Kawartha Lakes declares state of emergency in ice storm’s aftermath
Kawartha Lakes has declared a State of Emergency today, March 31, in response to the severe ice storm that hit our area, and its escalating impacts.
The decision comes as prolonged freezing rain has caused widespread power outages, hazardous road conditions, downed trees and hydro lines, and damage to public and private infrastructure. Areas of the City are also experiencing network outages and disruptions. These outages and disruptions are impacting communication channels – phones, internet and email.
The City of Kawartha Lakes Emergency Operations Centre was established over the weekend and is monitoring conditions, working with the Province and neighbouring municipalities to address conditions and redeploy resources as needed.
Power has been restored to parts of Lindsay and Fenelon Falls, but full restoration may take several days.
Through a media release, the city asks that citizens avoid unnecessary travel as Hydro One crews respond to downed power lines and power outages and the City responds to downed trees and tree limbs on roads.
Mayor Doug Elmslie commented, “While the situation was serious from the start, the full extent of the damage and the length of power outages became clearer over the last 12 hours. We are anticipating power outages for at least 48 hours in some areas, and Hydro One has shared with us that it may be the rest of the week. This will impact our ability to maintain continuity of service.”
The mayor said warming centres are available for residents who do not have power, with details below.
“We have waived fees at the landfills for yard debris from the storm. We stand ready to assist as needed. If you need help, please reach out to our customer service team by phone or online. As always, if it’s an emergency to your health and safety, call 911,” Elmslie said.
The mayor added, “Thank you for continuing to look out for each other, and to be patient while we move through this next phase. Thank you to the incredible crews and emergency responders who have been working around the clock. Your dedication is greatly appreciated.”
Municipalities declare a state of emergency when they face situations that pose significant risks to public safety, property, or the environment, and require immediate action. Declaring a state of emergency allows municipalities to:
- Access additional resources and funding from higher levels of government.
- Streamline decision-making processes to respond more effectively.
- Implement emergency measures, such as evacuations, road closures, or opening shelters.
DETAILS:
Roads
Crews are making progress clearing the roads of debris. Several downed power lines are creating hazards. Please respect the barricades put in place by police and public works.
Please treat all intersections as 4-way stops. Traffic lights have exceeded backup power and are not functioning in many urban areas.
Multiple crews of contracted, Parks staff and other municipalities are assisting to clear the roads. Road closures and conditions are available at www.municipal511.ca.
To report an issue: www.kawarthalakes.ca/reportit
Lindsay Transit
Service has resumed.
Landfill
Lindsay Landfill is open April 1 to April 5 from 8am to 5pm
Bring your yard waste/storm debris, no tipping fees due to storm until further notice.
Waste Collection
Missed collections will have double collection the following week.
Please note: Where possible, postponing non-essential septic disposal is appreciated.
City Administration
All offices are closed with the exception of City Hall, 26 Francis Street, which remains open from 8:30am to 4:30pm. A warming room is available on the second floor, Victoria Room. Hydration stations and washrooms are available. Residents are welcome to charge their devices and warm up.
Human Services Offices in Lindsay and Haliburton are closed.
Ward 5 By-Election
The election runs April 1 through 10. Online voting is open at 9am. In person help is available from 9am until 4:30pm at City Hall.
Parks and Recreation
All facilities and programming are cancelled until further notice.
Libraries
All branches are closed until further notice.
Warming Centres
For those in need of water access, device charging, or a warm space, please feel welcome to visit our warming centres. Please bring refillable water bottles.
Fire Stations
Tuesday April 1 and Wednesday April 2, 8am to 4pm
Bobcaygeon Fire Station
1 Duke Street, Bobcaygeon
Find Station 3 on Google Maps
Bethany Fire Station
88 Ski Hill Road, Bethany
Find Station 7 on Google Maps
Mariposa Fire Station
552 Eldon Road, Little Britain
Find Station 21 on Google Maps
Burnt River Station
186 Burnt River Road, Burnt River
Find Station 20 on Google Maps
City Hall, Victoria Room
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
Find City Hall on Google Maps
Victoria Park Armoury
Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm,
210 Kent Street West, Lindsay
Find the Armoury on Google Maps
Fenelon Falls Community Centre
Tuesday April 1 and Wednesday April 2, 8am to 4pm
27 Veterans Way, Fenelon Falls
Find the Fenelon Community Centre on Google Maps
All other Community Centres are closed due to power outage.
