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Newsstand: February 18, 2015
On Valentine's Day, 911 had to be called when nearly 100 teens stormed an AMC Theatre in Florida after being denied entry into a screening of 50 Shades of Grey. Yet a new low for humanity. In the news: broken water mains and freezing pipes all across Toronto, the City's relief funding for last year’s ice storm, and the top 10 collision-prone intersections.
Frigid temperatures over the long weekend had the City working overtime to fix 48 broken water mains throughout Toronto, according to Toronto Water. The City has also been fielding upwards of 1,000 calls regarding frozen pipes in homes and apartment buildings. Cold weather is to blame for pipe freezes that created leaks at both Ryerson University and City Hall, where the east tower of the building was closed after flooding occurred when a pipe burst on Monday night. Even worse, emergency crews were called to a home near Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue early Tuesday morning after a woman reported receiving serious burns on the lower half of her body when a hot water pipe in her apartment burst. Still, though, Lou Di Gironimo of Toronto Water says that things are not so terrible when you take into consideration that, at this time last year, our old friend the polar vortex had caused almost as many pipe freezes in one day as we saw all long weekend.
Speaking of polar vortices, the City of Toronto is finally set to receive reimbursement from the provincial government for cleanup costs related to last year’s ice storm. Interim payments have started to flow to municipalities across the province, with Toronto receiving $22.5 million of the $64.2 million it originally requested. The office of Municipal Affairs says that the City could receive more funding after its application is reviewed in more detail. Acting City treasurer Mike St. Amant estimates that nearly $5 million in expenses did not qualify for reimbursement, but he seems confident that the rest of the claim will go through without issue. Some smaller townships including Wellington and Mapleton have received full payouts, while in and around the Greater Toronto Area cities including Ajax, Brampton, Hamilton, and Markham have also been given interim payments while their applications are further assessed. In total, the province expects to spend $160 million in ice-storm relief funds.
Nobody likes getting into a car accident. So, based on a new list of 10 intersections in Toronto that boast the highest collision rates, it might be in your best interest to avoid driving around Lake Shore Boulevard East and Lower Jarvis Street. The problem intersection topped the list with 239 collisions between 2009 and 2013. Other trouble intersections Lake Shore Boulevard East at Don Roadway and Ellesmere Road at Bellamy Road round out the top three. Lake Shore Boulevard West also makes one appearance on the list, with its intersection at Spadina Avenue. Mike Brady, Toronto’s manager of traffic safety projects, says that the higher rate of collisions at these intersections is influenced largely by the high volumes they deal with on a daily basis, and the complex structure of some of their turning or approach lanes. Brady is also quick to say that these intersections are not significantly more dangerous than others in the city, they just require more attention from cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians.