The City of Peterborough declared a state of emergency on Sunday, March 30, 2025 in response to the March 28 to 30 ice storm with recovery efforts expected to extend over several days as Hydro One responds to power outages and the City clears downed trees and tree limbs on public property.
The City encourages residents to avoid unnecessary travel as ice accumulation is knocking down power lines, trees and tree limbs, causing power outages and unsafe conditions.
“Thank you to Hydro One crews and our Public Works team that has been working around the clock throughout this significant weather event. I’m asking residents to avoid unnecessary travel as crews work to address fallen trees and power lines. Stay safe. Call friends and loved ones to check on them. Cleaning up from this storm may take several days,” Mayor Jeff Leal said.
Due to the hazardous situation caused by falling trees and tree limbs from ice accumulation, all City parks are officially closed until further notice.
For residents who need a heated location, the City has opened reception centres at the following locations:
- Healthy Planet Arena, banquet hall, 911 Monaghan Rd., from 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 30 to 8 a.m. on Monday, March 31 (overnight reception centre)
- Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W., from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 30
- Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr. (currently working to restore the backup generator to provide power to the facility), from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 30
The City is providing an overnight reception centre at Heathy Planet Arena, which will remain open until at least 8 a.m. on Monday, March 31.
Public Works crews have been responding to the ice storm since Friday, maintaining roads and sidewalks and clearing trees and tree limbs that have fallen on streets.
Over the last 24 hours, Public Works has received about 1,100 calls for service and Peterborough Fire Services has received more than 700 calls.
Residents are asked to not call emergency services about power outages or to ask when power will be restored. Outages can be reported to Hydro One by texting 92887 (WATTS), through the company’s outage map at hydroone.com and app, or by calling 1-800-434-1235.
Stay clear of any fallen power lines. Keep at least 10 metres back from any fallen power lines, even if it does not appear to be live, Hydro One states. Report it to 911 and call Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235.
As of the issuing of this news release, Peterborough Transit has suspended service until further notice due to downed power lines and trees on streets. It is monitoring conditions and will resume service when conditions allow. For updates on Peterborough Transit service, please monitor @ptbo_transit on X and Peterborough Transit Service Alerts on Facebook for the latest information.
Peterborough Museum and Archives, the Art Gallery of Peterborough, and Riverview Park and Zoo are closed on Sunday, March 30 due to the weather event.
Motorists that come to a power outage at a signalized intersection should treat the intersection as an all-way stop.
(Official release from the City of Peterborough)
