The City of Toronto is responding to an emergency request for assistance from the City of Winnipeg and sending 25 Urban Forestry staff to help with storm damage cleanup as Manitoba continues to deal with unprecedented weather conditions. Both the City of Winnipeg and Province of Manitoba have declared a state of emergency.
Departing Urban Forestry crews were given a send-off by Mayor John Tory, Councillor Anthony Perruzza (Ward 7 Humber River-Black Creek), Deputy City Manager Giuliana Carbone, General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation Janie Romoff, and Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg. The crews are leaving Toronto today and are expected to arrive in Winnipeg on Tuesday. Crews are expected to return to Toronto on November 8.
City of Toronto staff and equipment will support the ongoing efforts of Winnipeg, neighbouring Winnipeg municipalities and Saskatoon to mitigate weather effects of flooding that started with record September precipitation followed by a week of record October snow and rain. These conditions have resulted in mass power outages and damage to approximately 30,000 City trees.
Along with the Urban Forestry crews, the City of Toronto is sending chipper trucks, aerial towers (bucket trucks) and other forestry equipment. A total of 13 vehicles will be travelling from Toronto to Winnipeg.
The cost of the emergency assistance will be covered by the City of Winnipeg.
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“We are happy to provide help to our neighbours in Winnipeg as they work to recover from these unprecedented weather events. I want to thank our Urban Forestry crews for the work they are undertaking over the next few weeks to respond to this emergency and help our fellow Canadians. This is a true example of how during challenging times, we come together to support each other.”
– Mayor John Tory
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