The South Bayview Bulldog

OPP continue their hunt for Elnaz Hajtamiri, 37, who was abducted from her Wasaga Beach home by three men posing as police officers on January 12. The three men were dressed in police gear and claimed to have a warrant to arrest her. POlice say the suspects claimed to be there to arrest the victim, but when the homeowner became suspicious and tried to call 911, the trio overpowered the owner and abducted Hajtamiri. There has been no hint of motive or suggestion of a ransom demand.

A Lotto Max ticket holder in Ontario is $22 million richer. There was a single winning ticket for Tuesday’s Lotto Max jackpot. The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw on Jan. 21 will be an estimated $10 million.

Smokey fire/pug mom@itskepes

Toronto Fire has extinguished a smokey two-alarm fire near the top of an apartment building on Dunfield Ave just south of Eglinton Ave E. Tuesday morning. So far there are no reports of injury.

The building is on Dunfield. https://t.co/J1IuskIgPM pic.twitter.com/7cEI5nGq6f

— pug mom (@itskepes) January 18, 2022

Mayor Tory has said that it will take a week to return some semblance of winter-time normal to the City after Monday’s memorable snowfall. Anywhere from 18 inches to three feet of snow has been reported. OPP report that many drivers trapped on Highway 401 and other local roads spent as much as eight hours there. Toronto closed both the Don Valley Park and the Gardiner Expressway in order to let snowploughs finish their job. Schools remained closed and continue to be closed at least through Tuesday. The Toronto Star recalls that the storm of December 11, 1944, remains the record holder.

Eglinton Ave E at Bayview Avenue – Jan 17 2022

At noon on Monday, it is reported that northbound Bayview at Parkhurst is completely blocked due to the weather conditions. Toronto Police have closed the DVP and Gardiner to give them a chance to clear some of the snow. Stay home if you can.

Update: At approximately 12:40pm, TPS tweeted that the eastbound Gardiner is fully open and westbound Gardiner is now open from Jarvis. DVP remains closed.

Struggle to keep moving on Highway 401/MOT camera

Police are reporting that many roads including parts of Highway 401 are at a standstill Monday as drivers try to plough through deep snow. Tweets below from the OPP offer tips. Andrew Collins tweets a shot of a snowplough in a ditch.

Bayview Extension at Pottery Rd lights at about 7.45 a.m. Monday

The heavy snowfall overnight has pretty much paralyzed traffic Monday morning. A strange pink glow is seen in the traffic camera shot about 7.45 a.m. from the Bayview extension and Pottery Rd. The snow is forecast to taper off during the day.

Stuck at Broadway and Bayview/Wilmar Kortleever

The capture below from the AccuWeather Canada Radar shows the size of the weather system. Toronto is nearing an exit from the snow as it moves west. It looks like Boston is having an ice storm. That conjures memories of the historic Toronto ice storm of 2013. City News

Projected shot from the AccuWeather Canada Radar

Currently narrowed for sewer work/Joanna Morris

Residents of Randolph Rd and the side streets off Laird Drive are fighting a developer application to reduce Laird to two lanes for at least two years. Right now, the street is undergoing extended (since last summer) sewer cleaning and replacement. The construction of a retirement residence at the site of the heritage Durant building inspired the application to park vehicles and machinery in the west side of Laird. FB

Opposite heritage Durant building

Environment Camada has issued a heavy snow warning for Sunday night and into Monday. The Weather Network is showing predictions for as much as 20 cms.

Snow is forecast to arrive across southern Ontario Sunday night. Snow will spread rapidly northeastward through the day Monday. The snow will fall heavily at times with snowfall rates of a few centimetres per hour possible. Travel will likely be difficult due to the expected heavy snow. Total snowfall accumulations of 10 to 20 cm are expected, however, locally higher amounts cannot be ruled out. Some uncertainty remains in exact amounts, as this region lies on the western edge of the area expected to receive snow. In addition, northwesterly winds gusting up to 50 km/h will result in areas of poor visibility due to local blowing snow Monday afternoon. Conditions are forecast to improve by Monday evening as the snow comes to an end.

828 Shaw St at Leeds St — St Global News/Phil Fraboni

Toronto Fire Service personnel have battled an early morning fire on a bitterly cold Saturday. The four-alarm blaze in a neighbourhood apartment block at Shaw and Leeds Sts has left one occupant in critical condition. At around 6:15 a.m. fire crews responded to a fire at the three-storey building at 828 Shaw north of Bloor Street. The stubborn fire spread quickly and required all the manpower and equipment the service had at hand.

Shaw St apartment fire/City News Chris Langenzarde

Metrolinx has released a time-lapse video above showing the tunnel ride from Laird Station to the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility out near Black Creek Drive. The video is speeded up and the ride takes only about five minutes.

Friday’s talk on Omicron from Dr. John Campbell focuses in part on Ontario and Quebec. Campbell foresees a downturn in the current rampage of infection here by around the end of January. It is much easier for him to speak candidly of course because he is not a politician nor answerable to one. He says Omicron has peaked in the UK. Most interesting.