Toronto could see coldest temperature in 4 years tonight
Toronto could see coldest temperature in 4 years tonight
Those heading outside today are being advised to bundle up as the Greater Toronto Area and nearly all of Ontario experience a bout of bone-chilling cold.
An extreme cold warning remains in effect for Toronto and much of eastern Canada.
The temperature in the city sat at -17 C early Friday, but it felt more like -26 C with the wind chill.
Wind chill and temperatures are expected to drop again overnight Friday. A low of -22 C is expected overnight, though it will feel closer to -30 with the wind chill.
CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said that if the temperature does drop to – 22 C overnight, it will be the coldest air recorded in Toronto since January 31, 2019 (-22.8 C).
The temperature dipped down to -21.2 C back on Jan. 29 of last year, Coulter noted.
Frostbite can occur within just minutes on exposed skin in such cold temperatures.
“Dress warmly. Dress in layers that you can remove if you get too warm. The outer layer should be wind resistant,” Environment Canada advised.
Temperatures are expected to ease off during the day Saturday, going up to a high of – 3 C, then rising to a high of 3 C on Sunday and Monday.
Pearson International Airport warned that the cold could pose challenges for ground crews and their equipment.
“If you’re flying out of YYZ, please be patient with crews as they work safely to get your plane in the air,” the airport advised.
The TTC said Line 3 (Scarborough RT) is not operating between Kennedy and McCowan due to a mechanical problem and shuttle buses are running to replace regular service.
COLD SPARKS CONCERN FOR UNHOUSED POPULATION
Two of Toronto’s four warming centres were at capacity overnight amid the bone-chilling temperatures. The city said that it offers free transportation to other warming centres when that occurs, but advocates for the homeless are nonetheless sounding concern.
Ward 9 Councillor Alejandra Bravo told CP24 she’d like to see more done, including having warming centres open 24/7 during the winter instead of only during extreme cold.
“It's really about just having a place to go to get inside and it's the high cost to the individual who's suffering but also to the places where they show up,” Bravo said. “For example, in emergency departments. On any given night, emergency department chiefs have told us that the waiting room was filled with people who are simply looking for a place to get inside.
“And you know, this isn't a problem that we don't expect. We know that we're going to have winter. We know that inclement weather has a terrible impact on people's health. And we know that that we need to do something.”
Doug Johnson Hatlem, a street pastor at Sanctuary Toronto, said there needs to be a “massive change” in terms of where resources are spent.
“To open up those 24/7 warming centers in the same period last year cost about $3.5 million. And it's something we should be doing,” he said. “We should be doing additional spaces. You know, we have money when it comes to policing in the city. We have money when it comes to fighter jets in this country. We don't seem to have the money it takes to keep people warm on the coldest nights.”
The city typically doesn’t have enough space to meet demand at its shelter system nightly as it operates at maximum capacity.
In a statement Friday, the city said it has directed all shelters and warming centres not to turn anyone away during the extreme cold.
“As always, the city’s top priority is supporting our most vulnerable residents. The city is taking additional measures to help ensure the safety of those experiencing homelessness during this extreme winter weather,” the statement read.
It said 432 additional shelter spaces were added to the system by expanding warming centre capacity and opening temporary contingency spaces at various shelter sites and that those spaces were available last night.
“As of 4 a.m. this morning, capacity remained in the shelter system. Staff worked with clients that arrived at warming centres that experienced higher demand to find additional accommodations elsewhere in the system,” the city said.
Cecil Community Centre Executive Director Daniel Anckle told CP24 his organization mobilized to open their space as a warming centre this week in response to the frigid weather and were included in the extra capacity mentioned by the city.
He said the city was responsive to the idea and they were able to open the new space on Monday, less than two weeks after bringing it up.
“We had to ramp up really quickly. We opened by 7 p.m. and by 9 p.m., it was a capacity. And we’ve been at capacity ever since,” Anckle said.
While he said the city was “incredible” in terms of help0iung them set up the community centre as a warming centre, he was surprised when he learned that there was so little space available in the system compared to the need.
“I don't think it's the solution,” he said of the temporary warming centre. “Clearly people are staying here because they don't have somewhere to live. So the real solution is to figure out housing, affordable housing, supportive housing. This is just a stopgap, like people shouldn't be living like this.”
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
W5 profiles the man who makes the sounds for breaking bones and squealing tires in Hollywood’s biggest films; and he does it from a small town in Ontario. Watch 'Sound Farms' at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
April Fools' Day -- better known as poisson d'Avril in Quebec -- is upon us. Some of the province's familiar faces got into the spirit Saturday with a few light-hearted social media pranks.
London police responded to Dundas Street, just west of William Street around 6:30 p.m. Friday evening for a reported shooting. According to police, one person is in custody.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
When police arrived to a collision on Degge Street, they said they spoke to the driver at fault for the crash and believed him to be driving while impaired by alcohol.
The leader of Ontario's new democrats says she's removed long-time party member Michael Mantha from caucus amid an independent investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) of Alberta announced Saturday that Rajan Sawhney will run as a UCP candidate for Calgary North-West after announcing in February that she wouldn't be running for re-election in Calgary North-East.
Officials in Vancouver said they plan to meet with the artist and volunteers who are keeping vigil on a children's shoe memorial on the steps of the city's art gallery in an effort to end the tribute to children who didn't return from residential schools.
