Family of toddler killed after vehicle drove through daycare demands action

The family of a toddler killed when an SUV drove into a Richmond Hill daycare is now demanding increased safety measures.

RICHMOND HILL — The family of a toddler killed when an SUV drove into a daycare north of Toronto is speaking out and demanding change to boost safety in all childcare facilities.

One-and-a-half-year-old Liam Riazati died Wednesday after a vehicle drove into a Richmond Hill, Ont., daycare, leaving six young children and three adults injured.

York Regional Police said Friday that two of the injured children remain in critical condition. A 70-year-old man is facing dangerous driving charges, and police have said they do not believe it was a deliberate act.

Hundreds of family, friends and community members gathered Sunday morning at Elgin Mills Cemetery in Richmond Hill to honour Liam. White flower arrangements lined the inside of the funeral centre, as a slide show of pictures of Liam and his family played on a screen at the front of the room facing rows of attendees.

“It’s been three days now, and we’ve been like walking dead in our own home,” Liam’s mother, Behnoosh Noori, said in a translated letter she read from at the funeral. “Life doesn’t go on without you, Liam.”

Later, dozens of vibrant helium balloons were released into the sky as guests gathered closely around Liam’s final resting place at the burial site.

Mina Riazati, Liam’s aunt, described her nephew as a “beautiful boy” who was “everything” to her family.

“We didn’t even think for a second that we would sit here, gathered for his funeral,” she said. “The only thing that is going through my mind is that it could (have been) prevented from happening”

She’s hoping legislation will be passed named after Liam to make sure childcare facilities are designed safely — for the protection of both kids and childcare providers.

“Please do something,” she said. “Stop talking nicely. Stop just saying nice words and acting that you care … Make some rules, regulations.”

Saeedeh Pourmusa, a close relative of the Riazati family, said she hopes Liam’s legacy will be ensuring that other children remain safe and that no family has to go through a similar tragedy.

“They are the most fragile members of our society,” Pourmusa said, adding that safety considerations should be made for children no matter where they are — from a parking lot to their homes.

“I would never place my kid in front of glass when there is a risk of a car running into the glass. So if that is something I don’t do at home, I’m not expecting this to happen for my kid outside of the school,” she said.

Pourmusa said the Riazati family has been in touch with local officials to have their concerns heard.

“I would think that in the 10 years that I’ve been on council, this is certainly one of the saddest days in our city for sure,” said Richmond Hill Mayor David West.

The responsibility of making changes to improve childcare facility safety falls on the province, West said, adding that it is not within the jurisdiction of municipalities.

“I will be monitoring this, as I’m sure the community will, to make sure that action happens quickly and it happens effectively,” West said.

Last week, Education Minister Paul Calandra said the government is looking into legislative changes that would require higher curbs and bollards in areas near childcare facilities, along with restricting parking near its windows and walls.

“I was very pleased to see the swift action and the action that’s going to be taken to affect real change,” West said, adding that he had spoken to Calandra the day after the crash.

Children, Community and Social Services Minister Michael Parsa was in attendance at the funeral but declined to speak with reporters, citing respect for the family.

Asked whether promises of change from officials are sufficient, Pourmusa said “it is never enough.”

“We all need to continue every single day and every single moment to make this world safer for every kid. That’s not something that we can stop trying for.”

Vanessa Tiberio, The Canadian Press