Thousands of mourners attended Sunday night鈥檚 鈥楾oronto Strong鈥� vigil for the victims of last Monday鈥檚 deadly van attack.
The interfaith vigil to remember the 10 people killed and more than a dozen injured in the attack took place at Mel Lastman Square in the northern part of the city and near the scene of the tragedy.
Christian Ali, one of the witnesses to the attack who attended the vigil, called the event 鈥渨onderful.鈥�
鈥淚t was actually very indicative of us as a community,鈥� he told 麻豆影视 Channel on Sunday. 鈥淚t was really nice to see all the different faiths coming together.鈥�
鈥淚t just demonstrates that through these dark times, it makes us stronger as we band together. I think it was a really positive experience for everybody who was there.鈥�
Before the vigil, John Filion, city councilor for the Willowdale area where the attack took place, told 麻豆影视 Channel the ceremony would be a chance for Toronto to heal.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a real opportunity for the community and the city to come together to express their collective grief, but also their collective hope and resilience,鈥� he said.
The City of Toronto led organization of the vigil, but the event was the culmination of several grassroots efforts which sprang up in the days following the attack, according to Ali Ehsassi, federal MP for the riding of Willowdale.
鈥淎t times like this, no one feels they should be a bystander. Everyone鈥檚 coming forward and assisting as best as they possibly can.鈥� Ehsassi said before the vigil. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see that everyone is working together and coming together to make tonight possible.鈥�
Groups like Faith in the City and the Toronto Area Interfaith Council worked to help organize the vigil, while Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at Canada distributed flowers to attendees.
Rev. John Joseph-Mastandrea, member of the Toronto Area Interfaith Council, said in the past week, several witnesses and people who鈥檝e lost loved ones in the attack have visited to look for advice.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all mourning, we鈥檙e all in pain, but we鈥檙e going to be able to link arms, join our voices and say: 鈥榊es, we stand,鈥欌�� he said earlier Sunday. 鈥�(We鈥檒l be) pushing past our fear and finding the courage to make our streets safe again,鈥�
For some people who attended the vigil, it was their first time being exposed to leaders of other faiths, Ali said.
鈥淲ith all our differences and our diversity, there is a strong commonality in regards to community and looking after each other,鈥� he said.
