GTA residents spent Sunday digging out from a vicious weekend storm that dumped up to 40 centimetres in some areas and left hundreds of accidents in its wake.
An elderly man died Sunday after a car crash earlier in the day. Police say the roads were slippery when a pick-up truck went through an intersection, hitting a small sedan carrying the man and a female passenger.
The woman, believed to be in her 70s, was not hurt in the accident. The man, believed to be in his 80s, was crushed behind the wheel. Emergency crews had to cut him free from the car. He was rushed to hospital but died in the afternoon from his injuries, police said.
The snow wasn't expected to be completely cleared off local side streets until Sunday night, said city officials.
The sun was out shining Sunday which helped speed up the cleanup for city crews. However, the weather still caused some delays for commuters.
On Toronto's transit system, the TTC was still experiencing delays on their Scarborough RT line because of the mounds of snow. Service has been cancelled on the RT line and shuttle buses are being provided to commuters from Kennedy station.
GO Transit also reported train delays and cancellations on their website. VIA Rail also advised commuters to call ahead before heading out to the station as many trains travelling through Ontario to the Maritimes were affected by the weather.
On the roads, mounds of snow on the side of the road made it difficult for motorists to squeeze by.
One streetcar was trapped along its route when it couldn't squeeze by a parked car. The TTC driver had to wait until the car's driver returned and moved the car.
Pedestrians also found it difficult as most sidewalks and TTC stops were covered with snow.
Police warned pedestrians to be careful and asked them to avoid walking on the street.
A near record
The storm pummeled much of southern and eastern Ontario Friday and Saturday with blizzard-like conditions that included ice pellets, blowing snow and high winds.
In Niagara-on-the-Lake, a tour bus with 17 passengers flipped into a ditch on Saturday. Emergency crews had to use a ladder to get people out through the windows.
The total snowfall put the city in line to set a new record. The current record, set 70 years ago, is 207 centimetres. On Sunday Environment Canada said Toronto's new snowfall amount is 189.6 centimetres.
According to Environment Canada, the most snow fell in the Ottawa region with about 52 centimetres recorded. In the St. Catharines escarpment, 51 centimetres of snow fell.
In the GTA, Woodbridge recorded a dump of 40 centimetres of snow and about 30 centimetres fell in the Thornhill area.
In Toronto, the most snow fell in the city's west end. About 33 centimetres fell in the city's Downsview region and 30 centimetres fell in the High Park neighbourhood.
Capt. Mike Strapko with Toronto Fire Services said people need to clear the snow around the fire hydrants in front of their homes.
One person said Saturday he is hoping this winter does end with at least one more solid dumping.
"I kind of hope we break the record. Why go all the way and not win the gold, so to speak?" he wryly said.
However, for the city, this winter has proven extremely costly.
"With all the clean-up, it will cost about $5 million for yesterday's storm and so far this year we have spent 45 million," Miles Currie, director of the city's transportation services, told CTV Toronto Sunday.
On the other hand, the wintry weather has made a lot of money for contractors with a snow plow or a shovel.
Kevin Tichonchuk, a Toronto-area student who works part time shovelling snow, figured he clears about $100 every time a storm hits his neighbourhood. His father Michael said the job has given him a good head start towards his college tuition.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Matet Nebres and John Musselman
