Official opening of Toronto International Mother Language Day Monument in Dentonia Park set for morning of Nov. 27

Residents are invited to celebrate the official opening of the Toronto International Mother Language Day Monument in Dentonia Park on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 27.

The ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. in the park at 80 Thyra Dr.

The monument is located in the park’s southwest corner, between the footpath and Avonlea Boulevard.

Ground was broken to start the building of the monument in November of 2020.

The Toronto International Mother Language Monument recognizes and honours Toronto’s diversity and the more than 180 languages and dialects spoken in the city.

It also specifically remembers the roots of International Mother Language Day, which takes place on Feb. 21 each year to commemorate the anniversary of five students who died and hundreds more who were injured during a protest to speak the Bengali language at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) on Feb. 21, 1952. Before gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bengali-language rights were restricted in the state formerly known as East Pakistan.

Those attending Saturday’s ceremony are asked to observe COVID-19 safety protocols including keeping a safe physical distance and wearing of masks.