Tree said to have inspired song ‘The Maple Leaf Forever’ falls victim to Toronto storm

Canadian Press | 13/07/20 | Last Updated: 13/07/20 4:54 PM ET
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Courtesy of Sarah B. Hood   A silver maple tree in Toronto’s Leslieville area that is credited as being the inspiration behind Alexander Muir's 1867 song “The Maple Leaf Forever,” was destroyed by a massive storm that hit the city on July 19, 2013.

A tree said to have inspired the song The Maple Leaf Forever was a victim of severe weather that hit southern Ontario.

The aged silver maple near downtown Toronto was among the many trees that came down as fierce winds moved through the region Friday night.

The tree stood in front of a house in the city’s Leslieville area.

National Post/Files   A winter photo of the Toronto maple tree said to have inspired the song "The Maple Leaf Forever."

 

A plaque in front of the house says the tree’s falling leaves inspired Alexander Muir, the one-time principal of nearby Leslieville public school, to write The Maple Leaf Forever.

Muir wrote the song in 1867, the year of Confederation.
He died in 1906.

Elsewhere on Saturday, hydro crews had to be called back from summer vacation after a massive storm ripped through Ontario and southern Quebec, killing one person, injuring 10 others and leaving thousands without power.

At its peak, more than half-a-million customers in Quebec were without power after the storm on Friday. That number dropped steadily on Saturday and was down to about 230,000 by mid-afternoon.
Hydro Quebec said the area around Montreal would likely have power back by the end of the weekend.

Other areas, such as the City of Laval and regions further north, could have to wait considerably longer.

It could be days before crews are able to access downed power lines in more remote areas because roads are blocked by fallen trees, said a spokesman for Hydro Quebec.

“It was the severity of the thunderstorms and the fact that it touched a whole lot of regions across Quebec that really made this exceptional,” Gary Sutherland said in an interview.