By ALI RAZA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A laneway in the Upper Beach may soon be named in memory of Reese Fallon.
It’s the result of a petition in support of renaming a laneway in memory of Fallon, 18, whose life was tragically cut short in the Danforth Shooting on July 22, 2018. Markham resident Julianna Kozis, 10, was also killed in the incident.
At the time, a man started shooting at innocent bystanders along Danforth Avenue in the Greektown area. Thirteen other people were injured in the shooting before the gunman killed himself.
After a long period of mourning, and with support from the community, Reese’s parents, Doug Fallon and Claudine de Beaumont, approached Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford with the request to honour her memory with the laneway.
Reese had just graduated from nearby Malvern Collegiate Institute and was planning on attending McMaster University’s nursing program.
“The tragic loss in our community is still hard to fathom,” Bradford said. “Her care and passion are sorely missed.”
The proposed location is the existing laneway running east-west and north-south between Wayland Avenue and Malvern Avenue, south of Gerrard Street East.
It’s current name is “Ln S Gerrard E Wayland,” but 3,000 signatures on the petition show that the community prefers “Reese Fallon Lane.”
The lane is close to Reese’s home and family, the schools she attended, and where many of her friends live.
“Many in the community would appreciate an opportunity to remember Reese and to perhaps feel her presence through a namesake location,” Bradford said.
The procedure to rename a laneway involves collecting support of neighbouring landowners, which the petition has collected. After that, the application is reviewed, and recommended for approval. The process will take a month or so, Bradford’s office said.
Residents interested in signing the petition in support of renaming a laneway after Reese Fallon can visit https://bit.ly/31A5hFf
- Ali Raza is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.
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