BARRIE - Even in the darkest moments of this past weekend’s ice storm, human kindness outpaced nature’s destruction.
As ice-encrusted trees snapped like matchsticks throughout the Barrie region, a number of local residents who had outfitted themselves with generators took to Facebook to offer other folks access to their portable power sources.
“Hey neighbours!” posted Gillian MacDonald-Rigden, who lives in Oro-Medonte Township's Sugarbush community. “We have a generator, so if anyone needs to charge anything and you can safely get here, PM me and I'll give you the address. Stay safe!”
Fellow resident Tracey Baker, meanwhile, was willing to let people charge almost anything.
“If anyone needs to charge things up we have a generator and you can plug in ... just not your car though!!” she posted Monday morning.
Across Springwater and Oro-Medonte townships Monday, hydro crews worked feverishly to restore power while public works crews toiled away in the cold and drizzle to keep rural roads open and free of debris.
In Oro-Medonte, crews from a number of other municipalities were brought in to assist with the cleanup.
“Township operations crews are fully engaged with clean-up following an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach,” said Jenny Legget, manager of communications and public relations for the township. “Clean-up assistance is also being provided by public works crews from the Town of Wasaga Beach, Bradford West Gwillimbury, and the Town of New Tecumseth as well as external contractors.
“The township is grateful for their rapid support and assistance,” she added.
A short trip along almost any of the township’s sideroads illustrates what crews were dealing with — hundreds of trees down and splayed across rural roads, making travel difficult or impossible, depending on the volume of refuse scattered across the road.
Along Oro-Medonte’s Line 7 North, north of Old Barrie Road, trees had come down on both sides of the road, making for a slow and cautious drive as you weave back and forth between lanes, avoiding the fallen limbs that block one side of the road or the other.
“Many township roads remain impassable with downed trees, power lines and debris,” Legget said. “We are urging residents to stay home and avoid all non-essential travel as township staff work diligently with the clean-up process.”
A similar warning was issued by officials in Springwater.
“The damage is widespread, with fallen trees, branches, and downed power lines affecting roads, properties, and infrastructure,” said Springwater communications officer Jenna Reid. “Crews are working to assess and address the most urgent hazards first, prioritizing public safety and accessibility.”
Cleanup is expected to take several days, Reid added, and is dependent on weather conditions and power restoration efforts.
Officials in both townships are working closely with Hydro One.
“A large portion of the township remains without power,” Reid said. “Hydro One is actively working on restoration, but due to the extent of the damage, restoration times will vary by area.”
Legget said the same was true in Oro-Medonte and she recommended residents review information directly provided by Hydro One by visiting hydroone.com/outages.
Residents can also call Hydro One directly at 1-800-434-1235.
To ensure an sense of community support and togetherness continues, another Sugarbush poster, who goes by the screen name of "Gromit World," suggested everyone affected by the storm gather later this year at a social event dedicated to remembering the ice storm of 2025.
“We should have a small or big get-together/social at the park and keep all these new and non-anonymous friends talking and helping each other out, because that's what community is all about,” Gromit World posted. “So if there is an interest in doing this, comment and let's get planning it.”
As of Monday around noon, more than 100 people had liked the post, with many committing to attend.
