Vaughan councillors search for solutions after 2 children struck, killed by car in residential neighbourhood

Thestar.com
May 19, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

As the city of Vaughan formulates its speed policy, a tragic incident May 16 that saw 2 children struck and killed by a vehicle in their home’s driveway brought renewed urgency to the discussions.

A four-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl died in hospital after an out-of-control car mounted the curb and struck them, along with a neighbour, on Athabasca Drive, south of Dufferin Street and Kirby Road.

The neighbour sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Coun. Tony Carella said during a meeting of the city's Ready, Resilient and Resourceful Committee May 18 that Vaughan councillors receive an "awful lot of emails by parents concerned about this phenomenon of speeding on residential roads".

Ward 1 Coun. Marilyn Iafrate, in whose ward the tragedy occurred, vowed to bring a resolution to the city's next committee of the whole meeting to address this grave concern.

"It was brought to my attention yesterday, this is the second time that children have been killed in that subdivision," she said. "So this is a repeat now. We need to understand what's going on."

Iafrate explained that she told residents city staff are proposing to set 40 km/h in residential neighbourhoods.

Speed limits have value only if they’re enforced, she said, "and that's part of the problem here".

During the meeting, city manager Jim Harnum updated councillors on the city’s upcoming speed policy that’s going to see speed limits for laneways and neighbourhoods set at 40 km/h.

Coun. Sandra Racco said she has been receiving emails asking for speed bumps, but for her, it isn’t about speed bumps or putting more stop signs.

"It's about having that enforcement, with all these signs and everything -- we have signs, we have speed bumps, and they don't seem to be working clearly," Racco said.

A 16-year-old boy was charged with dangerous driving causing death and other offences after the tragedy.

Racco urged parents to speak with their children about speeding and warn them of the danger of driving recklessly.

That’s what Frank Greco, director of Kleinburg’s BIA, did.

Sadness, anger grow after 'preventable' deaths of 2 children in Vaughan
Greco said he spoke with his son, Alex, 17, immediately after the incident.

"I told him what happened, and just as an example we always have to go with the speed limit, because these young drivers, they're inexperienced," he said. "They don't know how to handle this fast car."

As councillors and city staff search for a solution to reduce the risk of such tragedies, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua asked councillors and staff to take a one minute pause and gather their thoughts in memory of the two children.