Twenty-five year old Alek Minassian allegedly drove a white rental van onto a North Toronto sidewalk on Monday, April 23, killing 10 people and injuring 15. We don’t yet know why he did it. All we know is that it looked to be deliberate.

The suspect is in custody now and we’re hoping to learn what caused him to engage in such a horrific act of violence.

This is devastating news on many fronts. The loss of so many innocent lives is shocking and heart-breaking. My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims. The sheer senselessness of the act is almost impossible to comprehend.

These types of mass killings are rare in Canada – a country that prides itself on being determinedly non-violent. In our neighbor to the south these events are sadly, more the rule than the exception but in Canada, at least up until now, they’ve been few and far between.

After an event like Monday’s, many people in Toronto and across the country are feeling anxious and unsettled. Some of us wonder whether this the random act of a deranged individual (or group) or if we’ve turned the page onto a new chapter in Canadian life- one that will begin to include more of these violent acts.

One thing that gives me hope is the way ordinary citizens jumped in to help, in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Some people filmed the attack on their phones to show to the police; one man followed the van when the driver took off down the street; others rushed in to help the injured. This is who Torontonians really are, in my mind.

I desperately hope that this attack was a one-off aberration and that we get right back to being a beacon of peace, kindness and stability in an otherwise frightening and chaotic world.Whatever the reason for this cowardly act of violence, we Canadians need to remember who we are and what we truly believe in.

First and foremost, we’re a country that cares about its people. We’re not perfect by any means and we haven’t been immune to mistakes but from the beginning, we’ve embraced such values as tolerance, generosity and forgiveness. We believe more in social welfare than in weapons; we’re international peace-keepers, always preferring to move forward with diplomacy and negotiation. To be Canadian is to reject aggression and promote conciliation.

Canada has always chosen to welcome immigrants, opening its arms to everyone across the globe and weaving this diversity into the fabric of our great nation, thereby strengthening it. Toronto is the most multicultural city in North America; perhaps in the entire world. And we like it that way. We’re not haters, we Canadians. We’re a compassionate people.

Whatever turns out to be the reason for Monday’s tragic events, I hope that in the aftermath we can keep sight of who we really are and come together as a kind, caring and connected community.

We can grieve together, comfort one-another and strive to be our best selves. In so doing, we can remind everyone that people like the alleged perpetrator, Mr. Minassian, are not representative of Torontonians or of Canadians in any way, shape or form.

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