The GTA weathered a heavy storm Monday, enduring more than 20 cm of snow with strong winds and hazardous travel conditions that are expected to continue into Tuesday morning.
Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning for the City of Toronto around 5:30 p.m., replacing the snowfall warning from earlier in the day.
Inclement weather had a significant impact on road conditions throughout the day Monday and through the evening commute, with visibility reduced almost to zero at times. The weather forecaster has said blowing should slowly taper off overnight but road conditions are expected to be treacherous.
Shortly after 11 p.m. the weather agency issued an update advising people to “avoid travel tonight and Tuesday morning if possible.”
Air travel was heavily affected throughout the day on Monday. Hundreds of flights — over 30 per cent of all arrivals and departures — were cancelled at Pearson Airport throughout the day. According to GTAA spokesperson Robin Smith, the airport and various airlines “agreed on a reduced rate of departure,” meaning flights were staggered for “safety’s sake.”
Dozens of flights at Billy Bishop Airport were delayed or cancelled throughout the day as well.
Police reported trouble with stuck cars on the Don Valley Parkway northbound near the Don Mills exit around 9:30 p.m. Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson tweeted that there were “many cars” stalled or unable to manage in the snow. Officers requested the assistance of any available tow trucks to help free the cars.
According to Metrolinx, buses experienced up to 30-minute delays in the afternoon, increasing to delays of up to 80 minutes through the evening. As of around 8 p.m. Monday evening, all train lines were operating with 10- to 15-minute delays.
Metrolinx media relations spokesperson Fannie Sunshine said Metrolinx’s TTC GO protocol was in effect through Monday evening and night to alleviate some of the snow-induced chaos. The protocol allows commuters to use GO transit within the City of Toronto on a TTC fare, and vice versa.
The TTC shut down Line 3 around 4 p.m., replacing service with 17 shuttle buses between Kennedy and Scarborough Town Centre stations. TTC media relations spokesperson Stuart Green cited operator visibility challenges and significant snow buildup as the reasons for the closure.
“Better safe than sorry,” he tweeted.
The TTC also experienced a closure unrelated to the weather around 8 p.m. when police received reports of a man with a gun approaching people at Dundas station. Line 1 was closed between Bloor and Union stations for several minutes while police investigated.
The man was eventually arrested.
Toronto Transportation Services began salting main roads around noon and continued through the evening rush hour.
Plowing operations for the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway began around 5 p.m., with plowing for main roads beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing through the evening.
Sidewalk plowing on high-volume routes took place from 6 p.m. to around 2 a.m., and then resumed around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Schools across the GTA remained open Monday despite the weather.
Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird said no classes were cancelled, but warned parents to expect afternoon school bus delays.
Both the Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board cancelled all buses to schools in Mississauga and Brampton, though schools remained open. The latter board also shuffled high school exam schedules as a result of the storm.
The Halton District School Board cancelled all after-school activities, and the Peel District School Board cancelled continuing education courses, night school, adult ESL programs and adult credit classes for the day.
Post-secondary institutions across the city closed their doors as well. George Brown College closed at 3 p.m., the University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College UTM campuses at 4 p.m., and U of T’s Scarborough campus at 5 p.m.
Ryerson and OCAD Universities cancelled all classes after 6 p.m. Ryerson campus remained open, while OCAD closed all school buildings. All Humber College campuses and the University of Guelph-Humber also closed at 6 p.m..
U of T’s downtown campus cancelled classes and course-related activities at 6 p.m., although campus remained open.
Environment Canada predict snowfall accumulations of up to 25 cm by Tuesday morning. The highest amounts were predicted closer to Lake Ontario due to extra moisture from the lake. The snowfall was the result of an Alberta Clipper that crossed the region.
Winter storm warnings are issued when multiple types of severe weather are expected to occur together.
With files from Mississauga News.
Ilya Bañares is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @ilyaoverseasRhianna Jackson-Kelso is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @RhiannaJK
Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline.
Starburst Visuals and Symbols
The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors.
Starburst XXXTreme Features
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The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity.
What We Think About The Game
The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement.
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In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.
Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.
With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.
Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”
“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.
The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.
When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.
“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”
MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.
MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.
The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.
The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.
Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.
STUDIO SHORTAGE
The film industry is cramped in Montreal.
According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.
With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.
Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »
« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.
She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.
« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.
There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.
« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.
Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.
For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.