Nearly three months after the March 30 Ice Storm that hit Peterborough County, effects of the major weather event are still being felt throughout much of the region.
An analysis of Peterborough County and lower tier township responses from the 2025 ice storm was presented to County Council last week.
Within the report it was stated that on March 30, the ice storm that caused widespread damage and disruptions across the region saw freezing rain which persisted for nearly 30 hours and resulted in about 20 millimeters of ice accumulation.
This caused trees and hydro wires to fall, roads and trails to be closed due to potential danger and a state of emergency to be declared in the County and many individual townships.
The report, which was prepared by CAO Sheridan Graham, said that to date, costs incurred from the storm have total approximately $150,000 however there are still a number of unknown costs such as: up-staffing of ambulances and paramedics, chipping of brush at County depots, cost of use for County owned equipment, work completed on County Road 620 and County Road 6.
Because of these unknowns, the total financial impact of the ice storm will likely not be fully understood until the end of the year.In addition to the report, the analysis of the county’s response to the ice storm was presented which was created from an Ice Storm Debrief Session with all eight townships hosted on May 21.
The session was run in team-based Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) format to learn what worked and what needs improvements should they face another emergency disaster in the future.
The analysis stated that across Ontario, Hydro One reported over 350,000 customers were affected by power outages due to the storm and that the County essentially was dealing with two emergency events – the ice storm and a prolonged power outage.The County opened up drop-off locations for storm-related debris however had to close them due to at the end of May due to the sheer volume of brush and chips with no safe space available for further debris.
According to the analysis, there were many strengths that the County displayed in regards to their emergency response including:
• Effective Communication with the public, media (daily briefings with political leaders), and localized outreach (depot information helped bridge communication gaps)
• Internal Coordination demonstrating operational efficiency with paramedics, fire, and office staff, immediate activation of storm protocol.
• Staff Commitment and Ingenuity with a dedicated workforce and staff from all departments often using personal equipment
• Learning from past events with improved preparedness from the experience of the 2022 dercho• Coordinated Multi-Level Response with shared resources and coordinated efforts across municipalities and County departments.
• Provincial and Political Support with high-level engagement demonstrated by visits and support from provincial leaders (Premier Ford, Minister Dunlop and Minister Lecce) which enhanced morale and resource access.
• Resident Resilience and Expectation Management with community Patience and Residents remained calm and cooperative
• Wellness and Safety Checks and Proactive Outreach with paramedics, OPP, and township staff conducted door-to-door and phone wellness checks, identifying and mitigating risks.
While to county did demonstrate strengths in this emergency, they also identified weaknesses in their emergency response as well which included:
• Communications: overreliance on Bell systems, no response or communication from Bell, Telecom failures hindered emergency coordination, a lack of harmonized wellness checks across townships and No formal communication structure for Emergency Information Officers (EIOs)
• Hydro and Utilities: Poor coordination between Hydro and municipal crews, Inaccurate outage data, No clear contact or liaison with Bell, GIS mapping issues, Forestry maintenance lacking (emergency equipment shortages)
• Pre-Planning and Preparedness: Emergency plans outdated, No contingency plans for communication or debris management, Lack of prequalified contractors/suppliers
• Resident Preparedness: Some residents unprepared; unclear on emergency protocols
• External Resources and Coordination: Confusion between County and City roles and Third-party responders lacked coordination and continuity
• Staffing and Capacity: Staff fatigue; limited personnel and volunteer availability, Emergency roles and training not up to date, Geographic diversity made prioritization and deployment challenging
Through this analysis it was determined that the county and lower tier townships can address these weakness by improving their Public Communication and Education and updating the County Emergency Plan.
Improving the public communication and education around emergency’s was classified as a high importance’s with relatively easy feasibility.
To do this it was recommended that they:
• Launch ongoing public education campaigns (CO₂ safety, generators, survival kits, etc.)
• Use diverse channels: newsletters, fridge magnets, brochures, community boards Promote existing municipal resources and platforms (e.g., Bang the Table)
• Address identity confusion between City and County of Peterborough
The County Emergency Plan update was also identified as a high priority with a moderate feasibility ranking. It was recommended that the County Emergency Management Coordinator should be realigned corporately under the CAO/Administration and should be fully resourced as a permanent full-time position in support of the County and Townships.
In addition the county could also consider updates in:
• Communications: Develop pre-planned emergency messaging templates and update media contact lists, Designate a single communications lead for consistency, Integrate emergency education into school curriculums
• Preparedness & Infrastructure: Stockpile and maintain emergency equipment (generators, chainsaws, fuel), Ensure backup power and internet for critical infrastructure
• Hydro/Utility Coordination: Improve GIS mapping and outage coordination with Hydro On, Advocate for faster response times and forestry maintenance
• Staffing & Governance: Cross train staff and clarify emergency roles, Include mayors and deputy mayors in emergency planning, Implement volunteer shift rotations to prevent burnout
The Ice Storm Debrief Report was circulated to the local municipalities, Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nation, all local MPPs, partner agencies and utilities, Minister Dunlop and Premier Ford for their information.
To view the full report and analysis, visit ptbocounty.ca
