Trudeau pledges federal aid in wake of Quebec ice storm

Prime Minister in Montreal after ice storm Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Montreal offering assistance following the major ice storm that caused massive blackouts.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante took stock of the situation Thursday after an ice storm hit southwestern Quebec.

Behind them, a huge tree lay across a small residential street in the Villeray neighbourhood, its branches entangled in a fallen electrical wire as workers patiently cleared it away.

Similar damage could be seen throughout Montreal, where streets and sidewalks filled with broken branches were reminiscent of the 1998 ice storm.

The prime minister said he is prepared to offer all available federal assistance to the province and municipalities that request it to support the recovery, which is expected to be long and difficult in some areas.

The area Trudeau visited was located in his riding of Papineau.

Valérie Plante, for her part, invited Montrealers living in neighbourhoods where electricity was lost to visit libraries and cultural centres in boroughs that still had power.

She explained that clean-up is being prioritized in the following order: first, the main arteries, then the local streets and finally, the parks.

She also asked citizens to avoid going to parks where several trees heavily laden with ice posed a definite threat to walkers.

The director of the Montreal Fire Department, Richard Libman, implored citizens without electricity not to use heating or cooking appliances inside their homes, as these present significant risks of fire and poisoning.

Across the city, teams were busy Thursday cutting and collecting branches in almost all city sectors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 6, 2023.