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Meeting Mr. Rothberg reminded me that cyclists are not just students or artists. A great cross-section of Toronto, including lawyers, bankers and politicians, commutes to work these days by bike. For many, it’s cheaper, faster, and more fun than a car or the TTC. Tragedies like Jenna’s death turn a lot of us into incidental, accidental activists.

As we headed west on Harbord, six bicycle police joined the ride. Then someone called out, “Move over, let the ghost bike through.” A man pedalled up with a large welded-steel carrying rack on the front of his bike, on which lay a mountain bike, every inch of it painted white.

At Sterling and Dundas a crowd of about 100 stood waiting, including Darlene Burke of Ottawa, who is Ms. Morrison’s mother.

“My name is Rick,” said Rick Conroy, who spoke to the crowd while holding his baby boy in his arm. “We gather one week after every cyclist’s death so that we can remember them. It’s not something we like to do but we feel it is important to memorialize those of us who die on our streets.”

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Mr. Conroy, who studied yoga with Ms. Morrison, added, “I love Jenna. Her passing fills me with great sadness. I would like to ask everyone here to take a few minutes of silence.”

Among those standing with heads bowed was Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon and two of her staff: Laurie Smith and Ciara Behan. The trio took the subway to the Annex and then rented Bixi bikes for the ghost bike ride. Councillor Mike Layton joined the ride as it passed through his west-end ward; Peggy Nash, the MP for Parkdale-High Park and a candidate for the NDP leadership, also rode here on her bike.

“After this I am heading to Ottawa to join with Olivia Chow to introduce a bill for mandatory side guards on large vehicles,” Ms. Nash told the assembled. “And we will campaign to make sure that this never happens again.”

But the crowd had already began to ride away. This is Toronto, after all. We have to get to work.

National Post