VANCOUVER -- Today, the families of victims of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 gathered with federal, provincial and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony in Stanley Park. The groundbreaking marks the start of a project to redevelop Ceperley Playground to honour the memory of the victims.“This memorial will stand as a permanent reminder of the lives lost in Canada's worst terrorist tragedy, the bombing of Air India Flight 182,” said the Honourable Stockwell Day, federal Minister of Public Safety. “Our government remains vigilant to the threat of terrorism and we are steadfastly working at home and abroad to ensure that Canadians can live in safety,” he added. Ceperley playground in Stanley Park will be redeveloped in memory of the 331 victims, 82 of them children, of the 1985 bombing. Supported by the families of the victims, the $800,000 cost of the project is being shared equally by the governments of Canada and British Columbia and will be built on land provided by the Vancouver Park Board. The planning process will involve consultations with the general public and victims’ families. Along with improvements to the play area, the park will include a quiet space for contemplation that will serve as a site for the remembrance of the victims. The redevelopment will be completed by June 2007. “This terrorist act was felt around the world, but it resonated especially here in B.C. where many of the victims were our neighbours,” said B.C. Attorney General and Multiculturalism Minister Wally Oppal. “While this site will be a place of contemplation and remembrance, it will also be a place for children, regardless of culture, religion and race, to know one another and play together in the hope that never in their lives will they see an atrocity like the Air India bombing.” The groundbreaking for the commemorative playground in Vancouver follows two previous ceremonies for memorials for the victims of Air India flight 182 in Toronto and Ottawa on June 23, 2006.“Stanley Park -- a place of natural beauty in the heart of our city – is a very fitting location for this memorial," said Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan. "It is our hope that the families affected by this tragedy, and all visitors to the site, will find here a place of respite and healing."Information:Mélisa LeclercDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Honourable Stockwell DayMinister of Public Safety613 991-2863Maria WilkieCommunications ManagerMinistry of Attorney General250 387-4961Terri ClarkCommunication CoordinatorVancouver Park Board604 278-8438
