Thousands of Hydro-Québec customers in the west end of Montreal remained without power on Monday evening, with service mostly restored to affected areas by early Tuesday. The utility urged energy conservation as crews addressed an equipment failure at the Hampstead substation. Despite the majority of customers regaining power after a Saturday outage, over 5,000 Montreal residents were still without electricity by Monday night.
Harsh cold weather has complicated the restoration process, straining the local power grid. The sudden demand from homes for heating after regaining power has led to localized overloads, risking additional outages. Hydro-Québec emphasized the need for a gradual restoration process to prevent grid overloads.
To assist in stabilizing the network, residents in Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montreal West, and Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce unaffected by the outage were asked to lower thermostats and limit energy-intensive appliance usage. The utility acknowledged the challenges of prolonged outages during extreme cold and advised residents to check municipal websites for warming center locations.
Several Montreal schools announced closures due to weather-related issues and ongoing power outages, including École Vanguard School, Wagar Adult Education Centre, Philip E. Layton Schools, The Mackay Centre, and Lower Canada College. Hydro-Québec spokesperson Lynn St-Laurent reassured affected customers, stating that safety and rapid restoration of service were top priorities.
Communities established warming centers, with the Red Cross opening an overnight emergency shelter at the Côte-des-Neiges community center. Montreal firefighters conducted wellness checks, and the Aquatic and Community Centre in Côte Saint-Luc remained open for affected residents. In NDG, various municipal facilities provided shelter and assistance to those impacted by the outages.
At the peak of the outages on Saturday, about 20,000 Hydro-Québec customers on the Montreal island were without power. Snow-clearing operations were in progress, and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada assured continuous efforts for safe streets. While city buses operated, the STM cautioned of potential delays due to weather conditions.
An equipment issue on the REM light-rail network caused service disruptions between Deux-Montagnes and Côte-de-Liesse stations on Monday morning, necessitating train changes at specific stations. Operations normalized by early afternoon. Passengers traveling through Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport were advised to check with airlines for possible delays or cancellations. Aéroports de Montréal confirmed full airport operation but noted some flight cancellations due to adverse weather in the United States and southern Ontario.