Despite ongoing efforts by Hydro One, many cottage properties remain without power after Ontario’s recent ice storm.
Starting March 28, three days of freezing rain battered the province’s cottage country, with some areas receiving up to 25 mm in ice accretion. Power lines and trees collapsed under the weight of the ice, causing widespread outages. It’s estimated that approximately one million people were affected by the storm, with six areas declaring states of emergency: Peterborough, Orillia, Muskoka, Haliburton Highlands, Kawartha Lakes, and Oro-Medonte.
Hydro One dispatched 4,800 workers to restore power. This included help from contractors and 30 utility partners such as Oshawa Power and Toronto Hydro. The company reported 2,300 broken poles that needed to be replaced before power could be restored, as well as sections of local distribution grids that needed to be rebuilt. Hydro One brought in helicopters to replace poles in hard-to-reach areas, but ongoing wind and snow delayed recovery efforts.
Two weeks on and Hydro One has restored power to 99.6 per cent of customers. However, the company’s outage map shows that there are still close to 4,000 properties in cottage country without power. These properties are spread all over, with some concentrated around Honey Harbour and Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, Stoney Lake in Peterborough County, and Gull Lake in Haliburton County.
“Work continues to restore power to the remaining residential customers and secondary properties (cottages/trailers) where there are access issues creating unsafe conditions for crews. This includes partially frozen lakes and the inability to safely land our helicopters along with localized flooding,” Hydro One said in a statement.
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Since some of these properties are water access only, it could be May before they see power restored. (However, Hydro One said this will depend on the weather. Agreeable weather could see power restored sooner.)
Hydro One has also introduced an Ice Storm 2025 Recovery Grant for Indigenous communities and municipalities impacted by the storm. They can apply for $10,000 to help with recovery and clean-up efforts.
Hydro One customers with personal property damaged during the storm, specifically the electrical equipment that attaches power lines to a customer’s cottage, will have to hire a licensed electrical contractor to make the repairs. According to the Electrical Safety Authority, the wires from the pole to the cottage are typically owned by the utility company, but the mast and the wires attached to the property belong to the customer.
It’s possible that Hydro One may have made temporary repairs to a cottage’s electrical system during the storm clean-up to restore power quickly, but these repairs need to be made permanent within 30 days. This work would require a licensed electrical contractor. Hydro One or the Electrical Safety Authority should send the property owner a letter advising them of this.
Finally, if a customer sees downed lines near their property, they should stay at least 10 metres away and contact Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235. “These lines can be a hazard to you and your family,” the company said.
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