Ottawa - Arab Canada News

Several neighborhoods in the western part of the city of Ottawa experienced a widespread power outage on Thursday morning, leaving thousands of residents without electricity, due to what "Hydro Ottawa" described as a "loss of supply from the regional power grid."

The company reported that the outage began in the early hours of dawn and lasted until 8 AM, affecting about 5,716 customers across neighborhoods including Kanata, Centrepoint, Trend Village, Arlington Woods, and Craig Henry.

According to updates from "Hydro Ottawa," power began to return gradually in some areas, with expectations of full restoration of electricity between 9:00 and 9:30 AM.

Affecting traffic signals and mobility

For its part, Ottawa Police stated that the power outage led to the shutdown of "a large number of traffic signals" in the Manotick and Barhaven areas, urging drivers to treat intersections where signals are not functioning as four-way stops for safety.

This outage comes at a time when the city is experiencing noticeable cold morning temperatures, adding to the pressures on affected residents, especially those relying on electricity for heating.

As of the time of publishing this news, "Hydro Ottawa" had not announced the exact cause of the loss of supply from the regional grid, only indicating that it was "an emergency malfunction beyond its immediate control."