Neverending Winter

March 23rd and I'm still shooting bad weather. Toronto got some snow overnight. This winter feels like it will never end. Please bring on the good weather. I can't take any more of this white stuff.

Markham Burner

It's been a while since I posted anything here. Mostly this is because I've been posting everything on Twitter. I did four shoots last night. The last one was this fire on Macrill in Markham. It started out in the furnace area and quickly spread through all levels of the house.

Snowmegeddon

I survived (cue deep voice) The Storm of 2011. It's snow big deal.



Plows at the Progess Bridge of Hwy 401



This machine will move your snow .... fast.

Small blower but gets it done at TD Bank Tower

Reluctant Witness - Officer Down: The Morning I will Never Forget.

Sgt. Ryan Rusell - Killed in the Line of Duty

It was just after six this morning when I first heard the call for a stolen plow. As I was approaching Queens Park on University I heard the call for Avenue and Davenport. Shots fired officer down. “He's barely breathing dispatcher, bleeding from the head and unconscious.” They had already put a rush on EMS.

When I arrived moments later Sergeant Ryan Rusell was lying in the middle of Avenue Road. The snowplow and driver had already fled the scene. Another cop was hot on his tail. I grabbed some video of the officer being treated and loaded for the emergency run to St. Mike's. We cover scenes like this every night. Obviously this one was different. My heart sank as I watched. CPR was in progress. It was at that point I realized his injuries might be fatal.

I then headed west, an unmarked police car followed behind the snowplow as the driver bounced off parked cars and led police on a slow speed pursuit through the Bloor West area. Several times the plow did u-turns on Bloor. That’s how he came to pass me a few times as my dash camera rolled. I followed along as police waited for ETF to get into the area and assist. It took about an hour for officers to get into position. All marked police cars backed off and let the unmarked car call the position of the plow.

As the plow headed up Keele St from Dundas it all came to an end near Humberside Dr. The suspect crashed the plow into a City of Toronto garbage truck. Once again I found myself the first camera on the scene. As I rounded the corner of Humberside and Keele the call came across. Officer down shots fired. “We need two ambulances. The suspect has been shot.” I arrived as an ETF officer limped to a nearby van, assisted by his fellow officers. They were holding him at both elbows. It was chaotic to say the least.

The suspect was loaded into an ambulance and rushed to St.Mike's. The same hospital that tried to save Sgt. Rusell would now be tasked with saving the suspect. Toronto EMS crews dealing with both sides of a tragedy, helping where they can, as best they can. We have so many everyday heroes in this city.

I got two interviews at the Humberside location. The first with the owner of the snowplow, who told me his operator, had been plowing in the Regent Park area. He was out doing some shoveling by hand when a shoeless man came from a nearby building and jumped into the snowplow. He was able to track the plows movements and relay that to police. That is how the Sergeant caught up with the plow on Avenue Road. The plow company owner said in an interview that he was so sad how things had unfolded and hoped the injured officers would be ok. He was holding back the tears as he recounted the events of the morning.

Another young man told me in an interview how he ended up in the middle of the final takedown and that he heard seven or eight shots, as officers rushed the plow. He said the plow was stopped after hitting the garbage truck but may have started moving again as the shots were fired.

I had already been live with CBC News Network three times, the final hit as the pursuit ended with the victim being shot. I rushed back to the station and did a couple more appearances on News Network to discuss what I witnessed. Then it was end of shift. It was a futile attempt to sleep.

The CBC team did an excellent job of presenting the story. It was complex to say the least. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2011/01/12/toronto-police-hurt241.html

I’m back on the road. Waiting for the next story to break. As I left the house tonight I hugged my wife and daughter a little longer than usual. It’s so sad that this officer went to work, protecting us from danger, and never returned to his family.

Tony Smyth - Videographer CBC Toronto

Cross Border Rip Off

I want to take a few minutes away from my role as a spot news videographer to highlight an injustice. Canada is a great country but our retailers are taking advantage of us on a daily basis. It’s like they are taking money right out of our wallets. It’s just not right.

With our dollar now closing above or near par with the greenback on a regular basis, we continue to be overcharged for our purchases, paying substantially more for the same products in Canada as they do in America. In Toronto we sit one hour away from the US border but our retailers refuse to lower prices and charge Canadians fairly.

We already pay significantly higher taxes north of the border. Some would argue that we are better serviced by our government in return. We are left with much less “after tax” income and we have our buying power further eroded by corporate greed at the retail level.

Here are just a few examples of how we continue to be gouged by retailers. I for one have decided to hold off on any big purchases and just shuffle off to Buffalo when I need anything big.

Maytag
Maxima 5.0 cu. Ft. High-Efficiency Front Load Washer
Model: MHW6000XG

Home Depot Canada $1498
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=922814&Ntt=922814&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

Home Depot America $989.10
http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances-Laundry-Clothing-Care-Washers/Maytag/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Z6Zbv3qZz2/R-202584128/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Maytag
7.4 cu. ft. Maytag Maxima Electric Dryer
Model: YMED6000XG

Home Depot Canada $1198.00
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=922817&Ntt=922817&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

Home Depot America $989.00
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202584106&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC-_-product-1-_-202584128-_-202584106-_-N&locStoreNum=121&marketID=1

Dyson DC25 All Floors Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Sears.ca $599.00
http://www.sears.ca/product/dyson-11-amp-dc25-all-floors-bagless-vacuum/620-000669044-15279-01

Sears.com $382.54
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02038525000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