Boil Water Advisories
Residents within the Sonya Drinking Water System,Pinewood Drinking Water System (Pontypool) and Norland Drinking Water System, are under Boil Water Advisories. For more information, please review the advisories:
All other drinking water systems remain operational and water is safe to drink.
Customer service
Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30, call 705-324-9411 or 1-888-822-2225.
After Hours Municipal Emergencies call: 1-877-885-7337
Please report any issues concerning public health and safety online at www.kawarthalakes.ca/reportit.
If you experience damage to your property: call your insurance company.
If you are experiencing risk to public health and safety: call 911.
School Board Cancellations
The Trillium Lakelands District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will close all schools, Virtual Learning Centre, education centres and child care centres in schools on Tuesday April 1.
Flood Prone Areas
Kawartha Conservation has issued a Watershed Conditions Statement – Flood Watch, in effect until April 3. Flood Watch – warns that flooding is possible. Municipalities, emergency services, and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should prepare.
To assist with flood preparedness, Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue and Public Works have provided free sandbags at the following locations:
Fill-Your-Own Sandbags (bring a shovel)
- Ward Park Norland Community Centre (7675 Highway 35 North, Norland)
- Dalton Community Centre (13 Rumohr Drive, Sebright)
- Chisholm Trail (South of Black River Road near Amon Drive)
Pre-Filled Sandbags (Available starting the evening of March 19, 2025)
- Burnt River Community Centre (16 Somerville Centre Road, Burnt River)
Supplies are available on a first-come, first-served basis—please only take what you need.
Sand and bags locations are available at www.municipal511.ca.
Who To Call, When?
Please call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
If you’re in Lindsay or Ops, call Kawartha Lakes Police Service:
We are receiving a large number of calls for service due to the ice storm.
Please use 911 for emergencies only.
For all others please call the non-emergency line at 705-324-5252.
If you’re outside of Lindsay or Ops, call Kawartha Lakes OPP:
1-888-310-1122
Visit our website for a list of common issues and contact information: https://www.kawarthalakes.ca/
Hydro One Update – restoration may take the rest of the week in some areas
Since the storm began late Friday night, we have restored power to nearly 532,000 customers, and we remain focused on bringing back those still affected. It’s all hands on deck as our crews, alongside contractors, continue working tirelessly to restore power to customers. Additional crews are being mobilized from other areas to support the hardest-hit regions.
With no significant weather in the forecast, today is the first full day of restoration efforts without additional outages slowing progress. This also allows us to deploy helicopters for the first time to assess damage in hard-to-reach locations.
However, road access remains a challenge in some areas, and safety concerns persist due to falling trees and tree limbs. We urge everyone to stay safe by keeping at least 10 metres away from any fallen power lines and reporting them immediately to Hydro One.
Given the severity and widespread damage of this storm, we are updating our estimated times of restoration. In the hardest-hit areas, restoration efforts will take most of the week. Crews are prioritizing repairs to main lines from local stations to communities and restoring power to critical customers first. As work continues, additional damage may be uncovered, leading to further outages. For customers in more remote locations, restoration may take longer.
It’s time to increase the carbon tax so this kind of thing never happens again.
The City of Kawartha Lakes municipal management structure has failed the residents of Lindsay and the City twice this year with incomprehensibly bad management of the Large Snow Storm, followed by their absent management of this Ice Storm until day 3, while 95% of Lindsay (and much of the rest of City) was witout power, with trees down all over and blocking Hydro restoration.
Weather events are generally known in advance – these events are not a surprise emergency like an earthquake.
Canada has an excellent weather forcasting capability, and both of these storms were forcast and on the news in multiple days in advance.
But are City of Kawartha Lakes managers paying attention? Are they actively following the weather and looking forward 1 to 2 days in advance so they are prepared to do their job, the jobs that taxpayers are paying to be done? Or are they letting the City Workers run on autopilot, without providing proper leadership suitable for changing conditons and circumstances? Was it because this occured on the weekend? MAnagers and Directors are off work, tuned out?
