‘God says ‘you can’t leave’: Toronto man whose home was hit by tree during storm proposes to fiance
Posted September 3, 2026 6:58 pm
2 min read
Leaside home gets hit by a massive maple tree during storm
Stephen Armstromg is upbeat despite the fact a tree hit his home in Leaside during Wednesday afternoon’s storm and his front sidewalk and door are blocked by the giant tree limbs.
“We had just come in the house and we started videotaping out the front door because the wind was coming sideways and we went into the back of the house and all of a sudden bang,” said Armstrong.
A massive branch from a maple tree, which sits on a boulevard owned by the city, ripped away from the trunk, the limbs brushing up against the windows and tearing down some eavestroughs.
Armstrong says it appears his home, the truck in his driveway and the vehicles in his neighbour’s driveway were not damaged.
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Armstrong had a plan to propose to his girlfriend of six years on Wednesday and was not prepared to let a storm derail his special plans.
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“Nobody died, but it was a hell of a time, you know. When you get married it should be memorable. When you propose, this was memorable,” he said.
Armstrong shared a video with Global News that his son filmed showing the proposal.
As his fiance is trying on a new coat Armstrong had bought her with a box hidden in the pocket, his phone begins to ring.
“The phone’s ringing and my neighbours are telling me about the tree, as I’m trying to propose,” says Armstrong.
His girlfriend found the ring and said “yes.”
Shabnam Saffari told Global News she was confused by how calm Armstrong was, given a massive tree limb had just fallen onto the front lawn striking the edge of the home.
“It was really memorable. It was a stressful and emotional day mixed together for us,” Saffari said.
The neighbours called 311 on Armstrong’s behalf. He said the City of Toronto told them it’s a priority for them to remove the fallen tree given it’s blocking a sidewalk.
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“Just to propose and have her say ‘yes’ was great but god says ‘you can’t leave’,” said Armstrong, referring to the fact the front door is still blocked.
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