Power Will Soon Return for 30% of the 1.1 Million Without After Quebec Ice Storm, Say Officials

Quebec Economy and Innovation Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon and Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel, right, give an update on the major ice storm that hit the Outaouais and Montreal regions, at the legislature in Quebec City on April 6, 2023. Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press

Quebec officials say about 1,100 workers are out restoring power to the 1.1 million who lost it amid an ice storm Wednesday. They expect to have a third restored within 24 hours.

While Wednesday’s ice storm recalls the 1998 ice storm that ravaged the region, officials say it won’t be that bad this time. In the 1998 storm, about 1.4 million lost power in Quebec and it took weeks to restore. By the end, 35 people had died and the aftermath cost more than $5 billion.