Due to excessive ice buildup on roads and downed ice-covered trees and branches, the Municipality of Brighton and the Township of Cramahe have declared significant weather events.
The declaration in Brighton officially came into effect Sunday, March 30, 2025, at 8:10 a.m. In Cramahe, officials confirmed the same just after noon, citing similar reasons as Brighton.
Brighton staff said the current conditions are anticipated to make it impractical to maintain safe road surfaces in line with minimum maintenance standards levels of service.
The municipality said it will notify residents when the declaration is over – the declaration will remain in effect until conditions improve to the point where it’s practical to return to routine roadway maintenance standards (MMS.) Cramahe has echoed a similar message.
Meanwhile, staff in both communities said they will continue to monitor road conditions and weather patterns, remove downed trees across the municipality and open roads – prioritizing higher-risk areas – apply salt and sand, and keep communication open with hydro, fire, OPP and Bell crews.
“We encourage all roadways users to exercise caution during this time. Please adjust your driving to reflect the conditions of the road,” said Brighton staff.
While Environment Canada’s freezing rain warning has ended, there have been multiple reports of downed trees in the middle of area roads and ongoing/reoccurring power outages. Utility crews said the outages are due to falling trees on wires, causing significant damage, and that staff are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
Meanwhile, area first-responders are also reporting fielding an increased number of calls due to the storm and dangerous road conditions and damages due to falling trees.
“We strongly urge the public to remain indoors to avoid further risk of injury and to allow emergency responders to handle the most critical situations,” said OPP.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
