Death toll after Ontario storm rises as crews work to restore power to 182K customers
Crews continue to try and restore power to more than 182,000 customers across Ontario after a storm ripped through the province over the weekend, leaving at least 10 people dead.
The storm worked fast and furious, lasting only about an hour but leaving behind a path of destruction in its wake.
Eight people died during the storm on Saturday and a ninth person died in the aftermath on Sunday after being struck by a falling tree branch; although officials have not officially confirmed whether or not the incident was related to the weather event.
On Monday, Peterborough police confirmed a 10th death.
"Sadly, a 61-year-old Lakefield man has succumbed to injuries suffered during the storm," officials said on social media.
The majority of people who died were struck by falling trees; although at least one person was on a boat that capsized in the Ottawa River.
At the height of the storm, winds in Kitchener were gusting at about 132 kilometers an hour while at Toronto Pearson Airport, winds were blistering at 120 kilometers an hour.
Jason Fitzsimmons, chief corporate affairs and customer care officer with Hydro One, told CP24 that nearly 500,000 customers in Ontario lost power on Saturday.
As of Monday afternoon, that number has been reduced to about 182,000 customers. Over the last two days crews have been working around the clock to try and clean up the knocked down trees and wires.
The hardest hit areas were Newmarket, Peterborough and Uxbridge. Fitzimmons said that nearly 800 hydro poles across Ontario were broken and four transmission towers in Ottawa had been knocked down.
"This is the most damage that they’ve seen on this level," Fitzimmons told CP24.
"We anticipate in some areas it will unfortunately be several days before we can get the power on."
Crews with Alectra, an electricity provider serving the Golden Horseshoe region, are focusing primarily on Vaughan where a number of poles “took a beating.”
Spokesperson John Friesen said the biggest challenge is the sheer volume of incidents.
“The storm ripped through our service territory all the way from Guelph, Hamilton through to Peel Region and hit York Region pretty hard and as you know some of the other areas across the province have received the same damage we did.”
A power line in Uxbridge was destroyed in a severe thunderstorm on May 21, 2022. (Hydro One)
Friesen said that resources have been reallocated to areas with the most significant damage while also focusing on safety concerns.
As of Monday morning Alectra says there are about 45,000 customers still without power—of those customers about 32,000 are in Vaughan.
Meanwhile, Toronto Hydro says they have restored power to 96 per cent of customers whose electricity was knocked out during the storm.
“We are down to approximately 4,000 customers without power, but we know it is a difficult situation for customers and families that are still out,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“Safety is still our number one priority as crews continue to respond to a number of public safety calls, and crews will continue to work around the clock until all power is restored. “
Hydro Ottawa said Monday that 110,000 of its customers also remain without power.
With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.