Luminous Veil

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The Luminous Veil is a suicide barrier added to the Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto, Canada. First approved by the Toronto City Council in 1998, the construction of the Luminous Veil was delayed for years due to funding concerns. During the delays in construction, the viaduct was the site of an estimated 94 suicides. Construction was completed in 2003 at the cost of C$6.5 million dollars, with C$2.5 million coming from taxpayers.

The Luminous Veil was designed by architect and University of Waterloo Professor Derek Revington. It consists of over 9,000 rods, each 5 meters tall, spaced 12.7 cm (5 inches) apart and held in place by an angled steel frame. The design, which is an effective suicide barricade without significantly disrupting the view from the viaduct, won the 1999 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.

Some critics have pointed out that rather than preventing suicides, the Luminous Veil merely caused them to shift to other bridges in the area instead. Some residents, as well as some critics, also note that the design, regardless of having won awards, is extremely ugly.

The song "War on Drugs" from the Barenaked Ladies' 2003 album, Everything to Everyone contains the lyrics: Near where I live there's a viaduct / Where people jump when they're out of luck / Raining down on the cars and trucks below. / They put a net there to catch their fall / Like that will stop anyone at all / What they don't know is when nature calls, you go. Steven Page lives in Riverdale very close to the viaduct and has introduced the song in concert with the story of the Luminous Veil.

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