Hydro-Quebec making slow but steady progress; 50,000 customers still without power
More than 30,000 Hydro-Quebec customers have regained power in the past 24 hours, but the company's teams still have work to do.
The number of homes without power has dropped to just under 53,000 Thursday morning, according to data released at 7:45 a.m. by Hydro-Quebec.
As has been the case since severe thunderstorms hit Quebec and Ontario last Saturday, the region most affected by outages is the Laurentians, with more than 30,000 customers still in the dark.
In Outaouais, more than 11,000 customers still have no power, while that number is just over 8,900 in Lanaudière.
Wednesday, the Crown corporation estimated that it would be able to restore service to most of the affected households by the end of the day on Thursday.
Some homes that are more isolated or in difficult-to-access areas will have to wait longer -- perhaps Friday or Saturday.
Sophie Brochu, president and CEO of the Crown corporation, says the extent of the disaster is the worst since the 1998 ice storm, noting the thunderstorms hit a swath of territory 300 kilometres long by 100 kilometres wide.
As many as 500 poles and 100 transformers need to be replaced. To date, some 300 poles have been replanted.
Ten people died as a result of Saturday's storms, nine in Ontario and one in Quebec.
Brochu says she believes the operation will cost the Crown corporation "tens of millions" but assures that customers will not see price hikes as a result.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 26, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.