Highrise residents preparing for a second weekend without power
As thousands of residents are still in the dark, some are trying to find the willpower to get through another weekend of outages.
In one of the hardest hit areas of the city, right by Merivale Road, a condo with many elderly residents is still without electricity and hot water.
A back-up generator offers some light in the dark hallways of the Westpark condo building in Parkwood Hills, but residents are struggling.
People use headlamps to find their way to a common area in the building known as the party room, which quickly became a place of comfort after the storm.
“There were some people who were in tears and shaking and others who took it like it was comforting to be talking to people,” said Barbara Thompson, the condo board president.
The generator provides limited power in this building of nearly 200 units and more than 300 residents.
“After the tornado hit in 2018, we decided to put emergency power in our party room,” said Thompson. “The party room is open, we have coffee and you can charge your cell phones.”
“If we didn’t have that, I don’t know what we would do,” said Laurie Hanson, a resident.
Many people who live here are elderly and need refrigerated medicine and the help of personal support workers.
“One elevator on a generator went out I was considering calling the fire department to get them to carry people up the stairs,” said Thompson.
The storm hit the building hard and there was a terrifying moment when a maintenance platform came crashing down to the ground.
“A swing stage lifted up six floors, sheered off a tree and then it came smashing into the building,” said Thompson. “I was never so scared in my life, it was terrifying.”
The platform smashed into a fifth floor unit window, but no one was inside the room at the time.
As the cleanup continues, there’s hope the power comes back on soon.
“I don’t know how I’m going to cope, I really don’t know how,” said Hanson. “I could’ve managed today, maybe tomorrow morning, but the thought of tomorrow and Sunday and Monday, like what am I going to eat.”
Frustration and sadness as people here mark seven days without power or hot water.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
LIVE SOON Honda expected to announce Ontario EV battery plant, part of a $15B investment
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'