Stories From the Ice Storm

Even in the dark and bitter cold of a freezing January, life, in all its variety, had to go on. At a time when the simplest of domestic chores became a test of ingenuity and endurance, people got married, babies were delivered, journeys were undertaken. Here are stories of all that, and more. There’s the inspiring story of the elderly goldfish, the train-ride from hell, the fifteen problem chimps, the exploding stove and the burning tree. There’s a story from an eighty-five-year-old poet, a child of ten, and even one from a dog.

The gallant people who helped run the shelters and the hospitals share their funniest and most poignant memories. Soldiers in the army, one of those famous Hydro linesmen, and a volunteer firefighter tell us just what it was like. And authors Steven Heighton, Karen Molson, and Jane Urquhart, amongst others, add their own perspective on living through the storm.

The destruction and the human cost reminded people of a war. Though the “enemy” this time was Nature, and in many ways looked beautiful, the ice storm brought real hardship and death. But like a war it also brought people together as never before, and gave Canadians something to remember, whether happy, inspiring, or sad, for the rest of their lives. Stories from the Ice Storm captures all that, for the people who were there, and for the millions of Canadians who looked on.