Press Contact
David / The AIDS Memorial Project
Interviews available upon request. Quotes from long-term survivors and community members available.
Project Overview
Echoes is a comprehensive restorative redesign for The AIDS Memorial (Toronto), developed in response to concerns about neglect, diminished prominence, and inadequate engagement with people living with HIV in the ongoing redevelopment of Barbara Hall Park.
The proposal restores the memorial’s architectural clarity, reinforces sanctuary, and expands interpretive infrastructure to reflect the full, intersectional history of HIV in Canada. Structured around two precincts — Honour and Illuminate — Echoes strengthens the existing memorial rather than replacing it, expands capacity for thousands of additional names, and introduces permanent public education elements. It calls on the City of Toronto to adopt the framework in full and formalize long-term stewardship of a nationally significant site of remembrance.
Key Facts
The AIDS Memorial (Toronto) opened in 1993, following annual temporary memorials beginning in 1988.
It is the only AIDS memorial globally that lists names by year of death and permits additions without temporal or geographic cutoffs.
Approximately 3,000 names are inscribed; more than 21,000 people have died of AIDS in Canada.
Phase 2 redevelopment decisions for Barbara Hall Park are currently underway; the City began the consultation process for redevelopment in January 2023.
Echoes has drawn support from leading HIV/AIDS organizations across Canada, including the Ontario AIDS Network, a coalition of 35+ community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Media Assets
View the Full Proposal (Online) most up to date
View the Press Kit, including…
Download Full Proposal (PDF)
Download Press Release
Download High Quality Renders x2
View all the images online.