'It hits you in the heart': Bloor West Village residents create Remembrance Day tribute
Two lawns in Toronto's Bloor West Village are awash in home-made poppies, and signs bearing the names of the dead.
“When you look at it, it means a lot, because it hits home, it hits you in the heart,” said an area resident.
The names are those of people who once lived in the area, but lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars.
“I’m really impressed. It was very moving to see,” said John Warus, who stopped to look at the tribute.
“It must have been sad to the families,” added his 10-year-old daughter, Alyssa.
TDSB high school teacher, Ian DaSilva, says the idea for the project came to him a few days before Remembrance Day last year. Given schools wouldn’t be able to hold traditional ceremonies, due to COVID-19, his family decided to do something meaningful on its own.
“We were thinking of a way to commemorate and localize Remembrance Day and the history for the students. We looked out in the backyard and we saw a pool noodle, and we thought we could probably make some poppies out of that.”
Last year, DaSilva put out 16 signs, and this year, he has 60 signs on two lawns in the area.
“On each card is a name of somebody who served, what we’re able to find out, their address, and the age at which they passed, unfortunately. And this year, we were able to find, in many cases, the soldiers’ former schools that they had attended in the area.”
DaSilva got help from a former classmate, history teacher Katy Whitfield, who also grew up in the neighbourhood.
“I offered to provide some research on local soldiers who lived, or whose families lived, in Bloor West Village during either World War I or World War II, that would add some meaning and context to the commemoration.”
The signs the duo created each contain a QR code that links to the soldiers’ service record on the Veterans Canada website.
“This year, the soldiers we are remembering lived between Jane Street and Runnymede Road and from Bloor Street to Dundas Street West,” said Whitfield.
The Remembrance Day project, which they’ve dubbed “They walked these streets: We will remember them,” has garnered a lot of attention in the area, which sees a lot of foot traffic.
“It’s been really neat, we’ve seen a lot of people stopping and taking pause to read what’s on the signs, which is important to us,” said DaSilva. “And really neat is when we see groups of young people pausing to read and often making connections.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
World No. 1 golfer charged with police officer assault before PGA Championship second round
World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with the assault of a police officer in what he called a 'chaotic situation' before being released in time to start his second round at the PGA Championship on Friday.
LIVE @ 11:30 MT Four 1970s homicides linked to serial killer, Alberta Mounties to reveal Friday
A dead serial sexual offender and killer has been linked to four homicides in the 1970s in Alberta, RCMP say.
4 dead after Houston storms cause widespread damage, major blackouts
Power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city, an official said Friday, knocking out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses.
NEW What a wildfire survivor says she regrets not grabbing before leaving home
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
WATCH Infectious disease expert warns measles 'a very real threat'
A Canadian epidemiologist is warning the measles presents a 'very real threat' to public health if Canada doesn't maintain a high vaccination rate.
With today's high rates, should you consider an interest-free halal mortgage?
A halal mortgage complies with the Islamic religious, or Shariah, law, which forbids the use of 'riba' (interest). Here's what mortgage experts say those considering 'no-interest' halal mortgages should know.
Wildfires are dampening against cool, rainy weather, but there's plenty left to contain
An opportune system of cool, wet weather Friday is dampening the spread of wildfires across Western Canada, but there's still plenty of work for responders and residents alike.
Newly mapped lost branch of the Nile could help solve long-standing pyramid mystery
Egypt’s Great Pyramid and other ancient monuments at Giza exist on an isolated strip of land at the edge of the Sahara Desert.
Ontario sees first measles death in more than a decade after young child dies
A young child has died of measles in Ontario, marking the first death in the province from the highly contagious virus in more than 10 years, a Public Health Ontario report confirms.