Outage cleared at multiple Toronto hospitals after strong winds cause disruptions
An outage at Toronto’s University Health Network has been cleared after stormy weather and strong winds caused appointment and service delays at several hospitals in the city.
The health network posted on social media Wednesday afternoon that they have restored the health information system and several of the other systems are being restored as well. The outage started early Wednesday morning.
Patients might still experience delays with care for the remainder of the day, the network added, due to the backlogs that need to clear.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday that the weather caused the outage and it impacted the entire region.
“I've been assured that they are working actively on it,” Jones said Wednesday morning. “I have all the confidence in the world that it will be resolved quickly.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
In a message posted to social media Wednesday, University Health Network (UHN) said the “unexpected” outage impacted service at Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
“The outage is impacting the UHN website, patient portal and patient record systems,” the hospital network stated on social media. “Some patient appointments and procedures are delayed … A limited number of procedures have been cancelled and will be re-booked by clinic staff.”
Dr. Kathryn Tinckam, UHN physician-in-chief and program medical director, told CP24 on Wednesday afternoon that patients have been contacted directly about any changes to their care.
“Patients with early-to-mid morning appointments, have certainly experienced some delays in their care and in some very few cases, we've had to actually postpone some procedures out of an abundance of caution,” Tinckam said. “The teams are working very hard to reschedule any care that's been delayed or postponed.”
She said that very few cases have been postponed and that most patients should just expect slight delays in their care. She said there has also been delays receiving lab results and imaging results.
“We also want to emphasize that patient safety is paramount, and patient safety has not been affected during this incident,” she stated.
She added that the incident is not cyber related and patient information remains safe.
The UHN’s website is back up and running after several hours of not being operational.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.