Premier Dalton McGuinty spent Sunday afternoon touring a Durham, Ont. community where a tornado ripped through dozens of homes and killed an 11-year-old boy.
This is the premier's second visit to neighbourhoods that were ravaged by Thursday's storm. On Friday, he spent the day in Vaughan where mass destruction is forcing the demolition of several family homes.
When he saw the damage in Vaughan, McGuinty said he was shocked at the destruction the F2 tornado inflicted on the region, remarking that the storm "tossed cars around like toys."
About 600 homes were damaged by the tornado and city officials say more than 40 houses and a school suffered severe structural damage.
Owen McPherson was at a Durham-area summer camp when the tornado struck. He was hit by a piece of flying debris and was pronounced dead at the scene. He is the storm's only fatality.
The boy's parents released a statement to the media on Sunday about their son's death.
"A few days ago our beautiful son was taken from us," Durham Police Chief Rene Berger read out Sunday afternoon. "Our lives have been forever changed. Please know that he was loved by all who knew him."
The premier spoke with the McPherson family privately earlier in the day.
McGuinty said the province would provide financial assistance to those who had been hit the hardest to help them recuperate. The federal government said Saturday that they would have to assess whether the tornado victims qualify for federal aid.
Environment Canada confirmed twisters had also touched neighbourhoods in Newmarket and Milton though the brunt of the storm was felt in Vaughan and Durham.
Good samaritans
In the meantime, residents of these communities have been going out of their way to help their neighbours get back on their feet.
There are countless stories of people taking in their neighbours, giving them shelter, food and even clothes.
Ever since the storm hit homeowner Laura Vidal has opened her house to not only her distressed neighbours but the workers and emergency crews who have been cleaning up the community.
On Sunday, Vidal cooked a big lunch for everyone in the neighbourhood. Her home has been affectionately nicknamed the community's "head office."
"They've made their home our home," said neighbour Daniel Belli, adding that the couple have even let complete strangers use their washroom. "I think they need a humanitarian award of some kind. They're just wonderful."
Vidal and her husband Jorge Pestana have lived on the street for more than a decade. They say they're lucky their home received minimal damage during the storm.
Silvana Baldessarra said she is deeply grateful to her elderly neighbours for taking her in when her home was destroyed.
During the storm, Baldessarra was trapped in her basement after three main floor walls of her Woodbridge home collapsed.
"These people did a lot for me," she said. "Can you imagine a 90-year-old man and an 86-year-old lady that protected me, gave me food, shelter and even towels for me to shower."
Her neighbour told CTV Toronto she was glad to help.
"You help me, I help you, everybody helps when something happens," she said.
With reports from CTV Toronto's Zuraidah Alman and Michelle Dube
