The City of Toronto is continuing snow clearing efforts on sidewalks and opening warming centres as snowfall and cold temperatures persist.
On Sunday, the city and much of southern Ontario received its first snowfall event of the season. The city says sidewalk plows were out Sunday night once the snow reached the 2 cm threshold.
As of Monday the city said crews will continue to clear sidewalks.
“If you are outside today, be careful on roads and sidewalks. Keep a safe distance from equipment to allow operations to continue safely,” the city said in a post on X.
It comes as the city was met with nearly 10 cm of snow throughout Sunday according to Environment Canada, with that accumulation expected to grow.
Due to this, the Ontario Provincial Police say nearly 220 collisions have been reported according to media reports.
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In addition to snow, temperatures plummeted below freezing. As a result, the city says it has activated warming centres for those experiencing homelessness to find relief.
The City of Toronto says it has opened two warming centre locations at 81 Elizabeth St. and 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd.
The centres will provide resting spaces, meals, access to washroom facilities and referrals to emergency shelter.
The city activates warming centres when temperatures reach -5 C or when Environment Canada issues a winter weather event warning.
Warming centres open at 5 p.m. on the day that locations are activated. The city says once open, they will remain open 24 hours a day until it is determined that locations will close.
Although space is limited, if someone arrives and the centre is at capacity the city says it will assist with transportation to another warming centre if space is available.
