CITY COUNCILLOR
LILY CHENG
WILLOWDALE WARD 18

“In the past, shelters sometimes exist like islands within our community,” she said. “We really need the community to be involved, and I think the only way that this could be successful is if the neighbourhood has meaningful opportunities to be part of how this unfolds and not just it landing in the neighbourhood without connectivity to the people who live here.”

Lily Cheng co-founded the neighbourhood group We Love Willowdale to help the community heal and re-claim their spaces after the 2018 Toronto Van attack. We find out about the community they've built since then.

Cheng, who registered her candidacy Monday and was “leaning toward” a run whether or not Filion sought re-election, is now focused on persuading voters she should replace him Oct. 24.

“I want to increase citizenship engagement and help solve problems.”

Lily Cheng, operator of the popular Facebook group North York Moms, started the 2018 election in a Willowdale ward endorsed by then-retiring Coun. John Filion. But she ended up finishing second to Filion when he changed plans after the council cut.

“My husband and I both are working from home right now, and it’s been madness. Our home has been torn apart,” said Cheng, a Willowdale mother of two who runs a Facebook group called North York Moms, which has more than 10,000 members.

“Her life was tragically stolen and drawn out. Really, it was a three-year death, which is, I think, far worse in some ways to have to endure that,” said Lily Cheng, co-founder of the community group named We Love Willowdale.

More than 60 single moms will receive flowers, baked goods and pampering baskets to celebrate their “heroic efforts at solo parenting during the pandemic,” organizer Lily Cheng said.

Lily Cheng, the executive director of both organizations, said community members still have “scars” from the horrific crime. “We carry this in our hearts,” she said. “We felt it would be very important for us to bring people together especially on this commemoration day so that those who are still carrying pain (and) difficult memories can share (their feelings) with their neighbours.”

Willowdale resident Lily Cheng, co-founder of We Love Willowdale (a grassroots movement started in response to the tragedy), said she’s relieved to know the perpetrator will be held responsible for his actions.

No disrespect to front-lawn lovers, but Lily Cheng finds grass a waste of space. That’s why a large vegetable garden dominates the Willowdale resident’s front yard.

Now her family of four eats fresh greens every day, along with kale chips and lemon mint tea.

“Everyone gets busy in life but I remember a year ago when it happened, we had this awakening in our community of how important it is to reach out and care for each other,” said Lily Cheng, a community organizer and one of the people behind the We Love Willowdale group that is helping co-ordinate Tuesday’s commemoration events.

“We want to redeem that. We want to say those lives were not for nothing. We can do that by being a better community, by building even deeper connections within our community.”

Runner-up Lily Cheng — who Filion had earlier endorsed, prior to his eleventh-hour decision to run — trailed in second place, with just under 20 per cent of votes.

多伦多市选投票前，恰好是加拿大大麻合法化的时候，华裔市议员候选人陈伶俐（Lily Cheng）认为，如何应对大麻合法化，以及改善交通安全，都是未来市政府要面对的重要挑战。

陈伶俐在加拿大出生，曾获得麦克马斯特大学和瑞尔森大学的全额奖学金，毕业后曾去台湾发展，当过当地广播电台和电视台的节目主持人。现在，她是2个孩子的母亲、多伦多柳惠区（Willowdale）选区的市议员候选人。

“I am a mom, a woman and a minority — that perspective is not represented on council,” Cheng says in an interview at Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave. in the centre-north Ward 18, which is suffering strains from hyperdevelopment rivalling that in the city core.

Cheng, the daughter of Taiwanese parents, signed up to run in the 47-ward system in Ward 29, a newly created North York district with no incumbent. The community organizer and mother of two young children decided to put her name on the ballot after the van attack on Yonge St. led her to speak at a vigil encouraging others to give back to their community. She felt she should do the same.

The Danforth mass shooting brings back painful memories of the North York van attack. BT"s Melanie Ng speaks with Lily Cheng, co-founder of We Love Willowdale about the importance of empowering a community dealing with tragedy.

"Here we see evidence of deep sorrow, deep grief and deep love," said Lily Cheng, co-founder of community group We Love Willowdale.

We Love Willowdale co-founder Lily Cheng said she knows people who have been avoiding Yonge St. since the attack.

“We want to do something that fosters a sense of safety and community so that people with come out and shift this feeling,” said Cheng.

“I think that was really symbolic,” she told CTV News Channel on Wednesday. “We walk these streets every day and our sense of security was taken away so by coming together and praying and walking, we were blessing our neighbourhood, and reclaiming our sense of security.”

Touching people like Jesse James, Sean Huh, and Lily Cheng, neighbours who helped organize a moment of silence the next day, prayer walks, music at Olive Square Park and Mel Lastman Square and, eventually, a healing movement called We Love Willowdale.