City of Peterborough Lifts State of Emergency Declaration

Peterborough, ON – The City of Peterborough has officially ended the State of Emergency declaration from the March 28 to 30, 2025 ice storm, effective April 23, 2025. The City has also lifted its Significant Weather Event declaration. 

The State of Emergency was declared on Sunday, March 30, 2025 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. The response from our community has been nothing short of extraordinary," said Mayor Jeff Leal.

Clean-up efforts are still underway across the City.

Curbside Brush Removal

Curbside removal of brush and debris from the ice storm is continuing. 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 for safety for pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Avoid placing debris close enough to the curb that it may wash into the street during a rain storm.

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.

Partial Non-Enforcement of Tree Removal Bylaw

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 April 28, 2025. Regular requirements under the Tree Removal Bylaw will resume on April 29, 2025.

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.

City parks and trails

The ice storm caused significant damage to trees in City parks and along trails. The City is assessing and addressing hazardous tree conditions. With the amount of damage, this work is ongoing. The City will update the listing of reopened parks and trail sections at peterborough.ca/StormUpdate.