Freezing rain in Canada leaves more than a million without power

OTTAWA, April 6 (Reuters) – More than a million people were without power in Quebec on Thursday morning after a day of freezing rain and strong winds hit southeastern Canada, toppling trees onto power lines.

There were 1,000 workers trying to restore power overnight and Thursday morning, electricity provider Hydro-Quebec said, warning that more outages could still occur.

“We are confident that we can restore power to some of the affected customers today,” Hydro-Quebec said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it is already expected that some customers will still be without power on Friday and this weekend.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was scheduled to be in Montreal on Thursday to speak about his government’s budget, offered to provide federal assistance if required.

Montreal is among the worst affected by the power outages after Wednesday’s ice storm, according to Hydro-Quebec.

“We’re thinking of everyone in Quebec and Eastern Ontario affected by yesterday’s storm – and we’re thanking the crews who are clearing roads and restoring power,” Trudeau said on Twitter.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa Editing by Mark Heinrich)

((ismail.shakil@tr.com;))

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