Ontario Premier Doug Ford to visit areas without power after ice storm

Here’s the **original English article** for reference:  

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**Ontario Premier Doug Ford to visit areas without electricity since ice storm**  
**Hydro One says nearly 200K Ontario homes, businesses still without power after weekend storm**  

*Maan Alhmidi · The Canadian Press · Posted: Apr 03, 2025 12:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago*  

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will visit regions grappling with prolonged power outages caused by an ice storm that struck central and northern Ontario over the weekend.  

As of midday Thursday, nearly 190,000 homes and businesses remained without power, according to Hydro One’s outage map. The storm caused severe damage in cities like Orillia and Peterborough. Another weather system that swept through parts of Ontario on Wednesday and overnight added scattered outages and delayed restoration efforts.  

Hydro One reported that power has been restored to over 83% of the nearly one million affected customers, but “there’s still a lot of work ahead.” Ford called the situation “heartbreaking” and highlighted the deployment of emergency teams, warming centers, and supplies.  

Ford’s office confirmed he will visit the storm command center in Orillia on Friday. He thanked Quebec and Saskatchewan for sending hydro crews and praised NGOs like GlobalMedic and Team Rubicon for assisting with supplies and tree removal.  

Hydro One described the storm as the most severe since the 1998 ice storm, with 3,800 workers and contractors racing to restore power. Most customers are expected to regain electricity by the weekend, though remote areas—including those accessible only by water—may face longer delays.  

**Police urge patience amid outages**  
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) asked non-residents to avoid storm-hit zones and urged patience during recovery efforts. They also reported an incident in Peterborough where a hydro worker was threatened by a driver frustrated over outages, warning that such behavior “will not be tolerated.”  

**Flooding adds to chaos in southern Ontario**  
Heavy rain and localized flooding hit parts of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) overnight, with up to 75 mm of rainfall snarling traffic and closing roads in Brampton and Mississauga. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority warned of rising water levels due to rain and melting snow.  

**Quebec weather woes**  
Much of Quebec faced freezing rain warnings Thursday, with 2–4 mm of ice buildup possible. The Baie-Comeau region braced for up to 20 cm of snow. Hydro-Québec reported around 3,600 customers without power Thursday morning.  

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