Power outages persist in hard-hit areas after Ontario ice storm

Ontario’s provincial utility says power has been restored to more than half a million customers since the start of a weekend ice storm but that some hard-hit regions may have to wait until the end of the week.

Hydro One says more than 280,000 homes and businesses were still without power as of Tuesday morning.

Read More:

• Hundreds of thousands in Ontario still without power on third day of storm
• Quebec becomes last province with a price on carbon, but how long will it last?
• Federal party leaders continue campaigning as more Trump tariffs loom

Officials say repairs in hard-hit areas including Orillia and Peterborough could take until Friday.

The storm covered roads and other surfaces with ice, causing hazardous driving conditions and damage to trees. Most city facilities and all parks are closed until further notice due to downed trees and unstable branches.

As it moved east, the storm also caused outages in Quebec, though on a smaller scale with 3,000 customers still in the dark, according to Hydro-Québec.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for a stretch of Ontario where rain and freezing rain are expected between Wednesday and Thursday mornings, but says the impact won’t be as significant as last weekend’s storm.

Parts of the Atlantic provinces and northeastern Quebec are under heavy rainfall or freezing rain warnings.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.

The Canadian Press