City rides out day of heavy rains
More than 51 millimetres washed over Toronto between Thursday and Friday evening
After much fretting, Toronto rode out two very wet days without major weather-related mishaps.
Over 51 millimetres of rain washed over the city between Thursday and Friday evening, Environment Canada said. And while a persistent drizzle is expected through Sunday morning, the worst of the storm is over, meteorologists added.
In a press conference Friday afternoon, Mayor John Tory thanked the city’s public servants and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for their work throughout the day, singling out a handful of high-ranking municipal bureaucrats for praise.
“They have led a team of people that have really helped us get through a day that threatened to be worse than it has been,” Tory said. “We had a little bit of help from upstairs. Somebody up there . . . made things perhaps a little better, certainly in respect to transportation.”
Rain did cause several flight cancellations at Pearson Airport and delays at Billy Bishop.
The Raptors were forced to close Jurassic Park, where fans gather outside the Air Canada Centre to watch playoff games on TV, despite the home game Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And access to ferry services to Centre Island and Hanlan’s Point Docks was restricted to island residents, staff and emergency personnel.
Public transit and major roadways were undisturbed, however.
Toronto police said they would continue to monitor the Don Valley Parkway over the weekend, in case water levels on the Don River get too high, but the artery remained open during the worst of the rains Friday.
Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said GO Transit crews were monitoring rail infrastructure for signs of flooding, though no weather-related delays were reported during evening rush hour.
On Ward’s Island, homeowners woke up Friday to soggy backyards and standing water in many of their crawlspaces, but were taking it all in stride.
“I got all my cardboard boxes out yesterday,” resident Barry Lipton said. “It will come up a bit more I’m sure.”
Lipton said so far the flooding isn’t as bad as 1993, the last time that island residents had to sandbag the shoreline. Those berms are mostly still in place, Lipton said, so it was only a matter of plugging the gaps with new sandbags.
The conservation authority upgraded its flood forecasting Friday from yellow to orange as rivers within the GTA continued to experience higher flows and rising water levels.
The heavy rainfall forced the cancellation of the 2017 Manulife Paddle the Don canoe event this weekend.
“We are unwilling to compromise the safety of the more than 700 paddlers expected to take part in the event,” organizers said in a statement.
“Therefore, we have chosen to cancel the event this year — the first time ever in its 23-year history.”
Despite the miserable conditions, other outdoor events in the GTA are still scheduled to go ahead. Organizers for both the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon on Sunday and the Mississauga Marathon, running both Saturday and Sunday, said plans for the races hadn’t changed. With files from Ellen Brait, Alina Bykova, David Rider, Jesse Winter, Bryann Aguilar, Alanna Rizza, Emma McIntosh, Fakiha Baig, Jennifer Pagliaro