Tragedy on DVP sparks calls for more suicide barriers on Toronto's bridges

Michael Smee · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 12, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

WARNING: This communicative contains treatment of suicide.

A horrific lawsuit connected the Don Valley Parkway past Father's Day has spurred Toronto city councillors to request a speedier timeline for installation of termination barriers connected the Leaside Bridge.

Tali Uditsky tearfully told Wednesday's gathering of the infrastructure and situation committee that her father, Harold Lusthouse, was connected his mode to conscionable her for brunch that time successful 2024 erstwhile idiosyncratic leapt from the Leaside Bridge and landed connected his car connected the DVP. The 76-year-old gramps died successful infirmary respective days later.

"I was shocked, devastated, aggravated and my bosom felt similar it was going to explode," Uditsky told councillors. "He was stolen distant from america ... arsenic a effect of the nonaccomplishment of the metropolis to support its citizens."

Plans to instal termination barriers connected either broadside of each large bridges successful Toronto have been successful the works since 2016, according to Coun. James Pasternak, who spearheaded the effort to person barriers erected connected the Leaside Bridge soon after Uditsky approached him past summer.

A feasibility survey connected that span has been underway since then, with councillors getting an update connected its advancement astatine Wednesday's meeting.

Figures from Toronto police indicate determination were 17 suicides oregon attempted suicides from the Leaside Bridge successful 2023, 9 successful 2024 and nary truthful acold successful 2025.

After Uditsky's affectional deputation, councillors voted unanimously to property unit to velocity up the process for installing barriers astatine the Leaside Bridge. The existent program allows for respective years earlier operation begins, and councillors gave unit until Sept. 26 to travel up with a program to instal a impermanent termination barrier. That proposal goes to assembly for last support aboriginal this month.

Staff said they bash not person citywide statistic for termination deaths astatine Toronto bridges, but a 2018 study from the city's aesculapian serviceman of wellness states that from 2004 to 2015, determination were a full of 125 termination deaths involving bridges successful Toronto, for an mean of 10 such deaths per year. 

"Many jurisdictions person erected barriers astatine span locations and recovered them to beryllium effectual successful preventing oregon reducing termination deaths, with small displacement of termination deaths to different bridges," the study states.

City unit wouldn't accidental which different bridges successful Toronto are being studied arsenic portion of their report "given the sensitivity of the topic." 

However, Pasternak said it's good known that termination prevention obstruction projects are underway astatine at slightest 2 adjacent sites — the Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge implicit Rosedale Valley Road and the Overlea Boulevard Bridge implicit the DVP.

"There's nary uncertainty it's not inexpensive — it's successful the tens of millions of dollars," helium said. "I judge it's worthy it."

Toronto's lone termination prevention obstruction is connected the Bloor Street Viaduct. Work was completed connected the Luminous Veil, arsenic the $5 cardinal task was nicknamed, successful 2003.

That span had been the 2nd most-used suicide tract successful North America after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, but aft the obstruction was installed, suicides dropped from astir 9 per twelvemonth to adjacent zero, according to a 2017 University of Toronto study.

That survey notes that though determination was a rise in suicides astatine different locations aft the barriers were installed, successful the longer word determination was nary sustained summation successful radical jumping from different bridges successful the city.

A unit study identified 7 options for Leaside, but notes that investigating inactive has to beryllium carried retired to guarantee the span tin carnivore the added load of termination barriers connected either side. The metropolis has earmarked $500,000 for the preliminary work, which includes the outgo of nationalist consultations, but unit said successful their study it could beryllium 2028, oregon longer, earlier shovels are successful the ground.

That's not bully capable for Pasternak, who sits connected the committee.

"Suicide is simply a infinitesimal of despair, a infinitesimal of hopelessness, of acheronian and futility," helium said. "What we privation to bash is instrumentality distant that opportunity," Pasternak said.

The Leaside span has spanned the Don Valley betwixt Leaside and Pape-Donlands since 1927. It was past renovated successful 2004, astir a twelvemonth aft the Luminous Veil was installed.

That's erstwhile the metropolis should person earnestly considered installing a obstruction determination too, according to Jason Ash, co-chair of the Leaside Towers Tenants Association.

"The LTTA believes bridges indispensable person information barriers, city-wide," Ash wrote successful a missive to the committee. "Too galore tragedies person occurred already."

Ash told CBC Toronto that though he's seen nary numbers connected termination attempts astatine the bridge, helium and his members judge they've risen successful caller years.

"We cognize erstwhile a termination has occurred erstwhile there's flowers connected the bridge, erstwhile there's flowers connected the Lower Don Trail beneath it, and adjacent erstwhile determination are attempts that are thankfully unsuccessful," helium said. "The constabulary presence closes each oregon portion of the span and impacts the full area."

Ash besides noted that past summer's calamity whitethorn springiness momentum to the effort to velocity up the obstruction operation astatine Leaside.

"My bosom goes retired to the families, peculiarly successful the past year, erstwhile guiltless radical unluckily mislaid their lives arsenic well," helium said. "It's a calamity each around."

Uditsky told the committee the lessons of the Luminous Veil's occurrence should person been heeded astatine different locales.

"When you cognize better, you should bash better," she said. "And you didn't.

"Please alteration this for the information of everyone driving connected the Don Valley Parkway nether that bridge."

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, here's wherever to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call oregon substance 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling connected the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour situation centre.
• This usher from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines however to speech astir termination with idiosyncratic you're disquieted about.