On September 13, The Bereaved Families of Ontario (bfotoronto.ca) again held their Annual Butterfly Release in the Duplex Parkette, adjacent to their Healing Garden.  Each year, this event offers people a concrete way to honour the memory of their loved ones.  It was an inspiring and comforting event.
Due to Covid, there were both morning and afternoon release sessions and the event was live-streamed.  Over the course of the day approximately 90 people attended in person and another 24 online.  There were175 butterflies released in memory of 101 people.

Butterflies are symbols of hope, transformation, endurance and renewal.  Attendees have said that the day is ‘magical’ and a way to connect with and honour those they have lost as well as a way to come together as a community.  This is particularly important in our current period of social isolation.

The Healing Garden is at the entrance to the parkette, right next door to 2908 Yonge St (at the corner of Chatsworth). As an aside, the preservation of this cherished part of our parkland is one of LPRO’s priorities as it confronts large development creep on sites which border the park. To that end LPRO is pleased to announce that the developer of 2908 Yonge St. has agreed to make a donation to the Healing Garden as one of the conditions of the redevelopment of the site. (see writeup on 2908 Yonge Street)

From Councillor Mike Colle’s Newsletter:

“I am working with the Lytton Park Residents Organization and the community to rename the Duplex Parkette (2906 Yonge Street at Chatsworth) to Butterfly Park. This would align with the Healing Garden planted within the park where Bereaved Families of Ontario-Toronto hosts their annual Butterfly Release where butterflies are released in memory of lost loved ones.”