Now that you're finished cleaning all that snow and ice off your driveway, Mayor David Miller has a request for you that mimics 'be nice, clear your ice.'
He'll be pleased if you clear those trees.
The city woke up on Friday to the aftermath of the worst winter storm of the season. And no one much liked what they saw: trees and power lines down, roads snow and slush covered and puddles so large it was almost impossible not to splash pedestrians.
But it was those on foot who had it the worst of all.
It was almost impossible to traverse the sidewalks of the city, forcing people trying to get anywhere to tread carefully or wind up with a soaker.
But while they were looking down, they were also forced to look up to safeguard themselves from falling ice and snow coming off buildings and trees as the temperatures warmed up past the freezing mark. It was that situation that eventually led to the closure of part of
Front St. in the afternoon.
Now the city faces another task - getting rid of dozens of tree limbs and branches that were brought down by the storm. Miller has picked this Monday as a special Toronto clean-up day, asking residents to help out overwhelmed crews and gather all the debris for pick-up.
If you spot a tree that's come down on public property, the city will come and remove it for you. Call
416-338-TREE (8733) to report it. If that same obstruction has landed on your property, however, you're on your own. Homeowners will have to call a private tree removal service and pay the freight themselves. (For more details on the clean-up, see below).
The Mayor is also pleading with you for another favour. "I would urge Torontonians, please, in your own neighbourhoods, take the time to clean the catch basins if you can so the water can flow away."
Andy Sledz was doing just that in his neighbourhood. "It won't sit at the edge of your driveway and at night-time it will freeze up on you," he explains about the necessity of getting it done now.
There were warnings about floods all over the GTA, leading the city to ask parents to keep their kids and pets away from swollen creeks and rivers.
Crews worked tirelessly to get rid of all that snow, most toiling all night and into the morning hours.
And after drivers were involved in hundreds of accidents the night before during the height of the storm, many heeded the request of authorities and simply stayed home, giving themselves a much needed long weekend.
But while the bulk of the system has moved on to torment those in the Ottawa Valley, we still aren't through with winter yet. More snow and flurries are expected right through Saturday until we finally see some sunshine on Sunday.
To read about how to care for trees with broken limbs, check out
Frankie Flowers's blog.
Other resources:
Go Transit
GTAA
School Bus Monitor
For weather conditions
click here.
For traffic conditions
click here.
School and bus
cancellation information.
Clean-up Day Details
All materials must be brought to the curb
They should be should be cut into three to four foot lengths (shorter for thicker branches)
Material should be bundled where possible
Don't include general yard waste or leaves.
The special collection will focus mainly on heavily treed areas. An additional collection date may be held if needed the following week. In areas where the long horned beetle is in existence, materials will be segregated from items collected in other areas.
To check out some of the viewer photos sent to us via
It's Your Story, click on the gallery below.