Updated April 4, 2025 @ 5:02pm
Prolonged power outages could linger into next week in remote Ontario communities after punishing spring storms, officials said, as Premier Doug Ford toured some hard-hit areas.
During a stop in Orillia, Ford thanked hydro workers, volunteers and local officials for their ongoing efforts to restore power to tens of thousands of homes and business that are still in the dark.
"I can assure you we're working around the clock to get people's power up," he said.
The weekend storm caused severe damage in cities such as Orillia and Peterborough, while another storm system that moved through parts of Ontario mid-week caused additional scattered outages and slowed down restoration efforts.
Restoration was set to continue through the weekend, but it could take longer for remote areas, Hydro One said Friday. Power had been restored to 89 per cent of customers but about 140,000 were still without power.
CEO David Lebeter said Friday he expected that number would fall to 70,000, including 37,000 seasonal homes, by the end of the day.
"We're well on our way to having this wrapped up. There will be some people that are going to go into next week," he said.
"Small rural communities or homes down isolated roads — it's going to take a long time. But we hope to have 95 to 98 per cent of the people back by the end of this weekend."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2025.
