City of Peterborough LIfts State of Emergency Declaration From Late-March Ice Storm

The City of Peterborough has officially ended the State of Emergency declaration from the March 28 to 30 ice storm.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The State of Emergency was declared on March 30 after the region was hit by a severe ice storm that led to downed trees and tree limbs and widespread power outages throughout the City.

“As the City officially lifts its State of Emergency following the devastating ice storm in March, I want to express my deepest gratitude to our residents, emergency responders, utility workers, City staff, and volunteers for their incredible resilience and dedication over these past few weeks,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “The response from our community has been nothing short of extraordinary.”

Clean-up efforts are still underway across the City.

The City continues to remove brush and debris from the curbside during the ice storm. This service is for debris, branches and tree limbs that cannot be collected through the City’s regular curbside collection for yard waste. Residents are asked not to place whole trees or large tree stumps at the curb for removal.

When placing debris at the boulevard for yard waste collection, please be mindful of sightlines to ensure safety for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Avoid placing debris close enough to the curb that it may wash into the street during a rainstorm.

It is expected to take up to eight weeks for crews to complete curbside removal of large brush and debris in all areas of the City.

Curbside collection has been completed for the area north of Parkhill Road and west of the Otonabee River.

The partial non-enforcement of the Tree Removal bylaw, including waiving permit fees for trees on private property that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the ice storm, remains in place until Monday. Regular requirements under the Tree Removal Bylaw will resume on Tuesday.

Residents wishing to remove storm-damaged trees without paying permit fees must email treebylaw@peterborough.ca and provide a photo of the tree, the property address, location of the tree on the property, the species of tree (if known), the approximate diameter of the tree and a description of the condition of the tree.

The Tree Removal bylaw remains in place for all other trees.  More information on the Tree Removal By-law can be found at peterborough.ca/trees.

The City reports significant damage to trees in City parks and along trails from the ice storm. The City is assessing and addressing hazardous tree conditions. Due to the extent of the damage, this work is ongoing.

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