Canadian Press
Toronto must act to get ready for future storms, Mayor Olivia Chow said last week, after a torrential downpour washed out major roads, flooded transit stops and left thousands without power and turned attention to the city’s ageing infrastructure.
“Weather events like this are going to occur more frequently because of climate change, and we must take action to build the resiliency of our city, and work to mitigate the impacts of these storms,” Chow said.
Communities around the Greater Toronto Area were also impacted.
In Mississauga, flooding forced the evacuation of about 113 residents from the Tyndall nursing home, the fire service said.
Chow’s comments echoed those made earlier by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who while visiting Toronto also predicted communities should expect “more extreme weather events” due to climate change, urging investment “in resilient infrastructure that can handle what the future is holding.”
Chow also restated her praise for a deal that sees the province take over repair and maintenance costs for two major highways — the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. She said Toronto will save $2 billion from the deal, which can be put towards renewing infrastructure and enhancing preventative measures against future severe weather events.
Briefing alongside Chow, city manager Paul Johnson said the downpour in parts of Toronto “far exceeded” what was expected, and much of the city is “not designed” to handle such a massive amount of rainfall.
“The challenge is, we’re improving our systems and the old infrastructure at the same time these events continue to happen,” Johnson said, noting the city will analyze its flooding procedures and response.