Ontario trio fixing one pothole at a time as millions watch
· Toronto Sun
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Thousands of people complain about potholes, but three Ontario residents decided to do something about them.
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And in doing so, these guys have quickly gained a village worth of support for the pesky pothole cause.
Adopting the Instagram account @sanchez.ontario, the trio started posting videos of their handiwork, patching potholes in London, Toronto and Scarborough.
Since launching the page in May, they have gained 24,500 followers and generated a total of 10.8 million views.
The road rationale
“2 year ago I lost people I loved because of a dangerous pothole,” Sanchez, whose real name reportedly is Karam Alfarra, posted on Instagram. “Since that day, I can’t look at broken roads the same way. So I started patching dangerous potholes around Ontario as a volunteer with my own time, my own hands, and my own money.”
“I know I can’t fix every road, but if one patch makes one drive safer, it’s worth it. If there’s a dangerous pothole near you, comment or DM the address. We’ll come patch it,” he adds.
One Instagram user was thoroughly behind the idea.
“That is awesome!” the post said. “I sure wish you were in Edmonton … our roads are a huge hazard!”
Another user basically told them to where to go.
“Arthur Street South in Elmira desperately needs to be done,” the post said. “It was rated the second worst road in Waterloo Region this year.”
Meanwhile, one Instagram post expressed concern for their welfare.
“I hope they will not (be) fined, as happened in UK for cleaning streets,” the post said.
In action
A video from London, Ont., shows the trio hauling bags of what appears to be ready-made asphalt out of a red car and dumping it into a pothole. They brought along at least one shovel, a rake, a cordless leaf blower, a broom and a plate compactor to complete the job. Orange pylons created a work space on the road.
They were also wearing safety vests and work gloves.
“One of our followers from the 520 Mornington area (in London) told us that kids have been constantly falling and getting hurt because of this pothole,” Sanchz said on Instagram. “They also mentioned that when it rains, it causes problems for cars passing through the area.”
In total, they have posted four videos.
The trio purchased the equipment needed but have since started a GoFundMe campaign to support them as they seek to expand their operation.
“My name is Karam, but most people know me as Sanchez,” he said on the funding page. “I’m 25 years old, and I started fixing dangerous potholes across Ontario because I got tired of seeing people get hurt while nobody acted fast enough. Two years ago, we lost one of our friends because of a dangerous pothole. That moment changed everything for me. Since then, I promised myself I would do whatever I could to stop another family from going through the same pain.”
As of Friday afternoon, they had reached $2,089 on their GoFundMe page, which has an overall goal of raising $30,000.
“What started with just a few people, and basic tools has now turned into a growing movement across Ontario,” Sanchez said. “We now have volunteers in multiple cities who are ready to help repair roads, protect drivers, and make our communities safer. Our goal is to build a station in every city across Ontario so we can respond faster and repair more roads before accidents happen.”