Ice-storm cleanup effort may be slowed by extreme winter weather

CTV Toronto: When will debris cleanup finish? As the city braces for another icy blast, the tree clean up from the ice storm is far from done. Natalie Johnson on what is left to do.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says the ice-storm cleanup effort is going well but warned that the frigid temperatures expected to hit the city later tonight may slow down operations.

"Our crews are ready for it," Ford told reporters Monday afternoon. "(The weather) might slow us down a bit but we are going ahead full force."

Environment Canada on Monday issued a wind chill warning effect for the Greater Toronto Area, as temperatures, with the wind chill, are expected to plunge to a low of -38 C overnight.

On Friday, forestry and debris cleanup crews began combing the city to clear debris left over from December's crippling ice storm. Ford said 20 out of 160 zones in the city have been fully cleared of tree-debris and that within eight weeks "there shouldn’t be a branch left on anyone's property."

"I want to assure our residents that the City of Toronto has the situation under control. We are now moving forward with a comprehensive debris management plan. Our crews are trained and the machine is now rolling," Ford said.

At the height of the storm, more than 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers were without electricity as a result of downed power lines. City officials last week said it will cost more than $75 million to clean up the thousands of tree limbs that splintered during the ice storm.

Ford has called a special council meeting on Jan. 10 to request financial aid from the province.

"I think the province should absolutely help out. It's not just affecting Toronto," Ford said.

Asked whether the city will the need the assistance of the Canadian military to help with the cleanup effort, Ford said that was "ridiculous."

Toronto Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly said last week he is willing to consider making a request for the military to pitch in.

Ford responded publicly to the idea, saying on Twitter that he sees "no need to call in the army when we have over 600 staff dedicated to clean up efforts."