Ontario residents say they remain trapped for third day due to blizzard
As the city struggles to clear snow from the streets and sidewalks after Monday’s massive snowstorm, some Toronto residents say they remain trapped in their homes, unable to leave because there is no safe path.
Manuel Diaz, a resident of Holton Road, woke up for a third morning to find their street was still not plowed. He said he couldn’t get his car out and had to call a cab to get to the hospital for a checkup.
“I’ve not gone to work for two days,” he said
Plows started arriving in that area just before noon on Wednesday but other areas are still waiting.
“I tried to call city council nobody answered,” another resident told CTV News Toronto. “I tried to call 311 nobody answered, and we're still waiting for the snowplowing.”
For those with disabilities, the huge mounds of snow present a major mobility problem that can stop them in their tracks as they try to get around the city.
Allison Brown is legally blind and walks with the help of guide dog Ellis. But he can’t help her get over the snow.
“I’ve fallen several times already,” she said. “I feel with my feet. I know where I can cross, where the dip is in the sidewalk. With the piles of snow I have no chance. I have no idea what is underfoot at all.”
She implored the city, and the owners of property, to fully clear the snow so that she and Ellis can walk side by side — otherwise she says she can’t make a journey at all.
It’s generally the responsibility of the property owner to clear sidewalks, with a $135 fee in Toronto if you don’t do it within 12 hours after a snowfall stops.
A new plan by the city to clear about 1500 km of sidewalks with smaller plows is ramping up — but the city has only obtained 35 of the 50 plows it ordered to be purchased last summer.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said Wednesday morning that crews are working around the clock to plow all the streets, but that some residential areas haven’t been touched in 48 hours.
“Our staff are doing a great job. They're working 24 hours a day, they have hundreds of people and trucks and all kinds of equipment doing this so we're going to get this job done and I can just tell the woman who's written from Scarborough and others that the job will get done and it is getting done,” Tory said.
A total of 55 centimetres of snow fell in Toronto throughout the day on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned across Ontario.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.