Thousands Affected by Power Outage in Downtown Toronto

On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, a significant power outage disrupted life in downtown Toronto, leaving approximately 5,000 customers without electricity for several hours.

The affected area stretched from south of Queen Street West to the Gardiner Expressway and west of Bathurst Street to Yonge Street.

The outage began around 1:30 PM and was attributed to a loss of supply at the John Transmission Station.

Toronto Hydro crews, working alongside Hydro One, were dispatched to investigate and restore power. In a statement on social media, Toronto Hydro assured residents that they were working together to restore power as safely and quickly as possible.

Impact on Local Institutions and Residents

The blackout caused disruptions across the financial district, with reports of people stranded on upper floors of high-rise buildings due to non-operational elevators.

Some areas experienced partial restoration by 2:30 PM, but full power was not expected until 5:30 PM.OCAD University’s campus at 230 Richmond St. W. was forced to close for the day due to the outage.

However, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) confirmed that its services remained unaffected throughout the incident.

Community Response and Updates

Social media platforms were abuzz with updates from affected residents and businesses. Many turned to Toronto Hydro’s Outage Map for real-time restoration timelines.

While some expressed frustration over the inconvenience, others highlighted the quick response by utility crews working in challenging conditions.

As of Wednesday evening, power had been restored to most areas, bringing relief to thousands of residents and workers.

For future updates on outages or emergencies, Toronto Hydro encourages residents to monitor their official channels or visit their website.