Vancouver Island windstorm: Widespread power outages reported as winds expected to reach 120km/h
Thousands of BC Hydro customers on Vancouver Island and the B.C. Gulf Islands were without power Thursday as a windstorm wreaked havoc across the region.
Approximately 400 residents and businesses between Coal Harbour and Port Hardy, on northern Vancouver Island, lost power due to trees down across hydro lines early Thursday morning.
To the east, more than 1,200 residents of Alert Bay and Sointula lost hydro service just before 9 a.m.
Hundreds more in Port McNeill and Qualicum Beach lost electricity after 10 a.m.
A substation failure cut power to more than 1,000 residents from Port Renfrew to Sooke before 11 a.m., while an outage in the Sooke-Metchosin area left 1,500 customers in the dark shortly after noon.
Environment Canada says southeast winds are expected to reach gusts of 120 km/h on the North Island and Haida Gwaii through to Friday morning.
Exposed coastal areas are especially at risk of damage caused by downed trees and debris.
Eastern and western Vancouver Island are also under wind warnings Thursday as an "intense low-pressure system" moves through the region.
The Greater Victoria area will remain largely protected from the worst of the windstorm, though strong gusts are still expected along coastal areas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.