Thousands of people in Canada’s Ontario are
facing power outages after a storm swept through parts of the province, the
local power company, Hydro One, said on Saturday. The company said that the
storm gusting up to 90 to 100 kilometres affected over 200,000 consumers as
broken poles and trees fell on lines. The power company crews were responding
to the outages.

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“Over 200,000 customers are without
power as the #ONstorm continues. We expect customers in the hardest-hit areas
of south, central & eastern ON to be without power overnight. As soon as
it’s safe, more crews will be on their way to help. We appreciate everyone’s
patience,” Hydro One tweeted.

Meanwhile, Canada’s weather agency,
Environment Canada, has issued a warning for the Canadian province, saying that
a cold wave will sweep through southern Ontario Saturday afternoon and evening.
It warned residents to be prepared for possible outages and potential damages
in their neighbourhood.

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“Damage to buildings, such as to roof
shingles and windows, may occur. High winds may toss loose objects or cause
tree branches to break,” the statement read.

Strong winds affect the restoration process in
Toronto

In Toronto, several hundred customers are
without power as of Saturday evening, according to Toronto Hydro’s outage map.
The utility company said that restoration efforts may be hampered by strong
winds.

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“We continue to experience high winds,
which causes unsafe working conditions for our crews,” Toronto Hydro said in a
tweet. “However, crews remain focused on addressing public safety issues, like
downed power lines and tree limbs.”

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According to the outage map, some customers
may be without power until Sunday morning, though the company notes that
estimated times of restoration are difficult to determine.

Environment Canada issued wind warnings for
much of southern Ontario on Saturday. Wind gusts between 90 and 120 kilometres
per hour were expected into the late evening.