CN Tower closed

The CN Tower remains closed indefinitely

One of Toronto's most-popular tourism districts remains inaccessible to tourists (and everyone else) as of Thursday, police have confirmed, due to an ice storm that hit the city about five days ago.

The pellets of hail and blustering snow that took us hostage this weekend are gone, but crews are still working to repair damage from the storm — as is mother nature in her own, chaotic way.

Huge chunks of ice have been falling from the CN Tower all week as the weather warms up, prompting police to close down venues surrounding the 553-metres-tall structure for safety's sake.

CN Tower bosses shut the attraction down voluntarily on Monday when falling ice smashed the windows of a nearby office building and, later, poked a game-ruining hole in the SkyDome.

On Tuesday, Toronto Police announced that they were shutting down everything within impaling range of the falling icicles: Ripley's Aquarium, Steamwhistle Brewery, The Rec Room, Gates 1 through 6 at the Rogers Centre, and all of Bremner Boulevard between Lower Simcoe and Rees Streets. 

Police said on Wednesday night that "the situation would be reassessed" on Thursday morning and that updates would be provided. 

Steamwhistle and The Rec Room are now open again, but customers must enter through the south side of the building.

Everything else, with the addition of the John Street Extension, is still closed off as of Thursday morning while crews wait for the last chunks of ice to either fall or melt.

"There are no closures related to the Air Canada Centre at this time," said Toronto Police Service in a media release. "However, anyone travelling in the area is asked to exercise patience and allow for extra travel time."

Lead photo by

Alexandre Nunes


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