Hydro One sending 30 employees to Nova Scotia to help with storm cleanup
Ontario’s Hydro One is sending 30 employees to Nova Scotia to help restore power to hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses still without electricity after post-tropical storm Fiona ravaged Atlantic Canada last week.
At the height of the storm, nearly 500,000 people across the Maritimes lost electricity. As of Monday night, there were still about 250,000 customers without power and utility companies are warning it could take days to restore.
Over the weekend, Hydro Ottawa sent a crew of about a dozen to help with the cleanup efforts. This included 10 power line technicians, five bucket trucks, a crew supervisor, safety partner, and a fleet mechanic.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that Hydro One was “on standby” should further assistance be required.
“Hydro Ottawa crews are on their way to Nova Scotia this morning to help with repairing the damage caused by Fiona,” Ford said in a message on social media.
“Ontario will continue to be here to help our friends in Atlantic Canada.”
Later in the day, the electricity company said it would be sending 30 line workers to help Nova Scotia Power with restoration efforts.
The crews are expected to reach the area of Truro, Nova Scotia by Tuesday evening.
A spokesperson for Nova Scotia Power said that thousands of downed trees on power lines, as well as debris and broken or leaning poles, are slowing down progress to turn on power. More than 1,000 technicians are in the field, including the crews from Ontario and those from New Brunswick, Quebec and New England.
The Chief Operating Officer of Hydro One said in a statement they were “proud to answer the call” for assistance.
"Fiona brought with it heavy rainfall, severe winds and historic damage. Our thoughts are with our fellow Canadians in the east affected by this catastrophic storm," David Lebeter said.
Nova Scotia Power crews work to repair toppled power lines in front of the entrance to the McCurdy Airport in Sydney, N.S., Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Vaughan Merchant
In addition to the widespread power outages, the storm caused coastal flooding and mass destruction.
The death toll related to the storm is unclear. Officials are searching for at least one man who went missing and was believed to have been swept out to sea, while an investigation is underway into another possible death related to “generator use.”
A 73-year-old woman from Port aux Basques, N.L. was found deceased after her home was flooded and swept out to sea.
With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.