Snow storm knocks out power to 148,000 Hydro-Quebec customers
A weather system that dumped a significant amount of snow in several regions of Quebec on Monday morning caused several power outages across the province, with more than 150,000 Hydro-Québec customers plunged into darkness.
The two regions most affected by the blackouts were the Quebec City region and the Eastern Townships At around 10 a.m., more than 62,000 and almost 38,000 customers, respectively, were in the dark.
In Chaudière-Appalaches, nearly 9,900 customers were without power; in Mauricie, more than 5,600; and in the Centre-du-Québec region, more than 6,600.
Francis Labbé, a spokesman for the utility's public affairs department, explained that the five regions most affected by blackouts were those where snowfall was heaviest early in the day. The heavy snow fell on vegetation, causing tree branches to break off and fall on power lines.
In the afternoon, the situation seemed to stabilize, as the weather system moved further east. On the X social media platform, Hydro-Québec reported that the number of outages had fallen below the 80,000 mark - by 4 p.m., its toll had dropped to less than 60,000.
"The mobilization of our teams is therefore continuing in Quebec City, the Eastern Townships and Chaudière-Appalaches. Realistic restoration times will be entered manually as outages are taken over by a team, and the extent of the work is known," the state-owned company wrote in a message on X.
Hydro-Québec hopes to be able to restore service to most of its downed customers by the evening, but warned that more complex cases may have to wait until Tuesday.
Earlier this month, in presenting Hydro-Québec's Action Plan 2035, President and CEO Michael Sabia said the utility planned to invest between $90 and $110 billion over the next 12 years to increase its generating capacity and upgrade the capacity of its transmission system.
He added that between $45 and $50 billion should be used to ensure infrastructure reliability, which, according to the power supplier, would reduce the frequency of outages by 35 per cent over a seven to 10-year horizon. To provide better service, Hydro-Québec planned to deploy new equipment on the distribution network, such as composite poles and conductor protectors, and adopt practices such as light undergrounding of power lines.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 27, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.