Toronto in 2022: The year that was -- in pictures

CBC.ca
Jan. 3, 2023

Between back-to-back elections, protests and a cell phone outage that had residents standing in the street looking for a signal, there was certainly no shortage of news in 2022.

Here's a look at some of the most memorable moments of the year that was.

A snowy start to a new year

In the middle of January, Toronto experienced one of the largest snowfall events ever recorded. The city said streets were blanketed in 55 centimetres of snow in just 15 hours on Jan. 17.

Truck convoy protests come to Toronto

Protesters with the self-described "Freedom Convoy" took to Toronto streets in February. Toronto police limited movement in the downtown core after protesters occupied downtown Ottawa for weeks in a bid to get COVID-19 restrictions and mandates removed.

Ontario lands $10-a-day daycare deal with feds

Ontario signed a five-year, $10.2 billion deal with the federal government late March, aiming to cut child-care fees in the province to $10-a-day by 2026. Ontario was the last province to reach a deal.

Indigenous people demand action after Pope apology

Pope Francis apologized in April for the conduct of some members of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada's residential school system. Reaction from Indigenous groups across the country was mixed. In Toronto, demonstrators marched toward St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica on April 18, calling for more to be done.

Election season in full swing

May marked a full month of campaigning in Ontario. In the month following, Ontario's Progressive Conservatives sailed to a second majority government, while opposition party leaders, NDP's Andrea Horwath and Liberal's Steven Del Duca resigned and later became mayors of Hamilton and Vaughan respectively.

Peak travel season woes

For the first time in over two years, travellers had a chance to vacation outside of the country with the fewest restrictions since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. June saw a surge in travel that was followed by long passport wait times, lost luggage and delayed flights at Canada's biggest airport.

Rogers outage hits

Telecommunications giant Rogers was thrust into the international spotlight on July 8 after a nationwide outage left millions without service for almost one day. Torontonians were seen milling around outside looking for cell connection.

Hospitals under pressure

After two years battling the COVID-19 pandemic, August saw a plethora of hospitals across Ontario cut their emergency care hours or temporarily close down the department as a result of staff shortages.

Ukraine festival returns

The Toronto Ukrainian Festival took over Bloor Street West in September for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It was a time to celebrate Ukrainian history and culture, but also an opportunity to mark the resilience of the country, which has been fighting Russia's attacks since the start of the war in February.

Iranian protesters and their supporters streets in October in a show of solidarity against the country's regime. Demonstrations took place all over the world after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died shortly after Iran's morality police arrested her for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.

CUPE education workers take on Ford government

About 55,000 education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees walked off the job in early November protesting the controversial anti-strike legislation passed by the Doug Ford government. A deal was reached several weeks later, following solidarity rallies and nationwide union support for CUPE.

Pediatric doctors sound alarm

Ontario hospitals have been overwhelmed with children patients after a vicious and early sick season comprised of RSV, COVID-19 and the flu. Non-essential surgeries have been delayed to help hospitals treat those most sick.