Saturday, December 21^st 2013 will be a day I won’t forget. Not because it was the last weekend before Christmas and I was trying to run around and get last minute shopping done.  Not because I was going to use the next day (and my only day off from my seasonal job) grocery shopping and cleaning like a mad woman.

 

Nope.  Saturday was the day the lights went out in Guildwood (my neighborhood).  21:53 or 9:53pm is the timestamp in my mind when the lights flickered and turned off.  My first thought? Bummer, no Saturday Night Live Christmas special oh well, I’ll google that in the morning for the funny parts.

 

Except the lights didn’t come on in the morning, or the next morning, or the morning after that.  I later learned that an ice storm covering most of Ontario had left ice covered trees, snapped branches, and downed power lines.  Via Twitter I learned that officials to include the Mayor of Toronto (Rob Ford), the premier (Kathleen Wynn), and ward councilors (Paul Ainslie and Mitzie Hunter) knew the situation was becoming quite the mess….and with temperatures due to plummet over the next several days, a press conference was held (one of several) as the Mayor declared “We are not in a state of emergency. Everything that can be done is being done.”  We were asked to check on our neighbors and that getting power restored in 72 hours “won’t be possible folks.  Things have gotten better.”

 

Not sure how these officials thought residents without hydro would know this-especially in a ‘senior-ific’ area like Guildwood.  Not many residents here own a smartphone so they didn’t know that power could potentially take days to restore, or that there were warming centres available to them.  Many residents bundled up, threw on an extra blanket or 3 and probably thought “Hey we will laugh about this when it’s over tomorrow.”

 

Well. For some, it’s NOT over.  Some residents of Guildwood are now 90 hours strong with no hydro.  NONE.   Merry Christmas taxpayers who have worked their entire lives and are just trying to live.  But never fear, This is not an emergency.

 

I’ll spare you the details….but to fill in some gaps, Toronto Hydro called in additional help from other cities in Canada and the U.S.  I’ll give them that-at least they realized they were overwhelmed.  But here’s where things go sideways:

 

1. Additional bodies were brought in-but 5 days of no hydro?
2. Officials/Leadership did travel the neighborhoods. In suits. For photo ops.
3. Hydro workers picked up and left an area of Guildwood, leaving several homes without power stating that another area was ‘higher priority’-WHAT?

 

Because EVERYONE WHO IS ANYONE shows up to a worksite IN A SUIT. AND DOES NOTHING.

oh wow….do you think this merry group sang Christmas carols?  When do you think they’re dropping their next album?

recently added: And let’s not  forget Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly…..who TOOK OFF FOR FLORIDA IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL.  For that reason, no photos available.  Did you think we wouldn’t find out about this Norm? REALLY?

Now, I’m no ‘crisis management expert’ BUT I would think that a contingency plan in a metropolis of this size would be an essential piece of an inclement weather puzzle? Toronto’s “leadership” has failed its residents. On SO. MANY. LEVELS.   During the holidays.  Even worse.   Let me continue:

 

1. Warming Centres aren’t appropriate for everyone-what about people with dogs? How about newborns or elderly with fragile immune systems that shouldn’t be exposed to large numbers of people?
2. How did people who don’t speak English know about the tragedy? Oh wait, they were the ones being carted off to hospital after trying to heat their homes with a BBQ and becoming consumed with carbon monoxide.

 

In addition, there were reports of homes being burglarized, which is (again) MORE tragic during the ‘holiday season.’  No police presence….but that’s because THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY.

 

This incident continues to have many residents of Guildwood scratching their heads and wondering “What have I done to deserve this?”  Toronto’s ‘leadership’ do you have an answer?

 

I know (here) I am primarily speaking for Guildwood  but I’ll open this up to anyone who had to endure this. I need some answers.   I need officials and leadership to take accountability and to sincerely and humbly apologize to residents for the gross mishandling.

 

just a note-the people sitting in the dark and freezing cold voted you into your seats ward councilors Ainslie and Hunter, Premier Wynn, and Mayor Ford. So before you tweet me talking about everything you’ve done in this disaster Mitzie, stop for a moment and think about that. Also think twice before you send me a tweet from your nice warm home.

 EDIT:  Residents have told me that Paul Ainslie has been out in the neighborhood and remained very ‘present’ during this incident and have asked me to remove his name in negative connotations.  Neighbors-noted and done.

You also owe your residents a thorough and comprehensive debrief….you know one of those ones where everyone gathers in an auditorium and there are 2 microphones in the crowd space and you all sit up at the front behind a long table.  Because you can’t seem to figure this one out, I’ll do you a solid-Here’s who needs to be there:

1.  Mayor Rob Ford

2. Premier Kathleen Wynn

3. Anthony Haines, CEO Toronto Power

4. Mitzie Hunter

5. Paul Ainslie

6. Norm Kelly who ran off to Florida

7. News anchors and cameramen

8.  People of Guildwood-and they need to be given a way to get there-get a bus, you ARE able to do that.

And you have to be prepared and accept ALLLLLLL of our criticism and anger AND frustration with grace.  And THEN you have to present us with a real gift…..a PLAN.  One that you put some thought into and that you’ve had reviewed with an organization that specializes in crisis management.

 

I’m all for history not repeating itself and I know that mistakes get made.  It’s time for Leadership to give a d*mn and for residents to demand that basic and common respect.  Residents are the reason that officials are in office and it’s time to send a very clear message. I’m challenging Toronto’s officials and leaders to start caring and propose this be a new initiative (although it should’ve been all along).

 

This has been a very memorable holiday season indeed.