Fears of glass falling from a highrise building closed a nearby street on Wednesday after a glass panel broke the night before.
Glass fell from a balcony on the 27th floor of the Festival Tower condominium above the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Tuesday night. The building is on John Street, north of King Street.
Tom Dutton, senior vice-president of the building's developer Daniels Corp., said one glass panel broke and shattered into a number of pieces before falling near the entrance. He said the developer's building science engineers have been trying to decipher what went wrong. For now, protection is being put against the John Street side of the building, he said.
Mr. Dutton said he is worried about the thousands of other similar panels on building. "This is a very serious situation, which we're extremely concerned about," he said. The road closure will likely end by Thursday afternoon, he said.
City building inspectors were on the scene throughout the day while police kept the street closed.
The city is working with the developer to bring it into compliance and make sure the area is safe, according to Ann Borooah, chief building official and executive director of Toronto Building. She said in a statement that the cause is still being investigated.
John Street was closed in both directions from Adelaide to King Street.
Also, Grosvenor Street remained closed near Bay Street. That closure began on Monday, when a panel of glass fell from a highrise on Grosvenor onto the street. Glass fell from the same building about two weeks ago.
With a report from the Canadian Press