Earlier this morning, crews were dispatched to a wide area power outage in the general area of Division, Concession, Montreal and John Counter. While the outage initially impacted approximately 5,000 customers, it has now been restored.

Power is being routed from other circuits at this time. A fault occurred in substation switchgear. Crews are working to bring the substation back into service. Customers should anticipate intermittent outages as we continue our work.

For detailed maps of any outage areas, visit www.UtilitiesKingston.com/Outages 

Thank you to our customers for your continued patience and understanding. 

Power outage precautions

• Turn off all appliances that will turn on automatically when power is restored.
• Plan ahead and consider a source of back-up power for important building systems, including sump pumps.
• Keep a phone that does not require electricity. Cordless phones require electricity or battery backup and may not work in a power outage. Take the opportunity when you do have power to charge critical electronic devices such as mobile phones. 
• Know the steps you can take to keep your food safe in an emergency with this information from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
• Use caution when using open flames. Never leave burning candles unattended, and keep them well away from kids and pets.
• Do not use a propane barbeque, camp stove or portable standby generator indoors. They can generate dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Your carbon monoxide detector may not work in an outage.
• Know safe installation and other precautions to avoid dangers associated with generators. 
• Avoid elevators until the power has been stabilized.
• Power outages mean that a number of traffic signals may not be working and travellers are reminded to treat the affected intersections as though they are four-way stops and yield to traffic on the right.
• The City of Kingston offers a helpful resource to help you and your family prepare for an emergency. Check it out on their website. We recommend that all property owners maintain a kit which includes candles, a flashlight, batteries and a battery powered radio.
• Review these Stormy Weather Tips from the Electrical Safety Authority.
• Review this preventative information from City of Kingston Fire & Rescue on staying safe during a power outage.

Portable standby generators

Portable standby generators, when used properly, can provide an alternative power source until conventional power is restored. However, they can create electrical shock and fire hazards if connected or used incorrectly. In addition, you should never operate a generator inside your home or garage. Generators produce carbon monoxide, and if used indoors will cause a build-up of fatal fumes - fans or open windows and doors won't provide enough fresh air to keep you and your family safe.

1. Never put a portable generator indoors, and when using it outdoors make sure it’s well away from your home’s windows or doors (and your neighbours’) because of poisonous carbon monoxide gas.
2. Don’t connect your generator to your home’s wiring unless you have a transfer switch. If you hook it up directly it could cause power to flow back out the powerlines to the street and electrocute utility workers.
3. If you’re installing a permanent generator, you need a permit. The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) recommends having a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) install a back-up generator. You can find an LEC at www.esasafe.com 

Get more safety tips from the Electrical Safety Authority from their page on portable standby generators.

Get more tips and information from our power outage page.