No significant rainfall is expected for the rest of Tuesday, the City of Toronto said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
The city said it received more than 700 calls to 311 about basement flooding.
Photojournalists across Toronto captured dramatic images of rescues and swamped cars as the city came to a standstill in flood-prone areas.
The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) — which runs alongside the overflowing Don River in the city’s east end — is blocked in both directions due to flooding. Municipalities across the GTA have also warned residents to avoid flooded areas.
Crews were seen on Tuesday night cleaning mud off the roadway.
Toronto Fire said they rescued 12 people from flooding on the DVP, including one person who was plucked from their car’s roof.
Crews have responded to an extremely high number of calls related to flooding and elevator entrapments, Toronto Fire said.
Onlookers take in the spectacle of flooded and abandoned vehicles on the Don Valley Parkway after a major rain squall caused the Don River to burst its banks on July 16, 2024. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Up to 110 millimetres of rain was expected to fall on Tuesday, with rainfall rates of 40 mm/h possible at some points, Environment Canada said.
“Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Watch for possible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts,” the rainfall warning said.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) issued a flood warning on Tuesday afternoon, saying that the total rainfall expected could create “hazardous conditions” near bodies of water, including slippery and unstable river banks.
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All shorelines, rivers and streams in the GTA should be considered dangerous as heavy rainfall could result in higher flows, erosion and rapidly changing water levels, the (TRCA) said.
“Please exercise caution if you must be around any bodies of water, rivers or streams as well as the Lake Ontario shoreline,” the TRCA said.
Toronto Fire responded to more than 500 emergency incidents amid flooding
A torrential downpour flooded Toronto and surrounding areas on Tuesday, causing power outages and leaving drivers stranded on major roadways. According to the Deputy Chief of Toronto Fire Services, during the height of the storm, the department received approximately two to three times more calls for emergency services than normal.
Late Tuesday evening, the Toronto District School Board said at least 20 schools were without power and some schools may have been affected by flooding.
The board said parents, guardians and caregivers of students attending a summer school program, camp, or child care program in a TDSB school on Wednesday will hear directly from the program operator in the morning should there be any change to operations. More information is available on the TDSB website.
‘Storm on top of storm’ dumped rain
David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the system that brought the rainfall was “unique” from a meteorological perspective.
It was actually a series of separate storms that consecutively drenched the GTA, but particularly the city of Toronto, Phillips said.
“There was a line of storms from London to the west part of Toronto that lined up like a parade, like jumbo jets on the airport tarmac. And there was storm on top of storm coming in one after the other, dropping their load of precipitation,” he told CBC News Network.
Union Station flooded following torrential downpours in southern Ontario
A severe storm has led to flooded streets in Toronto and transit disruptions, including at Union Station. CBC’s Lisa Xing has the latest on how the storm is affecting commuters across the city.
About 98 millimetres of rainfall was recorded at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, while roughly 84 millimetres fell in the downtown core of Toronto within a few hours, according to Environment Canada.
“It was the intensity. We saw 30 millimetres of rain in 30 minutes. That rivals what you would see in a jungle kind of situation,” Phillips said.
It has already been an unusually wet spring and summer in much of the GTA. From April 1 until yesterday, the region was drenched in roughly 166 per cent of the rainfall it would typically see in that same period, Phillips said.
“The ground is saturated and river courses are full,” he added.
“This is the new reality. It used to be river flooding, now it is urban flooding … So you end up with power outages, you end up with intersections flooded, roads flooded. It is not a surprise to see Toronto like it is.”
Mayor urges people to be careful amid flooding
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Olivia Chow said the city is “massively investing in the state of repair so that there is less flooding going forward.”
“Please be safe. Don’t drive on flooded roads and stay away from streams, rivers [and] shorelines,” she said.
The city’s wastewater facilities have not been affected by the storm, Chow said.
Asked why the Don Valley Parkway wasn’t closed earlier to drivers to prevent cars from driving through flooding roadways, Chow said she doesn’t know.
David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says he’s not surprised by the amount of rain that has hit Toronto recently as the country deals with a new reality of extreme weather.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, speaking from the premiers’ meeting in Halifax, said he will reach out to Chow to find out what the city might need as it recovers from the storm.
“Thank God everyone’s OK,” Ford said.
The relentless downpours caused significant flooding in some parts of the city, especially in low-lying areas close to Lake Ontario.
Near the corner of King Street W. and Atlantic Avenue W., a stretch road historically prone to flash flooding, abandoned heavy construction machinery and a pickup truck were seen half submerged in water.
Several inches of water also accumulated in areas of Union Station, the city’s biggest transit hub, with water from inside cascading down exterior staircases.
TTC trains did not stop at Union for hours. Staff “actively” pumped water out of the station, the city said.
The City of Toronto is warning people to stay away from Lake Shore Boulevard W., particularly between Parkside and Ontario drives due to flooding.
Entire GTA hit by rain system
Peel police warned drivers that downpours were causing manhole covers to lift out of place. They urged drivers to be cautious and use the full headlight system on their vehicles.
Toronto Pearson International Airport said a section of Convair Drive, near the airport in Mississauga, was closed due to flooding. However, there was no flooding at the airport. Some departures and arrivals were reported to be delayed.
People travelling to Pearson are advised to map out their route to avoid any road closures and give themselves extra time to arrive safely, the airport said.
Tuesday was the fifth wettest day ever recorded at Pearson, with the airport recording 97.8 millimetres of rain. The severe storm also broke the previous record for daily rainfall on July 16, 1941, when 25.9 millimetres of rain fell at the airport.
CBC Toronto meteorologist Colette Kennedy explains what led to such severe flooding in parts of the GTA on Tuesday.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
