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Toronto Memorial For Van Attack Victims Highlights City’s Proud Diversity

Toronto Memorial For Van Attack Victims Highlights City’s Proud Diversity
A man writes a message at a memorial on Yonge Street the day after a suspect drove a rented van down sidewalks, striking pedestrians in Toronto.
Galit Rodan/Canadian Press
A man writes a message at a memorial on Yonge Street the day after a suspect drove a rented van down sidewalks, striking pedestrians in Toronto.

A simple memorial set up by a Toronto resident has grown into a long message board of support and grief to victims of a deadly van attack.

Ten people were killed and 16 others injured when a rental van drove into pedestrians on Monday afternoon in the North York area of Yonge and Finch, one of the city's most multicultural neighbourhoods.

The heartfelt messages left at the memorial are in different languages including English, Korean, Farsi, Arabic, and Chinese, highlighting the city's strength in diversity and unity in healing together.

Julla Shanghavi/CrowdSpark via CP
Sima Shakeri/HuffPost Canada
THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Rene Johnston via Getty Images
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Rene Johnston via Getty Images

Census data from 2016 found that 51.5 per cent of people in Toronto identified themselves as visible minorities, compared to 22.3 per cent of the general Canadian population. And the city's motto, "diversity our strength," shows now more than ever.

CLARIFICATION - April 27, 2018: Previous reports from Toronto police stated that 14 people were injured in the Toronto van rampage. Officials have since updated that number to 16.

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