Article - Toronto: City faces slip-and-fall lawsuits

The Star, January 26
Author: Sandro Contenta

[Is] it preferable to risk the safety of your citizens than pay the costs of doing your due diligence?" says Preyra, who specializes in personal injury claims.

He believes the question is important given city hall's policy of not plowing 2,000 kilometres of sidewalks in central Toronto – a swath that runs from just north of St. Clair Ave. down to Lake Ontario, and from Jane St. east to Victoria Park Ave.

Provincial law requires municipalities to maintain all sidewalks. They can pass bylaws like Toronto's requiring homeowners to clean snow from adjacent sidewalks. But courts have ruled that if someone slips and falls, municipalities are liable.