Yesterday the City of Toronto was shaken by an unspeakable act of violence. In this difficult time, we would like to extend our condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the people injured in the attack. In this sad moment I also want to express my gratitude for the work of the Local 416 Paramedics as well as the dispatchers, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and neighbourhood residents who acted with bravery to protect people from harm, treat victims and prevent further loss of life. Your actions give hope to the people of Toronto and will not soon be forgotten.

On behalf of CUPE Local 416 I want to extend a special thanks to our paramedics and to the men and women of Toronto Police Services who entered an extremely dangerous situation to secure the area and allow our Local 416 Paramedics to treat the victims.

There are thousands of women and men who work hard every day to make Toronto run. On this difficult day I want to thank everyone who stepped up to keep the City of Toronto running in the wake of this tragedy. I have no doubt that the people of Toronto will continue to enjoy public spaces, services, events, festivals and all the great things this city has to offer. I hope we can all take inspiration from the acts of bravery that occurred last night and not let a senseless act of violence divide our amazing city.

Eddie Mariconda, President

Toronto Civic Employees’ Union, CUPE Local 416