ENWIN is answering the call for assistance.
Windsor's utility provider is sending a crew to assist with recovery efforts following the severe ice storm that damaged electrical infrastructure and left thousands without power in Orillia, Ontario.
ENWIN is a member of the Ontario Mutual Assistance Program (OnMAG), which delivers assistance to members in time of crisis, and Hydro One requested help to get the power back on.
ENWIN's Chief Operating Officer of Hydro Jim Brown says they are deploying five Windsor workers to Orillia.
"They'll be going in clearing the trees away from the lines so they can find room to work," he said. "They'll be replacing poles, putting up and repairing lines, putting up transformers that have come down."
He says they do not expect operations in Windsor to be impacted.
"There's potential for heavy rains, we don't think that'll bother us too much here, but if it should, we have plenty of people here to put things back together," Brown said.
Brown says Windsor rate payers are not on the hook for providing assistance.
"Once we get these calls and we deploy people, it's not at ENWIN's cost, Hydro One, and any requesting utility does pay the responding utility for their their time and efforts, so all of our costs will be covered by that."
Brown says the deployment includes a crew of lineworkers, repair equipment, and vehicles, and expects his crews to will remain on-site for about one week.