$30 million bill to reconnect hydro after storm
The May 21 storm has cost Hydro Ottawa $25-$30 million, more than five times what the 2018 tornadoes cost, CEO Bryce Conrad says.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Conrad delivered the first preliminary estimate of the cost of the damage to Ottawa’s power grid following the derecho that smashed into Ottawa with winds of up to 190 km/h 10 days ago.
He stressed that this is the estimated cost to Hydro Ottawa alone, and that capital expenses are likely the bulk of the bill.
“We are thankful, obviously, that the premier has agreed to cover these costs and we’ll obviously roll these costs up into the final bill the city submits,” Conrad said.
Conrad said 98 per cent of customers who lost power in the storm have been reconnected, but there remained 3,000 customers still without power as of Tuesday afternoon, in pockets across the city.
Newly discovered damage and equipment needs are some of the issues slowing down recovery, Conrad said.
“In some of the harder hit areas, a lot of the equipment is actually in the back yards of residences. As we get in and do that backyard work to pick up eight or 10 people, we’re finding that instead of simply needing to replace a pole, the transformer’s crushed or something’s happened to it,” he explained. “So, we need to pivot and replace that. It just takes longer than it otherwise would.”
He also said that large cranes are sometimes required to move poles into place around obstacles, which also takes extra time.
Hydro Ottawa brought its outage map back online Monday night to offer an estimated restoration time for residents who are still without power. Conrad stressed these estimates are based on the information they have, but the situation is fluid and dynamic and new damage is sometimes discovered.
He also acknowledged that some other residents who’ve had power restored have experienced new outages.
“Let me assure you, we are not doing any planned work at the moment. All work, all efforts are focused on storm restoration,” he said.
More than 8,000 customers in Stittsville and Kanata lost power Monday night, and several customers in the Parkway Park area in Nepean lost power Tuesday morning. Conrad said this occurred as storm damaged infrastructure failed.
“What we found last night was a piece of infrastructure that was severely damaged and compromised by the storm. We had crews working on site and saw the switch fail so we were able to effect repairs fairly quickly,” he explained, saying a similar issue was behind the outage Tuesday morning.
“We are completely cognizant of the fact that residents are traumatized by this particular event,” he added. “Do we expect more of this? The system is going to be sensitive for the next week or two until it works itself in, but once we’re beyond that, we should be fine.”
SCHOOLS
Five schools remain without power, three in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and two in the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says Merivale, Brookfield, and Bell high schools will remain closed Tuesday because they have no power. Students will be learning remotely. Castor Valley Elementary School will continue with remote learning on Tuesday, but will re-open for in person learning on Wednesday.
The Ottawa Catholic School Board says Sacred Heart and St. Monica schools remain without power. Virtual learning in the catholic board began Monday.
Schools with electricity are open as normal.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTRES
Four community support centres remain open this week, operating from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The centres will have information related to general insurance, housing and financial services, building and demolition permit requirements and processes, public health, psychosocial support, and more.
In addition, each location will provide access to charging stations for electronic devices, showers, and washrooms.
They are at:
- CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn (1500 Shea Road)
- François Dupuis Recreation Complex(2263 Portobello Boulevard)
- Howard Darwin Centennial Arena (1765 Merivale Road)
- Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre (3320 Paul Anka Drive)
The Howard Darwin Centennial Arena and the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre will also have food available until 7 p.m. Wednesday.
STORM DEBRIS
The city has asked residents to place any storm debris at the end of their driveways or at the curb for pickup, though officials caution that the full cleanup could take weeks or even months.
The city is collecting both organic debris, such as tree branches, and non-organic items like shingles blown off roofs or other building materials. Organic and non-organic debris should be kept separate.
Ensure any debris set out for collection is not blocking any sidewalks, paths, roadways or fire hydrants. Smaller yard waste can be put in yard waste bags, as usual. Glass and other sharp items should be wrapped up and labelled to protect workers.
“Dedicated clean-up crews will pick up this debris as they move through the city; this may not be according to your regular collection schedule. The crews may need extra time to collect all the items, so please be patient and leave these items at the roadside,” the city said in a public service announcement.
The Trail Waste Facility, at 4475 Trail Rd., is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tipping fees for residents with storm-related materials will be waived.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Here's what 'the hinge' move is, how to do it correctly
When you're picking something up from the floor or bending over to tie your shoe laces, you're performing "the hinge move," according to movement trainers.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Trump heading to Jersey Shore to rally 'mega crowd' in weekend break from hush money trial
After a long week in court, Donald Trump is heading to the Jersey Shore. And his campaign says he'll be joined by "tens of thousands" of his friends.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.