Power was knocked out around Humber’s Lakeshore Campus on Monday night after a snapped hydro pole left homes, businesses, and traffic signals in the dark.
Toronto Hydro, emergency repairs team worked for several hours to restore power. The power outage happened around 3pm and was restored just after 11pm the same day.
Humber College’s Public Safety sent out a Humber Guardian Alert message to alert the Lakeshore campus community of the power outage and the affected spaces. A bulk email was also sent to the Lakeshore Campus community, alerts were posted on the college’s website as well as Humber’s social accounts.
Power was first disrupted in the strip plaza, across the road from the Humber Lakeshore Campus then the medical building went without power, followed by the Lakeshore fitness centre, fashion centre and 300 Birmingham, which is the Humber Lakeshore media building.
Local businesses, including restaurants and convenience stores, were forced to close. Several residents also reported disruptions to work-from-home setups and daily routines.
Humber College relocated affected classes to other locations with power.
Humber Lakeshore fitness centre was forced to close early. “We had to close early as lifts were not operational, resulting in an accessibility issue. Toilets would also not flush, and the water fountains could not be used.’ said Jaspreet, an employee of the Humber lakeshore fitness centre.
“Everything went dark suddenly, and we had no idea when the power would be restored,” said Simon, a local homeowner.
“It was inconvenient, especially for the business as we had to take financial losses due to the power outage, ” said Aaliyah an employee at a local restaurant that was affected.
Toronto Hydro crews worked through the afternoon to restore power, with full service resuming by 11 p.m. that night.
With this being one of the worst winters Toronto has faced, power is essential to keep people warm as well as provide food and education. The last major power outage in Ontario took place on August 14, 2003. Despite the weather not playing a role in this recent power outage, Toronto Hydro are aware that there could be more to come.
In a statement, Toronto Hydro reassured residents that preventive measures are in place to minimize future outages. “We understand how important reliable power is for our customers, and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we worked to resolve the issue,” the statement read.
Being prepared for emergencies is crucial, including keeping backup power sources, fully charged mobile devices, and emergency kits on hand. Residents should report outages as soon as possible and stay informed through official sources.
For real-time updates on power outages, visit Toronto Hydro’s website or contact their outage hotline.