We’ll never know for sure – But we get to judge by the outcomes we expereince, and the recent outcomes suggest management is not looking ahead, is not looking around the corner, and is especially not looking out for us – the residents and taxpayers.
The Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act in Ontario requires that Municipalities appoint a Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC). Kawartha Lakes has cheaped out for years, and to meet the letter of the Provincial law, they appointed the Fire Chief’s Admin Assistant as the City Emergency Manager.
Nothing against the Fire Chief’s EA – I think she is very competent and if the truth were known, I’d bet $20 that the EA probably runs the entire Fire Department most of the time. But is that the right way for a Municipality of 80,000 people to protect its residents and taxpayers?
Emergency Management is not the everyday work of Police, Fire and Paramedic services – Emergency Management is planning function. It is the science of bringing together the multiple silos and fiefdoms in a Municipality, along with public and private utilities (Hydro, Bell, Cable, Mobile, Water) and encouraging and nurturing those normally fiercly independant silos to be more productive and work well together during a large event. Emergency Management is a force multiplier.
Emergency Managers have lists of contacts they build over time – Who owns all the gas stations in town. The cell phone numbers for all the electricians. All the heavy quipment contractors – The fuel delivery companies. In an emergency, knowing who to call and to who can bring you more resources is the special sauce.
But that doesnt happen on the day of the emergency – It happens by embracing Emergency Management across the City on every day. By making time for managers and supervisors to attend Provincially organized courses, and to learn Ontario’s Incident Management System, the rules of the road for how multi jurisdictional and complex incidents are intended to be managed in Ontario.
We all have to prioritize our spending. The City has to prioritize it’s spending as well.
Can we afford a full time emergency manager? Can we afford to send managers on emergency courses when emergencies rarely occur?
Would you rather that the City of Kawartha Lakes already have a full time Community Emergency Management Coordinator and have many of their Directors and Managers already trained in several Provincial Emergency Manage Courses?
Or would you prefer that the City have a 4 person Marketing team that posts Facebook posts with Emoji graphics like your grandaughter uses, and uses their communications talent to tell you, the taxpayer, what a great City you live in, so you feel great and want to Jump In?
One of these things might save your life and the other already exists and you’re paying for it.
At the time of Amalgamation, Victoria County and all the smaller municpalities had just under 500 employees all in.
The city of Kawartha Lakes is pushing close to 750 employees today, and that doesnt count the 300 to 350 part-time paid firefighters.
Amalgamation was supposed to generate efficiencies. With a 40% growth in City headcount over 25 years, I dont see the efficiency.
Amalgamation was supposed to deliver better services. It doesnt, we got bigger, dumber, and stupider instead of small, nible and locally aligned villages and townships.
Amalgamation was supposed to reduce duplication – 25 years in and we still have 2 polices forces and we spend $22 million on policing instead of a much smaller cost if we went fully with the OPP. Lindsay is paying more for police, and is experiencing worse crime statistics and policing outcomes than for the rest of Kawartha Lakes policed by OPP. Why?
City of Kawartha Lakes, mismanaging Victoria County for 25 years, at the taxpayers expense.
This is a very stressful time for everyone. I appreciate the great communications Hydro One has provided and also that Bell has provided hotspots for local residents. This was a major event no one could have anticipated. It is important the mess gets cleaned up but also that it be cleaned up safely. Thanks to all the emergency workers that are doing such a great job of making sure we get back up and running as soon as possible and safely.
“This was a major event no one could have anticipated” —– it was talked about all over the news for a week before it happened.
Where is the funding for people who just spent their cheques on food to fee their families or those on assistance who just spent their last 100-200 on food to last the month is gone??. Food banks aren’t going to give you a month worth of food let alone only give 1 person 1 bag with noodles, sugar, no meat and a can of soup to last ,2 weeks..oh and a roll of toilet paper.
Peterborough issues state of emergency. And Lindsay waited 2days later after the damages have happened.
My 81 yr old Brother lives in Lidsay in 38 Howard Avenue, he is on Cpp and Oas, he is not going to be able to financially replace all his ruined frozen foods and his food in fridge, who is going to put his Months worth of groceries back in his fridge( Nobody).Seniors cannot replace lost food so do they have to go hungry until next pension payment day.
Someone somewhere needs to help these Seniors out