When an ill wind brings wintry weather far too soon, a transit shelter looks pretty darn inviting to TTC riders.

And when a shelter that has long provided riders with protection from the elements disappears and is not replaced at the onset of cold weather, it is sorely missed, to say the least.

This week’s weather is a reminder that this here’s Canada, where winter can roll in a lot sooner than the calendar says it should, even in Toronto where we usually get off easier than most of the country.

It’s the coldest, snowiest mid-November around here in nearly 70 years. It looks more like the middle of February than late autumn, which puts the public on a slippery winter footing much earlier than expected.

It also makes waiting for the bus a teeth-chattering business, especially at stops where a transit shelter made it easier to bear, at least until it vanished.

That’s the situation at the northeast corner of Sheppard Ave. E. and Ambrose Rd., just west of Leslie St., where TTC riders fondly recall the good ol’ days, when they could wait for the bus in a shelter.

Hal Ritchie sent a note saying he often rides the Sheppard bus and gets on at the stop at Ambrose, where the shelter was removed last summer and has yet to be replaced.

“It was not a problem in the summer, except there was nowhere to sit,” said Ritchie, adding that he’s a senior who appreciates being able to take a load off his feet.

“Now that the cold weather is here, it would really help all affected if the shelter could be replaced,” he said, noting that most of the TTC stops along Sheppard have shelters.

I was there Tuesday, the day after the snowstorm, and saw two pylons that mark the spot where the shelter stood, along with several shivering people waiting for the bus. Among them was a woman with an infant in a stroller.

STATUS: Eric Holmes, who deals with media for transportation services, which is responsible for transit shelters through its street furniture division, is trying to find out why the shelter was taken down and when it will be returned. More on that to come.

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