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Man the sky really is falling in Toronto. If it's not glass it's the Gardiner. If it's not the Gardiner it's glass. Nutty!
 
Toronto's weather is truly horrible. Virtually everything we've come up with to clad buildings and streets deteriorates much more rapidly than it would elsewhere.
 
In all honesty, this has been happening for years. It's simply more visible now because of all the construction, and because the news media has latched onto it. The number of items (some much worse than glass) that I've heard of, or witnessed, falling from a high-rise building during my career, would astound the lot of you.
 
In all honesty, this has been happening for years. It's simply more visible now because of all the construction, and because the news media has latched onto it. The number of items (some much worse than glass) that I've heard of, or witnessed, falling from a high-rise building during my career, would astound the lot of you.

How about balcony railings, are there any stories about them that we don't know about before I lean over it next time?!
 
In all honesty, this has been happening for years. It's simply more visible now because of all the construction, and because the news media has latched onto it. The number of items (some much worse than glass) that I've heard of, or witnessed, falling from a high-rise building during my career, would astound the lot of you.

Well there was an entire balcony that collapsed in Montreal last summer. Anything worse then that?
 
As an aside, I'm getting concerned about balcony glass being a cliche--even more particularly when it comes to renos of older buildings, the aesthetic result, et al. (Thought of this when mulling over the Wynford Heights apartment towers this morning; at least one of them had glass replacements and seem to lose its Corbusian visual zip as a result)

The metal sidings are unacceptable and universally loathed for good reason. They rust and can't stand the weather, and tend to block a lot more light than they should. Whenever I'm in the living room of a 60s-70s block the darkness and spider/pigeon infested neglected balcony always get to me.

The same units with glass or traditional railings would provide a much better environment for their inhabitants.

P.S. I don't particularly prefer glass to other light-allowing alternatives.
 
Tenants and condo owners should contact the super or board about deteriorating balcony conditions. The more complaints, the more likely some sort of action could be followed. That includes crumbling concrete (even little peddles), in which pieces of which could fall on people below.
 
So should tourists be warned to walk down certain streets and not others? When I was there 7 years ago, I certainly was quite aware of the flurry of building going on. It has been so many decades since the John Hancock Building in Boston had this problem that I guess I thought the engineering of building had improved by leaps and bounds. But now windows wont' stay in their frames? Have there been safety studies like they have when planes crash? Has anyone made a concerted effort to get to the crux of the matter? Or is it just taken for granted that the Harper government is the cause of it all?:p
 
New Ontario rules aim to keep glass from tumbling off high-rise balconies

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...bling-off-high-rise-balconies/article4359626/

Ontario’s housing minister has announced new building code rules she says will prevent glass from breaking off high-rise balconies.

Kathleen Wynne says the province will require construction companies to install the same kind of heat-resistant glass used in car windshields close to the outside edge of balconies.

Construction firms will also have to use heat-strengthened glass for both the inside and outside edges of balconies.

The move comes after a recent spate of incidents that have seen shards of glass rain down from skyscraper balconies in Toronto.

Ms. Wynne says the rules will kick in July 1 and are meant as an interim measure until national standards are developed.

The changes apply only to new construction.

She says anyone in Toronto concerned about their balcony should contact the city.
 

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