Ontario and Quebec power outages after Canada Day storms

Severe thunderstorms swept across Ontario and Quebec on Canada Day, bringing record rainfall, damaging winds and hail. In Ottawa the storm dropped a record‑breaking 118 mm of rain, flooding basements and prompting the cancellation of the national Canada Day evening show and fireworks. Power outages affected roughly 168,000 customers of Hydro One in Ontario and more than 9,000 customers of Hydro‑Québec, leaving thousands without electricity for days. The storms also knocked down trees and caused localized flooding in communities such as Guelph, where emergency services rescued ten people from Guelph Lake. Environment Canada has issued orange‑level heat warnings for most of Ontario and Quebec, with temperatures in the mid‑30s °C and humidex values near 45, and the heat wave is spreading to the Atlantic provinces. Public‑health officials in Brampton, Wellington‑Dufferin‑Guelph and other regions have urged residents to stay hydrated, seek cooling centres and limit outdoor activity. Several Canada Day events, including fireworks in Ottawa and at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, were cancelled because of the extreme heat and storm risk.