York Regional Police say a Markham man, 39, has been charged with child abandonment after a two-year-old girl was found, unattended, in a car at a Markham parking lot.
Police were called to a Costco parking lot near Markham Road and Kirkham Drive Tuesday evening, after a customer noticed the toddler in the back of a car.
Police arrived at the scene shortly before 7 p.m., when the temperature was about -15 C, with the wind chill making it feel like – 26 C.
The toddler, who was sleeping in the locked vehicle without heat, didn’t initially respond to officers tapping on the window, but police say she is now doing well.
Police say the girl had been left alone in the car for approximately 40 minutes.
“The child was fine, but it was freezing out there last night,” Const. Andy Pattenden told CTV Toronto. "Bad things could have happened.”
The child’s caregiver, who was released at the scene, is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 26.
The Children’s Aid Society, meanwhile, is conducting an investigation.
In response to the incident, police are urging parents not to leave their children unattended in vehicles in extreme weather conditions.
With files from The Canadian Press
