Toronto's mayor says the cost of fixing the damage done to the city's shorelines and the Toronto Islands by high water levels on Lake Ontario this summer will run to many millions of dollars.
But John Tory warns the full cost won't be known until the lake waters fully recede.
A city report released this week said the flood will have cost the city about $4.9 million by the end of July, but Tory says that mostly reflects lost revenues from the island ferries.
Tory says it doesn't cover the many millions it will cost to repair the damage to shorelines and infrastructure.
He says the water has begun to recede at the beaches in Toronto's east end, revealing damage along that stretch of shoreline will cost into seven figures to repair.
Tory says the islands are still struggling with high waters and it's not certain when they will reopen to visitors.
Mayor Tory announces the creation of a new position in Toronto to prepare for weather events pic.twitter.com/aPzfcy6cTD
— NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) June 29, 2017
The mayor made the comments at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, where he announced the creation of a new position in the city.
The Chief Resilience Officer will work on putting together a plan so that the city is more prepared for future extreme weather events. He will gather lessons learned from the recent flooding and expert opinion, while working will all departments on ways the city can better prepare.
(with files from Justine Lewkowicz)