Friends and admirers of Pam McConnell crowded Metropolitan Community Church at 115 Simpson Ave in Riverdale Sunday to honour the late Councillor and Deputy Mayor. An estimated 700 people were present, including the mayor and many members of Council. Pam McConnell, long-time champion of Ward 28, died Friday from an undisclosed lung disease at the age of 71. Metropolitan Community is the church of the Reverend Brent Hawkes who told the mourners that McConnell was in good hands in a better place. Mayor Tory said that McConnell’s work in council will have a lasting impact on the City of Toronto. “What she did for me and for the City of Toronto in terms of getting us started on a meaningful poverty reduction program, that will make a difference in the lives of thousands of people in terms of their housing, a fair transit program, student nutrition programs,” said Tory. Rev. Hawkes said the best thing we can do to honour McConnell is to implement her poverty reduction strategy. “Pam, I miss your face and I know you’re in great hands,” said Hawkes, who led the memorial service. “Look around you at the city you help build. And you built it with your love.”
