The swine flu scare, the weeks of fetid garbage rotting due to the civic strike and the devastation of Woodbridge by an F2 tornado are some of the most newsworthy stories from 2009.
Here is what CTV Toronto sees as the GTA's and southern Ontario's top 10:
1. Swine flu
The world's new pandemic emerged in Mexico in the spring, but it really hit home in late October when 13-year-old Evan Frustaglio died after contracting the virus at a hockey tournament. He actually died of a very rare complication that affected his heart. But the tragedy sent worried parents stampeding to flu clinics, overwhelming them in the first few days.
By the time the Toronto clinics ended on Dec. 11, the fear factor had subsided considerably. Toronto Public Health said it immunized about 229,000 people at its mass clinics. It distributed more than one million doses of vaccine to other health-care providers and institutions.
More than 100 people died across Ontario as of early December.
2. The garbage strike
Well, it was more than just a garbage strike -- the city's inside and outside workers walked off the job, affecting a wide range of municipal services, including day cares and summer camps for children.
Some management and non-union workers worked crazy amounts of overtime to keep vital services such as the water system operating.
But as with the much shorter version in 2002, it's the garbage that people will remember -- especially those unfortunate enough to live close to the temporary sites set up in city parks and recreational areas. Police had to keep the peace at times when residents tried to block individuals from dropping off garbage.
At the end, the city and its two unions reached a negotiated settlement that would eventually phase out the old sick days plan and provided wage settlements in line with other public-sector agreements. But some questioned why the same deal couldn't have been reached without a strike.
3. The tornadoes
Aug. 20 would turn out to be one for the record books. A warm thunderstorm system moving up from Michigan met cold winds over Ontario and the result was one of the most intense severe-weather days in the province's history. One boy would die near Durham in Grey County. But the worst property damage would occur in Woodbridge, where more than 600 homes sustained damage, with nearly 40 seriously affected. A handful would need to be rebuilt from scratch. The miracle? No one in Woodbridge died or even suffered serious injuries.
4. Michael Bryant
Michael Bryant, a former attorney general of Ontario, saw his life turned upside down following a shocking incident with bicyclist Darcy Allen Sheppard that left Sheppard dead on Bloor Street.
As a result, Bryant will be facing criminal charges of criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death, with a trial possible in 2010.
The bare bones are that Bryant had been out celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife, entertainment lawyer Susan Abramovitch. They crossed paths with Sheppard, who had a police encounter at his ex-girlfriend's apartment earlier, on Bloor Street.
It isn't yet clear why things escalated, but Bryant drove west on Bloor with Sheppard hanging on to his car. Sheppard's body hit a mailbox and he died of his injuries, leaving four children without a father. Bryant remained at the scene. Days later, Bryant would resign as CEO of Invest Toronto.
The tragedy ignited a debate over how motorists and cyclists can co-exist on Toronto's crowded streets.
5. Tori Stafford
Undoubtedly the most tragic story of 2009. Stafford, an eight-year-old Woodstock girl, disappeared on April 8. The only clue was some grainy security camera footage of a mysterious young woman leading Tori by the hand as she left school.
On May 20, the mystery took a step closer to being solved. Police arrested two individuals and charged them in connection with Tori's disappearance. It would take about two more months before Tori's remains would be found. At one point, police had said they might never find the little girl.
Michael Rafferty and Terri-Lynne McClintic will be facing murder charges, although it isn't known yet when their trial dates will be.
6. Mayor David Miller calls it quits
Mayor David Miller gave every sign of intending to try for a third term as mayor. He won the job on a reformist agenda in 2003, wielding a broom as a symbol of his intention to clean up city hall.
For that reason, it came as a surprise when he held a news conference on Sept. 25 to say he wouldn't be running again. "It was a difficult decision but I feel secure in my priorities and proud of my record," he said at a news conference with his family standing by.
The decision came nearly two months after the bruising 39-day strike, one that saw Miller become a punching bag for frustrated residents.
7. The summer of yuck
There's really no other word for it. Toronto had a summer to forget. Lots of gloom and rain, with little heat. Toronto didn't even break 30 C once in July. On the last weekend of August, 480 of 596 campsites at Sibbald Point Provincial Park sat empty.
8. The Olympic torch comes to Toronto
As part of its winding journey towards the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, the torch relay came to Toronto. On Dec. 17, Vicky Sunohara, an Olympic hero with the Canadian women's hockey team, lit the cauldron at Nathan Phillips Square to cap off a terrific day. "I came here as an immigrant with my family, and to take part in something like this is so special. I'm just so proud to be a Canadian," said filmmaker Ivan Reitman, who passed the torch to his filmmaker son Jason.
9. Mariam Makhniashvili
The teenager came to Toronto with her brother George from the Republic of Georgia in late June to reunite with their parents, who had been working in Los Angeles for the past five years. On Sept. 14, she went to school with George and then disappeared. Despite an incredibly intensive search effort by Toronto police, no trace of her has been found. Police don't yet know whether she was the victim of foul play or if she decided to walk away from her family.
10. The eHealth scandal
The long-running problems associated with trying to create an electronic medical records system for Ontario blew up this spring as a constant stream of revelations about mismanagement at the arm's-length provincial agency rocked the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty. EHealth's CEO and chair would eventually step down. Health Minister David Caplan also resigned on the eve of a damning report by Auditor General Jim McCarter.
