from around the city and was co-organized by the City of Toronto and community groups Faith in the City and the Toronto Area Interfaith Council.  

While many notable political figures are expected to attend, a spokesperson for the city told CBC Toronto that the vigil isn't meant to be a political event, and no elected officials are set to speak. 

There is also a march scheduled to take place ahead of the vigil that will converge at Mel Lastman Square at 7 p.m.

CBC News will have special coverage across all platforms. To learn how to watch or listen live, click here.