Gold's Gym 480 Treadmill

Sears.ca $599.00 (advertising $600 off until Jan 28 Reg. $1199.00)
http://www.sears.ca/product/golds-gym-trainer-480-treadmill-15chp/606-000097485-GGTL39608

Walmart.com $377.00
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Golds-Gym-480-Treadmill/11993389

Avatar Extended Collector's Edition Bluray 3Disk Set

Best.ca $49.99
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/avatar-2009-blu-ray-blu-ray-disc/m2184778.aspx?path=13568dc7274f66897b424be6e0f4e9e5en02

Walmart.com $27.46
http://www.walmart.com/ip/15172927

Amazon.ca $30.15
http://www.amazon.ca/Three-Disc-Extended-Collectors-BD-Live-Blu-ray/dp/B0045Y1ONE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294523620&sr=8-2

6 Alarm Gould and Yonge

Early pics from the 6 alarm fire at Gould and Yonge.

I almost made it to the end of shift when this 3 alarm fire hit the airwaves in Brampton. This looks to be a suspicious fire. I'm hearing all sorts of stories from neighbours about strange things happening at the home.

Radio Debut

I finally got my hands on an MP3 of my radio debut on CBC. On Nov. 12th 2010 two young boys were missing in Springwater Township near Barrie. Since I was the only CBC employee on scene they asked me to do some stuff for radio and television via phone. Very exciting .... for me.
Maybe not so much for you. You can listen to it here.

Murder in Markham

Stuck most of the night at a murder in Markham. A woman is dead after being shot in a home invasion robbery. Her husband was also shot and is in hospital. A child who was home was not injured. I got some video of the male victim arriving at Sunnybrook via air ambulance.

The Sunday of the Gun

I started off my Sunday night with a homicide in Peel 12 Division at the Holiday Inn Express on Ambler Dr. That's near Dixie and the 401. Not a lot of details from PRP as usual. More will be revealed on the day shift I'm sure.

I also did a call in Scarborough 41 Division where an employee showed up at work allegedly drunk and brandishing a shotgun. Witnesses said he popped off a couple of shots in the air. ETF caught up with him later at his apartment and he's now cooling off in a jail cell.

Police were able to use the gun registry to determine that the man had 14 registered firearms. I'm guessing he will not have them for long.

Lazy Sunday

A shooting on Falstaff, two seperate rollovers on the highway, a stabbing on King St and a 2nd alarm on Spadina Ave. That was my Sunday night how was yours?

Toronto to Orangeville - Fires

I went to two fires overnight. The Orangeville fire was better. Mutual aid was called from 3 surrounding departments and damage will be in the millions after a large fire on historic Broadway Ave. I could see the smoke from about 5km outside of town. The Chief was very nice and even gave us a clip.

We also had a two alarm fire in the city earlier. This one was on Dovercourt near Queen. It looks like a porch fire got out of hand. Officers from 14 division helped residents escape the blaze. TFD made quick work of this one. Damage is extensive with no word on cause.

That was my quiet Sunday night.

Pork on the Road - Pig in the City

Just when I thought the night was almost over. A truck full of pigs rolled over on the 427 ramp to the Gardiner. It will be closed for hours. The trucks were on the way to slaughter. Now they get to live for a few more hours and make a national television debut on CBC. For pigs life doesn't get much better. Living the dream baby!

Double Murder on Weston Road

TPS secure the scene as EMS rush a victim to hospital

I had only just started my shift when the call came in for a double shooting on Weston Rd near Lawrence. I was on scene within minutes and rolled as both victims were rushed to hospital. Both men later died. This is Toronto's 43rd and 44th homicide of the year. Life in the big city.

TFD and EMS fight to save a shooting victim

Fatal Accident Closes Hwy 27 Near Rexdale Blvd.

 

A horrific crash closed Hwy 27 near Rexdale Blvd just as I began my shift. At least one person was killed and a second child just 8 years old is clinging to life. They were passengers in a Honda Civic which was struck by a Mercedes SUV.

The driver of the Mercedes is alleged to have tried to leave the scene, first by trying to blend in with the crowd of witnesses, then arrested while trying to hail a taxi to leave the scene.

PD confirmed to me that alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. The licence plates on the SUV were also expired. The 45 year old driver was taken to Traffic Services for further investigation. Two other occupants of the Honda were also treated by ambulance.

Shots Fired by Peel Regional Police

A PRP officer discharged his weapon at a fleeing vehicle after his cruiser was rammed on the Queensway near The East Mall. The vehicle was wanted for a break and enter at a computer shop near Cawthra and The Queensway. Police believe the van was used to smash through the front of the store. A number of laptops were stolen. Police are checking video from nearby gas stations and other businesses to see if they can get a better look at the suspects. They are looking for the white van with damage to the rear and bullet holes on the passenger side.

TPS assisted with a large grid search in the south Etobicoke area. So far the van and two male white occupants have not been found.

Shooting in 31 Division.

Started off the shift with a shooting in 31 Div. Shopkeeper shot in the chest during a robbery. I also went to this crash on the 401 at hwy10 where a car ended up right under a tractor trailer. The wheels would have been inches from the driver at they skidded to a halt. The skid marks were at least 50 feet long.

Gettin' it Done

I had a really busy night last night. I cranked out 5 items on the night shift including shots fired inside Fairview Mall and this fatal accident on Lakeshore Blvd West in Toronto. The night went by really fast. I enjoyed the Halo video game launch at Best Buy. They are using that on CBC Morning.

I am now safely back in the burbs. Stay Classy Toronto. Let's do it again tonight.