TORONTO – There are concerns that a change in the weather could cause new power outages in some areas affected by last weekend`s devastating ice storm.
Temperatures are forecast to rise above the freezing mark over the next couple of days, and the winds are also expected to pick up.
Utility officials are warning that could lead to new outages as ice falls from trees and other structures onto power lines.
Roughly 30,000 customers in Ontario — 25,000 of them in Toronto — are still waiting for the lights and heat to be restored, seven days after the power went out.
Just over two-thousand customers in Quebec and about 12,000 in New Brunswick are in the same cold, dark, boat.
And Hydro officials are now saying that some may not be reconnected until the new year.
Amid the rising anger and frustration of those still in the dark, utility companies are pleading for patience, saying crews are working around the clock and nothing else can be done to speed up the process.