Fact File: Don’t be fooled by AI videos of Toronto snowstorm

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/01/2026 (245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Toronto residents dig out from a record-breaking winter storm — the latest in the city’s snowiest month have been kept — some videos that seemingly show the snow’s aftermath are creating confusion online. 

While many spectacular winter scenes shared in recent days are real, some accounts known for making videos generated with artificial intelligence have been spreading fake clips this month of a snowed-under Toronto. The clips, some of which are spreading online without an AI disclaimer, have drawn more attention after the latest storm.

THE CLAIM 

A video posted to TikTok last Thursday appears to show a stranded TTC streetcar, half-buried under snow. In the video, which has around 89,000 views, people struggle through thigh-deep snow past the idle streetcar, with the CN Tower in the background. 

THE FACTS

The video contains a few visual clues that suggest it’s likely a fake. 

The streetcar’s design doesn’t quite match up — in the video, it appears white with a red stripe along the top, but in reality the cars have more red, especially in front.

The streetcar’s trolley pole is connected to a wire, but the wire disappears in the background, and there are other trolley wires that don’t seem to be connected to anything.

The TikTok video has a watermark, “We Truly Believe.” A Google search of that phrase leads to a Facebook page that posted multiple fake Toronto storm aftermath videos this week. 

The original Facebook post notes in its description and hashtags that the video was created with AI, but the TikTok left out that disclaimer. 

THE CLAIM

On TikTok, separate videos from a single account show snowplows crashing into a car, spraying people with snow at a bus stop and burying a car with snow. 

THE FACTS

In the first video, the maple leaf on the Canadian flag is distorted. The plow that crashes into the parked car is driving on the wrong side of the street. 

In the second video, the snowplow that sprays people waiting for the bus is driving against traffic on the left side of the road. A car approaching the plow from the opposite direction seems about to collide head-on but then it appears to go partially through the plow before passing on the left.

In the third video, which has around 3.1 million plays, the snowplow that buries a car with snow has its blade angled toward the curb, but appears to pass through the car without hitting it.

Most of the videos from the account don’t contain any indication they were made with AI.

THE CLAIM 

A video posted to Facebook on Jan. 16 appears to show a snowmobiler riding on an empty downtown street. “Snowmobiling in Toronto after yesterday’s big snowstorm!” the caption reads. 

THE FACTS

The page that posted the video, “Bounce Break Protocol,” doesn’t mention AI in its description or hashtags, but there are signs the video is a fake.

In the video, there are deep vertical tracks in the snow. But as the snowmobiler rides in a circle, those tracks aren’t disturbed. 

The vehicle also doesn’t create new tracks in the snow.

The Facebook page has a history of posting AI-generated videos, including one of a snowmobiler supposedly cutting off traffic on Highway 401. In that video, the highway signs are gibberish; one sign directs to a “London Collector S” that doesn’t seem to exist, and another reads “Collec tect” (some AI videos have trouble generating text.)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.