East-end parkette formally renamed to honour Leslieville mother of two killed last summer

Friends and family members were on hand Saturday morning as an east-end parkette was formally renamed to honour a Leslieville mother of two killed last July by a stray bullet.

Caroline Huebner-Makurat was walking in the area of Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue on July 7, 2023, on her way to pick up lunch when gunfire erupted at a nearby community health centre that also operates as a safe injection site. The 44-year-old was struck by a stray bullet and later pronounced dead in hospital. Three people have been arrested and charged in connection with her death while a fourth suspect has been identified but police believe he has fled the country.

Back in April city council adopted a motion to rename Tiverton Avenue Parkette, located in the area of Logan Avenue and Dundas Street East, to Caroline Huebner Parkette. Those who gathered for the ceremony on Saturday say the space is an integral part that connects the community, calling it a fitting tribute for a woman remembered as someone who went out of her way to connect with everyone.

“I think Caroline would be really proud to have this park named after her, she spent a lot of time here, and she got to know a lot of the neighbours here,” said Betsy Hilton. “She was one of those people who connected the rest of us who were sitting around the park. I think she’d be proud to have this be a place that her kids can always come back and have a memory of her here.”

Caroline’s husband Adrian also touched on the theme of connection and how the parkette is another piece in the overall healing process.

“It’s hard but helpful,” he said. “It’s a constant reminder of a tragic event but it’s also something special that allows us all to remember her for what a beautiful and loving, bright person she was. It’s a public space that anyone can come to remember her for who she was and I think that’s really important for everybody.”

The park was a space frequented by Huebner-Makurat, her friends and neighbours, as well as a place for her two young daughters to play. A touchstone at the foot of a tree planted in Caroline’s memory in the parkette calls her “A loving mother, neighbour, educator, and globetrotter whose playfulness lives on here.”

“I think it’s special that we can remember someone who valued motherhood highly. Giving kids a fun, active place to play is critical and today is special in that I remember and can see my wife’s name forever ingrained into history,” said Adrian. “It’s important, not just for her, but my family and all the community to be aware and have that playful nature.”

The community itself was actively involved in the renaming of the parkette with more than 570 people signing a petition to make it happen.

“It’s never going to replace that void of Caroline’s loss but Adrian knowing that he’s not in this alone with his kids is important, his kids feeling supported is important,” said family friend and community member Peter Chapman.

Rob Leth contributed to this report