TORONTO – A year after the passing of former NDP leader Jack Layton, people came together on both social media and face to face to remember his life.
Jack Layton passed away on August 22, 2011 after a battle with prostate and an unnamed type of cancer.
As news of Layton’s death spread, hundreds descended upon Toronto City Hall –an institution where Layton began his political career as a city councillor – to memorialize him with chalk on the pavement ground and walls.
The recollections of the late politician were made again a year later on Wednesday morning, as people spontaneously gathered at Toronto City Hall ahead of an evening memorial concert to memorialize Layton.
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Mayor Rob Ford, though a political opponent of Layton during his stint in municipal politics, issued a brief statement on the anniversary of Layton’s death.
“Like many Canadians, I was saddened to learn of Jack’s passing last year. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone for a whole year already,” Ford said in a press release. “Jack and I used to sit beside each other in Council. He taught me a lot about sticking to what you believe in and the importance of our institutions. It was an honour and a privilege to have known and to have served in public office with Jack.”
Layton’s widow and MP Olivia Chow, sat down with co-anchor of Global Toronto’s The Morning Show Kris Reyes, and spoke about her memories of Jack, and her life in the year without him.
“Love, hope, and optimism is really him,” Chow said when describing her late-husband.
Provincial leader of the NDP Andrea Horwath released a statement on Wednesday morning sharing her thoughts and memories of Layton.
“As difficult as his passing was, and at times still is, I find comfort in knowing that his call for love, hope and optimism has inspired Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” Horwath wrote in a press release. “He set an example for us all. He brought us together.”
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