MONTREAL – Freezing rain, snow and strong winds have caused numerous power outages across southern Quebec, eastern Ontario and southern New Brunswick and made many sidewalks treacherous for intrepid pedestrians.
Hydro-Quebec reported 180,000 customers were without electricity as of 11:15 a.m. Thursday, while Hydro-One said 22,000 people had no power in Ontario, mostly in the eastern part of the province.
Southern New Brunswick had about 5,800 customers without electricity, primarily in the Fredericton and Chipman areas.
NB Power said the outages were caused by a build up of ice on power lines and equipment.
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In Quebec, most of the blackouts were in the southwestern part of the province, including almost 61,000 in the Laurentians region north of Montreal; nearly 60,000 northeast of the city; more than 12,000 in Quebec City; 3,400 in central Quebec; 5,500 in Montreal; and a little more than 10,000 in the Monteregie region south of Montreal.
In Montreal, pedestrians were forced to walk gingerly and keep an eye on the numerous patches of ice to avoid slipping, while massive puddles awaited them at some intersections.
In Quebec City, schools closed as did at least one junior college. Many other schools throughout the province also shut down for the day.
Hydro-Quebec said in a statement it was working to restore service as quickly as possible.
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“Power should be restored for most affected customers by this evening,” it said, targeting 11 p.m. for most customers. But it cautioned some Quebecers may have to wait until Saturday.
The Quebec utility said 350 crews were working in tough conditions including strong winds and freezing rain.
Hydro-One, which services mainly rural Ontario, said power should be restored throughout the day.