Hydro One extends ban on electricity disconnections until further notice

TORONTO — Ontario’s primary electricity provider says it’s extending a ban on disconnecting homes from the power grid until further notice.

Hydro One first issued the ban towards the beginning of the province’s COVID-19 outbreak, saying customers needed to be able to rely on electricity while they were kept at home during the pandemic.

A spokesman for the utility says the ban was initially set to expire at the end of July, but has now been extended without a fixed end-date.

Hydro One says the move is necessary given the ongoing restrictions posed by the pandemic, as well as persistent hot weather across much of the province.

It says it’s also planning to extend a financial relief program to help customers struggling to pay their hydro bills.

The Canadian Press