Schools closed Monday morning after hundreds of thousands remained without power and many Ontario areas were hit by storm freezing over the weekend.
As of Monday morning, a widespread blackout in the province, extending from the Gray Bruce to the Quebec border, was serving the company, according to the Hydro One blackout map. More than 390,000 homes and businesses had no power.
More than 532,000 others have also recovered since the storm began, according to Hydro One.
Hydro One estimated that power would not be recovered in some areas until Tuesday or Wednesday. Many major cities do not provide services from their companies.
“It’s all practical decks as crews work together with contractors to restore power to customers,” it says on its website.
Alectra Utilities’, which serves Barry, said there are still 18,000 people in the city.
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Additionally, several school boards closed classrooms on Monday, including the Simcombskoka Catholic District School Board, Kawalta Pine Ridge District School Board, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarrington Catholic District School Board.
Many municipalities have declared states of emergency in Peterborough, Orlialia, Oromedonte, Brock and Muscoca districts.
“On Sunday, March 30, 2025, the city declared a state of emergency to support recovery efforts related to ice storms,” a note on Peterborough’s website read. “Ice buildup is knocking down power lines, trees and limbs, causing power outages and unsafe conditions.”
Ontario Police said that the warming centre opened in Orillia and Tay townships, one of the hardest hit areas in central Ontario, and that the city of Peterborough has also opened a warming centre.
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Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry said residents could expect more than 48 hours of power blackout.
“We think thousands of trees have been damaged or down in the city, and we think the entire electric grid was out,” Ferry said in a phone interview. “We’re just asking people to avoid the dangerous dangers of overhanging limbs and trees.”
Many businesses also had to close their doors.
Gina Allison runs a home-based salon in Oro Midonte and has no power since the early hours of Saturday morning.
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She and her family were called “Nerve Wracking” on Sunday as the trees collided with the deck and the car.
“We had trees down around us. It was crazy. I’d never seen anything like this,” she said in a phone interview Monday.
“This storm is different from what I’ve seen before.”
Allison said that both families’ cars were damaged, and one of them was severely dented after the tree hit “like a torpedo.”
She had to close the salon while she assessed the damage and waited for the power to recover. Clients and friends offered to provide food and shelter during that time, she said, but her family decided to wait.
– Using files from Canadian press
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