Massive sinkhole swallows part of Dundas Street ahead of the holidays
Massive sinkhole swallows part of Dundas Street ahead of the holidays
A massive sinkhole has swallowed a portion of Dundas Street West and with it, local businesses’ hopes of the return to a regular holiday season.
“My sales are down. They’ve been down 40 per cent already since last weekend,” Melissa Ball, owner of Chosen Vintage, told CTV News Toronto.
The Dundas Street sidewalks between Brock and Sheridan avenues are open, but police cars, metal fences and orange pylons are barricading the street, deterring customers from visiting. Ball said 80 to 90 per cent of her business relies on those walk-ins.
“I haven’t had a normal holiday season since 2019,” Robin Levett, owner of Three Fates, another vintage shop on the strip, said. “I think all of us were feeling really optimistic.”
But on Nov. 24, the hope of recouping what was lost began to dwindle as a brittle sewer main collapsed on Dundas Street, revealing a large void – 20 by 20 inches wide and 3 to 4 feet deep – under the streetcar tracks.
William Shea, Toronto Water’s director of distribution and collection, said soil leaked into the damaged sewer, creating a void, and it was the thick Toronto Transit Commission tracks that prevented it from developing into a sinkhole.
Twenty-four-seven emergency work began. “Initially, repairs were expected to take about a week,” Shea said.
However, the next phase of repair is expected to take about two to three weeks, Shea said – encompassing the entirety of the holiday shopping season.
Repair work underway on Dundas Street between Brock and Sheridan Avenues (CTV News Toronto/ Phil Tsekouras). “I want to make it clear that every business owner on the block is aware of the fact that this is an emergency situation and has to happen now,” Rebekah Hakkenberg, owner of Daughter Shop, said.
“That doesn't change the fact that the timing of this couldn't be worse, and that this is having a devastating impact on many (if not all) of us.”
Anah Shabbar, spokesperson for the Little Portugal Toronto Business Improvement Area, said the impact of the construction spans further than just the intersection of Sheridan to Brock avenues. With the streetcar diverting service between Ossington and Lansdowne avenues, she said blocks of businesses are hurting.
“A lot of businesses make 40 per cent or more of their income during the holidays,” she said.
While Shabbar has been working with the community to brainstorm how to draw people to the street – whether that’s a winter concert or holiday market – she said the bottom line is businesses need financial assistance.
“At the end of the day, the [businesses] are all saying we need some kind of money, we need help with finances. They were hoping this would be a recoup year after the pandemic.”
The City says it is “currently exploring” additional support for businesses in Little Portugal while repairs are being made.
“We aren't just depending on the holiday season to help get us through January and February, which is always the slowest period in retail, we are depending on it to help make up for a very slow year, while we're still also trying to make up for what we lost during the first two years of the pandemic,” Hakkenberg said.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tenn., recorded in video made public Friday night, is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
A new study that analyzes data from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers finds that artificial lighting is making the night sky about 10 per cent brighter each year.
According to a new study, showing university students the health risks of vaping through experts and personal testimonies can help deter them from using e-cigarettes.
Anti-poverty activists are praising the Quebec basic income program as a good step toward helping people meet their basic needs — but say strict eligibility criteria exclude many of the province’s lowest-income residents.
Some Indigenous communities in Quebec that are patrolled by provincial police say the established system does not fully meet security needs and needs improvement.
A ceremony will be held this evening to mark the sixth anniversary of Quebec City's deadly mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, several senior federal cabinet ministers and Quebec Premier Francois Legault are among those expected to attend.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
The supporters outnumbered the protesters more than 20-to-one. As drag queen Amanda Villa prepared to sing and read to children in Sarnia, a small group of protesters marched outside, while more than 100 supporters of the rally “All You Need is Love” spent time chasing them around the parking lot, and having peaceful discussions about acceptance and hate.
Only a few days after a large winter weather system rolled through southern Ontario, Environment Canada has once again issued a special weather statement for the London region, warning of a snow-rain mix expected to begin Saturday night.
The Region of Waterloo has lost a court bid for an injunction to evict residents of an encampment on municipally owned land at Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener.
A drag queen show in Elora will continue Saturday night as planned, despite organizers saying concerns were raised after online comments targeted the event.
With art displays and activities to bring out the best of winter for a one-day festival of fun, Winterloo has returned after three years of pandemic alterations.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos insists the federal government is going to 'work flexibly' with the provinces on the terms of a possible health-care funding deal and avoid 'micromanaging' how they deliver health care to Canadians.
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
OPS and Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 117 parking tickets and 47 Provincial Offences Notices Saturday, as hundreds of people marked the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy'.
Ottawa police are warning the public of the dangers of texting explicit images to people on social media platforms, after seeing a spike in sextortion cases this winter.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
It's been more than three months since a Windsor-based fitness instructor and former hockey player took his own life — but his legacy is living on through a new fundraiser which organizers hope will spark new conversations about mental health for years to come
Some faculty members at Cape Breton University have walked off the job. Their strike started Friday, with the faculty's union saying the administration has disrespected it at every turn, leading to a large number of labour grievances.
As extreme cold weather brings wind chill values nearing -40°C, it's impacting everything from winter recreation to the city's most vulnerable population.
BC Emergency Health Services saw a slight decline in 911 calls for overdose and drug toxicity last year, but some areas saw a dramatic increase, and the death rate doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Advocates are predicting this year's Metro Vancouver Homeless Count will be higher than previous years' due to lingering impacts from the pandemic, job losses and inflation.
An organization helping Ukrainian newcomers settle into their new lives in Edmonton is hosting a furniture donation blitz to help restock their warehouse.
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
Repair work underway on Dundas Street between Brock and Sheridan Avenues (CTV News Toronto/ Phil Tsekouras). “I want to make it clear that every business owner on the block is aware of the fact that this is an emergency situation and has to happen now,” Rebekah Hakkenberg, owner of Daughter Shop, said.
