Manitoba Hydro expecting increased usage amid extreme cold

Strong, frigid winds whip around the snow in St. Leon, Man. on Jan. 22, 2026. (Diane Simon)

Hydro usage is expected to surge in Manitoba as a dogged cold snap tightens its icy grip on the province.

A frigid, gusty air mass that descended over Manitoba on Wednesday night sent temperatures plunging, with extreme wind chill values expected to plague the province for days to come.

Several Manitoba school divisions cancelled buses and classes Thursday morning as a result of the wintry blast.

Manitoba Hydro told CTV News it expects a high load on the system as the cold sets in.

“The peaks tend to come on very cold weekday mornings or evenings when residential and commercial use overlap,” Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura wrote in an email.

He noted the current record for peak demand came a year ago on Jan. 20, 2025, when temperatures dipped to -32.7°C—temperatures akin to what Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts in the days and nights to come.

Furnace repair company ‘extremely busy’

Calls started flooding in earlier this week at Lynn’s Heating, Cooling, Sewer and Drain ahead of the cold spell.

Owner Dallas Friesen told CTV News they’ve gotten about 60 to 70 calls a day for no heat or plumbing emergencies.

He’s added extra on-call staff to keep up.

“It’s extremely busy,” he said.

“Any time you have a drop in temperatures as significant as this, people that had failing units before are now calling back again to say either the repair didn’t fully take or the quote that we gave them, they have decided to go ahead with.”

He urged Manitobans not to wait until temperatures plunge to address issues with their furnaces.

“If it sounds or smells funky and doesn’t feel right, that’s when you call.”

The arctic conditions are particularly bad timing for the city’s homeless shelters. A fire at the Manwin Hotel last week evacuated Main Street Project’s (MSP) administration building, food bank and clothing hub.

Siloam Mission opened its doors to those at MSP who were displaced. As a result, its supply of essential items has been depleted. A raffle is also underway to support MSP’s winter emergency response.

“In the winter, there’s a special strain on our services,” said MSP marketing and communications specialist Adrita Hasan.

“There are more than 2,000 Winnipeggers living outside this winter, and our emergency shelter is always full. We have two outreach vans working in encampments instead of our regular one.”

Meanwhile, the city said Winnipeggers can warm up inside municipal facilities during operating hours.

A city spokesperson urged Winnipeggers to limit their time outside during the extreme cold.

Anyone injured due to the frigid conditions or who sees someone else in trouble should call 911 to report the person’s location and condition.

Whenever possible, remain with the individual until emergency crews arrive.

- With files from CTV’s Kayla Rosen and Aisley McPhail