Quebec Power Outages Persist After Freezing Rain, Schools Remain Closed

More than 200,000 Hydro-Québec customers are without electricity Thursday morning following overnight freezing rain and high winds that downed power lines across the province. While Quebec largely avoided the worst of the anticipated ice storm, several schools in southern Quebec remained closed for a second day due to hazardous road conditions and ongoing power outages.

School Closures Continue

The Lester B. Pearson School Board, the Latest Frontiers School Board, and the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes are closed again on Thursday. The English Montreal School Board and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board have reopened, though a limited number of schools in specific areas and those still without power will remain closed.

Outage Numbers and Restoration Efforts

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, over 32,000 addresses in Montreal and more than 80,000 in the Montérégie region were affected by power outages. Hydro-Québec spokesperson Cendrix Bouchard stated that the number of outages increased overnight.

“Overnight, we had an increase in the number of addresses without power in Quebec,” Bouchard said.

Hydro-Québec has deployed 550 teams to commence restoration efforts, but Bouchard cautioned that challenging conditions could slow progress in some areas. “Just getting to an outage will accept longer than usual,” he explained. “The roads are slippery for everybody, and we always remind the workers to always stay safe.”

REM Service Disruption and Weather Forecast

Service on Montreal’s light-rail network, the REM, was disrupted during the morning commute between Gare Centrale and Brossard stations. Shuttle buses were implemented on the South Shore and Nuns’ Island. Service was gradually restored by 9 a.m. After ice was cleared from the cables.

Meteorologist Simon Legault of Environment Canada warned that high winds on Thursday could exacerbate power outages. He also noted that falling temperatures could create dangerous road conditions due to accumulated water.

Snowfall Warning for Eastern Quebec

While Montreal and surrounding areas experienced freezing rain, other parts of Quebec are facing a mix of snow and ice pellets. A snowfall warning is in effect for Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles, with up to 40 centimeters of snow expected by Thursday afternoon. Transport Quebec reports particularly poor road conditions in the Côte-Nord and Gaspé regions, with sections of Route 132 and Route 138 closed to trucks due to safety concerns. Several schools in the Quebec City area also remain closed, although some daycare services are open.