Ice storm devastates city

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Good morning!

Hopefully you’ve got your power back by now. It took until late yesterday, but my family, scattered across town, finally got their power back. The family I have outside of town is still waiting. We’ve had two major power failures in less than a year. It’s not the greatest trend. Let’s hope we get off a bit easier this spring.

A reminder about next week’s publishing schedule: There will be no Monday edition of the Lookout next week because of the holiday, and Tuesday’s City Hall Insider will be pushed back a week to April 17. If you’re a Capital Eats subscriber, there will be no Tuesday newsletter, but the Thursday issue will be free for everyone.

There’s a ton to get to, so let’s not doddle.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Friday: +1 🌡️ -10 | ❄️ (chance of flurries)

Saturday: +4 🌡️ -8 | ☀️

Sunday: +10 🌡️ -8 | ☀️

Monday: +15 🌡️ -1 | ☀️

ICE STORM

Thousands without power for second day as city cleans up

What happened: A huge ice storm left more than a quarter-million people across the city without power for some time on Wednesday. By Thursday night, there were still some 36,000 people without power, according to CTV.

The utility hopes to have power fully restored by Saturday.

• "This is a multi-day event, I want to stress that. ... [Wednesday], we experienced one of the most devastating ice storms since 1998. We've had ice storms since then, as recent as 2017-2018, but nothing, nowhere near what we saw yesterday,” Hydro Ottawa’s director of system operations Joseph Muglia said.

Biggest outages: Most of the outages in the city were in 20 large clusters, which was where Hydro Ottawa crews were focusing. The utility said those clusters accounted for about 80 percent of the customers without power on Thursday, CTV reported. They had planned to reconnect those customers by noon, but did not make their deadline. By Thursday evening, some 35,000 customers were still without power.

Outside the city, more than 100,000 Hydro One customers were without power Thursday. That utility hopes to have power restored mostly by today.

• Environment Canada measured 38.5 mm of freezing rain, ice pellets, and rain over the course of the storm Wednesday at the Ottawa airport.

Reddit user LiquefiedMatrix made this graphic showing the progression of power outages across town:

Downed trees: Thousands of trees across the city were damaged by the ice. Limbs, and whole trees dropped onto streets, powerlines, and homes causing damage across town. The city received more than 1,600 requests for service related to trees.

Starting today, fees at the Trail Waste Facility will be waived for storm-related debris. You can also bundle your tree waste by the side of the road, where crews will come to pick it up. There’s no timeline yet on when chipping or pick-up by city crews will get into full swing, the city said.

• “Once hazards and streets are cleared, staff and contractors will address broken limbs, non-hazardous removals, re-inspections, pruning and brush/wood cleanup. By now, we know that this cleanup will be a multi-week effort requiring plenty of resources,” the city said in a memo.

While several intersections were without power, the city said no traffic lights were damaged by the storm.

Injuries: One man in Hintonburg was taken to hospital with serious injuries because of a falling tree branch, CTV reported. In South Stormont, a 59-year-old man was killed by a falling branch, CTV reported.

Help form the city: The city opened up its recreation and community centres so people can shower and charge their devices. Not every centre could be opened because of the loss of power. The city is maintaining a list of which centres are not open on its website.

Sewage problems: Power was lost at some of the wastewater treatment facilities. At the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre, power was out for about a day, CTV reported. This meant that the treatment quality of the water released into the Ottawa River was reduced, municipalities downriver from the plant were notified.

Rail problems: More than half a dozen Via Rail trains were cancelled in and out of the city. And one train hit a fallen tree on the tracks between Ottawa and Kingston, causing significant delays, CTV reported. A rescue train was eventually able to get passengers moving again after several hours stuck on the tracks.

Worse in Quebec: More than a million hydro customers in Quebec were without power Thursday. The province hoped to have 80 percent of those without electricity back up and running by Friday, CTV reported. The biggest damage was in Montreal, where nearly half a million people were without power. By Thursday afternoon, there were about 114,000 customers in the Outaouais region without power, according to CBC.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

📉 $143,545: The amount average home prices have dipped in March compared to the same month last year, a 17 percent drop. The number of sales dropped 40 percent to 1,194 from 2,003 a year before. [CTV]

⛸️ $950,612: The NCC spent this much trying, and failing, to get the Rideau Canal open for this year’s skating season. [CBC]

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2023 special show features include a Friday night Sip + Shop presented by Dunrobin Distilleries and a spotlight on Indigenous artisans with our first-ever Indigenous Showcase produced by Mādahòkì Farm. Learn more.

TRANSIT

LRT strands dozens for hours

What happened: The entire length of the LRT was shut down Wednesday after ice built up in the overhead wires that power the trains. Five trains shut down because ice meant the trains were receiving an inconsistent voltage, then they decided to stop service on the whole line, city officials said in a press conference.

• The trains went out during the morning rush hour before major problems began with the rest of the city’s grid.

Precautions failed: After January’s shutdown of the line because of ice build up, they decided to run trains around the clock, most of them with special winter attachments to remove ice from the overhead cables. That did not work.

Officials said during the press conference that it did not appear that the wires or the trains had been damaged. Shutting them down seems to have prevented similar problems to the last shut down, when attempts to move stuck trains melted and broke overhead wires.

• Full service on the line restarted Thursday evening, 33 hours after it first closed, CTV reported.

Replacement buses: With the LRT down for most of the line Thursday as crews worked to de-ice the system, riders had to take replacement R1 bus service. For many, that meant crowded bus platforms, as passengers seemed to out strip bus capacity:

Communication breakdown: It’s always the same in times like this. Official OC Transpo channels are slow to provide any information about what is causing problems and how long they might last. It’s often worse for riders already on the system.

