The family of four-year-old Avi Toulon says the tribute to their daughter in Bowness will soon be dismantled by the owner of a home near the site of her death.

In May 2016, Toulon was fatally struck by a vehicle at the intersection of 79 Street and 47 Avenue Northwest. Following the girl’s passing, a memorial was erected by members of the community at the site and her family visited the tribute on a near daily basis.  

“It was the last place that we saw her alive,” said Samantha Toulon, Avi’s mother. “It does mean a lot to our family.”

Earlier this week, a school-aged friend of the family noticed a sign had been placed on the memorial. The note implored the family to remove all of the cherished mementos as the owner of the house would soon be dismantling the shrine.

Notice to all

This memorial will be taken down as of May 15, 2017. Anything you wish to keep please take them with you.

Thank you,

The House Owner

The sign has since been removed from the tribute. CTV Calgary has attempted to contact the person who placed the note but neighbours are uncertain of its author.

Samantha Toulon says the family has taken steps to ensure the memorial, which she calls an important part of the neighbourhood, is cared for and remains neat. “We’re always down here. We clear the flowers when they die. Winter hasn’t been kind to the Teddy (bears) but they’re still bright, they’re still there and they still serve the purpose.”

According to Toulon, no one approached the family with complaints about the makeshift monument.

“It was the community that had started this,” said Toulon. “If it’s upsetting one person than at least tell us so we can try and come to an agreement.”

James Walsh lives across the street from the tribute to Avi and has offered a portion of his property to the family should they need to move the tribute.

“It’s there for people to remember Avi and a lot of people in the community put stuff there to remember her memory,” said Walsh. “To take that away from them, I don’t understand it.”

The Toulon family hopes the monument will remain in place for the foreseeable future as it serves as a reminder to motorists of the potentially fatal implications of not paying attention while driving.

With files from CTV’s Jordan Kanygin