April 7 – 1:26pm
Many areas in Bay Ward have had power restored but there are still hundreds without. Barring any further weather issues, including potential wind gusts forecasted for today, Hydro Ottawa expects that power will be restored to all customers by end of day, Saturday, April 8. Please note, this situation remains dynamic and fluid. While the outage map is constantly updated, the estimated times for restoration have proven to be a challenge. In a number of cases yesterday, as restoration work was completed and power was restored, the circuit failed again, resulting in additional efforts on the part of the crews and missed timelines. Given the damage to the tree canopy and the impact on our infrastructure, this is not an unusual circumstance.
Saturday will focus on any residual outage clean-up, and transition to individual homes and businesses, including those with damage to their personal electrical equipment which may require Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permitting and additional work. In some cases, the storm may have caused damage to resident’s home electrical equipment, such as the meter mast and wires connecting directly to the house. If this is the case, then you may need to make repairs (with a qualified electrical contractor) to the equipment before Hydro Ottawa is able to reconnect power.
Currently Glabar Park is the largest impacted area in Bay Ward that is without power. I have been in contact with Hydro Ottawa and asked that this area be added to their restoration efforts today as their objective is to restore power to any and all outage areas in excess of 10 customers. I have also noted and brought to their attention that there continues to be smaller area outages in Belltown and Crystal Beach that still need to be dealt with.
If you need to warm up, charge devices, or access washrooms the following centers are open in the ward to help:
Michele Heights Community Centre – 2955 Michèle Dr
Pinecrest Recreation Complex – 2250 Torquay Ave.
Belltown Dome – 2915 Haughton Ave
Dovercourt Community Centre – 411 Dovercourt Ave
Residents affected by the power outage who are in need of financial help can complete an application and be assessed for emergency assistance for loss of food, and in exceptional circumstances, help with medication, medical supplies or personal care. To apply, visit the online application for emergency assistance or call 3-1-1 and select option 4. If you are already in receipt of Ontario Works, please call your case worker directly.
Residents can visit Hydro Ottawa’s Storm Centre page and outage map, which has the most current and up-to-date information available. If you don’t see your outage on the map, please call our 24/7 outage line at 613-738-0188.
I understand how frustrating these prolonged outages can be for the community, especially as we head into a long weekend. Residents have expressed a number of concerns in relation to infrastructure and areas of priority with regards to power restoration. I will be bringing this forward on behalf of the community for review and discussions with Hydro Ottawa and City staff. Once this has been done my office will put together a Q and A summary with details and share this with the community.
