Toronto – Transforming Grief: Loss & Togetherness in COVID-19, a City of Toronto free exhibit, opened. The exhibit brings together interviews, art and artifacts that represent the collective voices of community members and artists to convey how Torontonians experienced, and continue to experience, the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition is on now until Sunday, January 7, 2024 at Fort York National Historic Site, Visitor Centre, 250 Fort York Blvd.
Transforming Grief: Loss & Togetherness in COVID-19 marks the fifth and final initiative as part of Stronger TOgether, a free and accessible program that continues to provide opportunities for people across the city to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded in part by the Government of Canada, the Stronger TOgether program was launched on November 26, 2022, with most of the initiatives ending this month. The program focuses on recognizing disproportionately affected communities and those who continue to live with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ensure greater accessibility, the Transforming Grief exhibition aims to welcome a wide audience, with features such as tactile floor braille, touchable artworks and artifacts, large print transcripts, audio descriptions in multiple languages, a Quiet Room for a sensory-friendly experience, wheelchair access and a tactile map. Curated by Raven Spiratos and the City of Toronto, Transforming Grief features the collaborative work of numerous artists and community partners. More information about the exhibition is available on the Toronto History Museums webpage.
High-resolution images are available on Flickr 
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A promotional video for the Transforming Grief exhibition is available on the Toronto History Museums YouTube channel .
The first project launched for Stronger TOgether was the City Hall Tower Illumination on November 26, 2022. This special lighting display on Nathan Phillips Square remained illuminated until February 20 this year (Family Day), with colours reflecting the themes of hope, unity, strength and renewal. Full details are available here.
On December 31, 2022, the City marked the New Year with high-altitude fireworks along downtown Toronto’s waterfront. The event was an opportunity for residents to gather and celebrate their resiliency throughout the pandemic. The fireworks display acted as a symbol of hope for the coming year and acknowledged the valuable role the city’s frontline workers played in supporting the city and its residents throughout the pandemic. Full details are available here.
From January 19 to March 11, The Burn, an interactive installation, toured the city, inspiring Torontonians to set healing intentions on cedar spheres. On March 11, the third anniversary of the official start of the pandemic, a commemorative ceremony featuring The Burn took place on Nathan Phillips Square in memory of friends and family lost during the pandemic. More information is available here. The Burn has been extended and is currently at the Scarborough Museum, Fort York Historic Site and Montgomery’s Inn until June.
Further information on The Burn is available on the City’s The Burn webpage.
On March 20, the City announced 25 recipients of the Toronto Community Champion Award. The Toronto Community Champion Award recognized and acknowledged the extraordinary contributions that community organizations made to support the health and solidarity of Toronto residents throughout the pandemic, particularly those from disproportionately affected populations. To watch the ceremony honouring Toronto Community Champion Award recipients, please visit the City’s YouTube channel .
More information on Stronger Together and the full list of Toronto Community Champion Award recipients are available on the City’s Stronger Together webpage.
As of March 9, Team Toronto has administered more than 8.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine since the start of its vaccination campaign. This includes protecting more than 2.5 million people in Toronto with their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Updated COVID-19 vaccine data is available on the Toronto Public Health Vaccine Dashboard.
Quotes:
“Stronger TOgether, made possible by the Government of Canada, has been a wonderful way to focus on the hope and resiliency of Toronto residents, which was demonstrated time and time again throughout the pandemic. I hope Toronto residents were able to participate in the program and reflect on their time during the pandemic and beyond. This has been a way to facilitate healing and work together to move forward to make sure Toronto comes back stronger than ever.”– Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park)
“Our culture unites us, entertains us, moves us and brings us together in good times and bad times. The Reopening Fund was created to honour the people and organizations that made a difference during the pandemic and to support the resurgence of our cultural sector. Our government is proud to support the City of Toronto’s Stronger TOgether program. I’m so happy to see our arts, culture and heritage events resuming in communities across the country.” – Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage