Province to pick up the tab for Ottawa storm cleanup
Ottawa mayor Jim Watson says Premier Doug Ford has assured him the province will pay for cleaning up the national capital after Saturday’s powerful, deadly storm.
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s “Ottawa at Work with Leslie Roberts” on Wednesday, Watson said he spoke to Ford by phone and the premier told him Ottawa would be covered.
“As you can imagine, mayors do a good job of asking other levels of government for help, because we obviously can’t absorb all of these costs,” Watson said. “He assured me they would take care of all of our costs, which was very comforting to hear that.”
The cleanup is likely to cost tens of millions of dollars, though no official dollar figure has been shared at this point.
City officials said Tuesday that it would be another two to three days to finish restoring power to the majority of customers. Hydro Ottawa said Wednesday that crews had connected more than 125,000 customers, with 55,000 left to restore as of 1 p.m. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, more than 180,000 customers in Ottawa lost power—about half of Hydro Ottawa’s customer base.
Parts of Ottawa are serviced by Hydro One, which also suffered significant damage. Watson said he spoke to Ford about the need for Hydro One crews and was assured that the city of Ottawa—urban, suburban, and rural—would be supported.
“I asked him for the city of Ottawa. They’re all part of the city of Ottawa, so things like the overtime costs for us to move brush, and our forestry department and so on, he was very definitive that the province will pay all the costs, so I’m appreciative of that commitment,” the mayor said.
Ford previously told Watson that restoring power was the “number one issue” following the storm
"We're giving it everything we have; we have all the resources out there working as hard as possible," Ford told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s “The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll” on Monday.
The derecho storm came with winds of up to 190 km/h in parts of the region, according to analysis by the Northern Tornadoes Project, and toppled trees, hydro poles, and even metal hydro towers, leaving tens of thousands without power, some of whom are approaching a fifth night in the dark.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.