During the storm,people were left stranded for more than an hour when their train was stopped on the bridge over the Rideau River, CBC reported. Several passengers said that after a brief message from the driver, they were left without any information with what was going on.

OC Transpo’s main Twitter account, which they use to communicate with the public during issues, was silent for hours during the shutdown. It provided no information between its initial update at 9:46 am and 1:50 pm, CBC said.

The Lookout’s view: Your humble newsletter writer got a taste of this poor communication on a bus ride. Due to some debris on the Transitway (I assume, there were barriers across the road), the bus took a detour with no announcement and dropped a number of us off, quite bewildered, not at Billings Bridge but a stop around the corner a few hundred metres away. In the rain and ice.

• The station was not much better. With caution tape blocking off the upper express routes with no notice other than to go to Hurdman station. Not super helpful.

THE AGENDA

🥅 The Sens officially crashed out of the playoff race with a dismal 7-2 loss to the Panthers. [Ottawa Sun]

🐣 Most government services will be closed over the Easter long weekend, with rec centres on modified schedules. Most places to shop will be closed Good Friday, but open Easter Monday (Check their websites to be sure!). [CBC]

⚠️ Nordik Spa said it suffered a data breach, and anyone who bought a gift certificate between Nov. 4 2022 and Feb. 27 of this year may have had their personal information stolen. [CTV]

🏢 The province unveiled a new law that would give renters protection from “renovictions.” Landlords would be required to keep tenants updated on construction progress, and offer the unit back to the renter at the same price level as before once renovations are complete, among other changes. [CBC]

🗞️ Bob and Elaine Bolduc will deliver their last edition of the Ottawa Citizen after 33 years on the job. The pair have only missed one day in that time. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏛️ Pembroke city staff and its integrity commissioner said Mayor Ron Gervais did not break any rules by buying land near his home for $1,000 or for his law firm being hired by the city. [CBC]

🌊 With the warmer weather after all the rain, spring flooding has begun. Several pathways along the Rideau River were closed because of high water levels. [Twitter]

🪧 Striking education workers at Carleton University have a tentative agreement with the school, bringing an end to the job action. [Ottawa Citizen]

EVENTS

What to do this weekend

Music

🎻 Thirteen Strings, Between Heaven and Earth, Friday 7:30 pm: Guest conductor Matthias Maute leads a concert of Vivaldi, Bach, Pärt and more. At the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St. Tickets start at $25.

🎹 “Sounds of Peace” a Classical Piano Concert, Saturday 4 pm: Pianist and composer Girma Yifrashewa returns to Canada with a live piano concert. At the First Unitarian Congregation, 30 Cleary Ave. Tickets $50.

🎼 Steinway Young Performers’ Club, Saturday 5 pm: Musical games and a place to meet new friends, all while playing a Steinway grand piano. For kids four to 12. At the Steinway Piano Gallery, 1481 Innes Rd. Free event.

Food

🥞 Easter Brunch in the Ballroom, Sunday 10 am: A feast for Easter at the Chateau Laurier’s grand ballroom. 1 Rideau St. Tickets $79 for adults, $40 for kids under 12.

Kids/Family

🐇 The Bunny Hop, Saturday and Sunday: An Easter event for the whole family, with a bunny maze, face painting, axe throwing, pony rides, a petting zoo, egg hunt and more. At Ashfield Farm, 8594 Franktown Rd. Tickets start at $10.

🚜 Easter on the Farm, Friday to Sunday: Easter events all across the property. Play areas, the Easterbunny, an egg hunt, a petting zoo, real bunnies and more. At the Log Farm, 670 Cedarview Rd. Tickets $12.50.

🎨 Family Paint Party, Saturday 7 pm: A guided paint party where you can learn new painting techniques making a painting all your own. All ages. At Broadway Bar and Grill Barrhaven, 3777 Strandherd Dr. Tickets $43.

General

🏕️ Ottawa Outdoor and Adventure Travel Show, Saturday and Sunday: Dozens of vendors with all sorts of outdoor gear on display. Camping, family activities, e-bikes, kayaks, trailers, travel plans, and much much more. At the Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave. Free admission.

Market

🐰 SoapLadz Easter Market, Friday to Sunday: Meet with the Easter Bunny, Princess Tiana, and Tinkerbell, and get your photo with them. There’s also an egg hunt, facepainting and dozens of small vendors with plenty for everyone. At the Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave. Free admission.

CAPITAL EATS

This week in food

Every week our team at Capital Eats scours Ottawa for the best places to eat, drinks to try and events to attend. Here’s a breakdown of all the biggest stories.

🍕 The Pizza Safari returns with a trip to Westboro to a restaurant that’s been churning out great pies for three decades.

🌱 (Insiders) How great can vegan food be? This Gatineau bistro elevates the cuisine to new heights.

🍸 (Insiders) Looking to mix something a little different? This French vermouth is a special find, and only in an Ottawa LCBO right now.

🍷 This white German wine is a classic that is worth reevaluating, and makes an interesting entry into the genre.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Have a quilt? The Kemptville Quilters’ Guild is looking to document the history of quilts in eastern Ontario. [CTV]

• After a rough storm, Thursday’s sunset was pretty incredible. [Reddit]

• Spring is here for sure, the river is rising. [Reddit]

• Worried you might not know if your food is still good? Leeds and Grenville put out a handy fact sheet.

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

TOP PHOTO

Today we’ve got a double submission from Alan Bacon and Joanne Reyes from some views around town of what the ice the storm left behind.

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in!

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Adam, Gord, and Michele who all knew the Ottawa Guesser was of Highway 7. It was right at the since-repaired Cavanagh bump, which used to jolt motorists along the highway.

Do you have what it takes to solve this Ottawa Wordle? Play now.

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