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People are slipping on icy sidewalks all over Toronto right now

Thick snowbanks + sunny skies + chilly overnight temperatures = the perfect recipe for full-body bruises.

In other words, it's icy AF out there in Toronto this fine Wednesday morning, and pedestrians should be careful.

Unsalted sidewalks, paths and roads all over Canada's largest city are gleaming with dangerous black ice right now — the kind you can't really see unless you're looking for it, and don't often notice until it's too late.

We have about a week's worth of accumulated snow and yesterday's warm temperatures to thank for today's slick sidewalks.

With a high of 4 C, Tuesday's balmy weather prompted a substantial thaw in many parts of the city — a process that is expected to continue today as temperatures reach an expected high of 7 C.

Nice as it is to watch all the snow that's been dumped on us in recent weeks melt away, all of that water on the ground becomes problematic when temperatures dip below zero at night.

Mornings are especially dangerous at this time of year, before salters and the sun are out to soften some of the overnight re-freeze.

And icy surfaces can lead to things far worse than an embarrassing moment.

People get seriously injured every year in Toronto as a result of icy roads and sidewalks.

According to a report from the city's Medical Officer of Health in 2016, "slips and falls on snow or ice also cost the city about $6,700,000 per year as a result of liability insurance claims."

Lawyers are so intent on pursuing these cases, in fact, that the province of Ontario passed a new bill that will cap the amount of time someone has to file a slip-and-fall claim to 60 days (as opposed to two years.)

For falls on municipal property, Ontarians will have just 10 days to file such claims once Bill 118 becomes law.




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