Scrambling after the storm

Businesses around downtown Toronto hit hard by torrential downpour

- JOSH RUBIN

A pedestrian at the corner of Front Street West and Spadina Avenue tries to navigate the streets amid Tuesday’s deluge of rain.

From interrupted beer production, to melted ice cream and having to send staff home, businesses across Toronto were struggling to cope with Mother Nature’s outburst Tuesday.

With 125 millimetres of rain wreaking havoc with the city’s electrical grid and flooding roads and basements, it wasn’t an easy day for businesses.

At Etobicoke’s Great Lakes Brewing, marketing manager Troy Burtch said three sets of brews were in the midst of production when power cut out around noon.

“We thought we might have to pour one down the drain, but it’s all OK now,” Burtch said. Each of those brews was 50 hectolitres, or 5,000 litres.

Still, the storm wasn’t all bad — the brewery’s tap room was filled with eager drinkers from area businesses whose power had also conked out.

“We were slammed. People had to leave work, so they came in here to have a pint instead,” said Burtch. “We were able to set up a credit card terminal by using a hot spot on someone’s phone.”