$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
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.