Toronto Hydro crews have restored electricity to most Torontonians who were in the dark after a deadly storm swept through the province this week.
As of 11 p.m. Wednesday, about 240 customers were still without electricity.
Toronto Hydro said that crews will be working through the night to restore power.
Customers are asked to call in any outstanding outages to ensure they are addressed.
In Toronto, more than 60,000 customers were without electricity at the peak of the outage, as the remnants of so-called superstorm Sandy brought severe wind gusts and persistent rain.
Toronto Hydro said the cost of repairs could reach $1 million.
More than 85 per cent of the outages were caused by tree limbs coming into contact with power lines, poles and transformers, Toronto Hydro said.
“Toronto has a more dense and extensive tree canopy than other communities in the GTA, and this resulted in significant damage to Toronto Hydro's distribution system in many neighbourhoods,” the utility said in a statement.
Outside of Toronto, hydro crews have restored power to the vast majority of homes affected by storm-related outages, said Energy Minister Chris Bentley.
At one point, about 150,000 customers were in the dark across the province.
In addition to Toronto, power outages were still being reported in Parry Sound, Bracebridge and Lambton on Wednesday morning.
TDSB schools reopen
In addition to homes and businesses, the storm cut power to more than a dozen schools in the GTA.
Classes resumed Wednesday at all Toronto District School Board schools that were closed Tuesday.
Toronto Catholic District School Board said James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School is closed Wednesday due to the power outage.
Flights cancelled
The aftermath of the storm is still affecting travel in northeastern U.S. states and Canada's East Coast.
Airlines are still warning of cancellations and delays, meaning people who are scheduled to catch a plane to those regions Wednesday are asked to check their flight status.
About 15 per cent of flights to and from Pearson International Airport on Wednesday are cancelled, a Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesperson said.
Porter Airlines is not flying to and from Newark on Wednesday, and further delays or cancellations may occur this week.
As for Air Canada, service to Newark, LaGuardia and J.F.K. airports is suspended until further notice.
Beware of scam, Toronto Hydro warns
Meanwhile, Toronto Hydro is warning customers of fraudulent contractors who may try to cash in on emergency situations.
Toronto Hydro said it was alerted by a customer who was approached by contractors claiming to work on the utility’s behalf.
The contractors asked for money for system repairs.
Toronto Hydro said its contractors do not collect money from customers.
People who are approached are asked to report the activity to Toronto Hydro at 416-542-8000 and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
If people are visited or called by someone claiming to be from Toronto Hydro, they should ask for identification or call 416-542-8000 to confirm the person’s identity and affiliation.
Wet weather to end heading into weekend
There is some relief is sight for those still soggy from Sandy’s arrival in the city.
Environment Canada is predicting showers and possible flurries will end overnight Thursday in Toronto.
Friday and Saturday will be mainly cloudy, with a 40 per cent chance of showers on Friday, and highs of 6 C and 7 C, respectively.
The sun will finally return on Sunday with an expected high of 5 C.
“After a turbulent, wet, windy, cool stretch of weather, we can finally look forward to light at the end of the tunnel,” CP24 meteorologist Chris Potter said. “Mostly sunny skies are expected this weekend but temperatures are still expected to be a touch below seasonal.”
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