Dear Friends and Neighbours,

An ice storm with freezing rain and strong winds hit Toronto last night. As a result, many trees as well as hydro wires are down and Toronto Hydro is reporting approximately 250,000 customers without power.

I have been speaking to Toronto Hydro representatives throughout the day and while most of Ward 25 still has power, there are many pockets throughout the ward without power. My street is unfortunately one of the few without power due to a downed power line!

Given the amount of ice on the wires and that winds are expected to pick up this afternoon, Toronto Hydro is warning that outages could get worse and is asking residents to prepare for a lengthy outage.

Please stay away from downed wires and trees that might have an electrical charge. To report a power outage or downed wires, please call Toronto Hydro’s operation centre at 416-542-8000.

Toronto Hydro Crews are working 24/7 to restore power as quickly as possible. I have also been advised that Transportation Services is out in full force salting the roads.

The City’s emergency services — Fire, EMS and Police — are operating as usual. The TTC has suspended all streetcar service. Subways and surface routs are operational, but the TTC is advising residents to expect delays due to the weather conditions.

For the most up-to-date information about TTC service, please visit the TTC’s Service Alerts page at http://bit.ly/16mIJBe.

To contact the police, you should call 911 for emergencies and (416) 808-2222 for non-emergencies.

Residents are asked to stay indoors and avoid driving if possible. If it is necessary to drive, please drive slowly and carefully and keep your tank half full at all times.

Please also check on your neighbours, especially those who are elderly or vulnerable and offer help to those who might need it.

For any other storm-related problems, please call 311 or email 311@toronto.ca, available 24 hours-a-day and seven days-a week.

311 has advised the phones are working and extra staff are on shift to help. They are asking residents to be patient as they are experiencing a high call volume leading to long waits.

For the latest updates, please check my website (www.jayerobinson.ca), Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1akA3ms) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JayeRobinson).

As always, please don’t hesitate with any other questions or concerns.

Warm regards,

Jaye

Jaye Robinson

City Councillor | Ward 25-Don Valley West

Toronto City Hall | 100 Queen Street, A12 | Toronto,ON M5H 2N2

416-395-6408 | councillor_robinson@toronto.ca | www.jayerobinson.ca

Facebook: facebook.com/robinsonward25 | Twitter: @jayerobinson