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Coroner: Montreal Woman Died of Hypothermia During January Blackout
The outage left more than 20,000 customers without service, and the coroner said Padmore’s apartment stayed cold for nearly 36 hours.
- An 87-year-old Montreal woman, Sheila Padmore, died of profound hypothermia during a prolonged power outage in January, according to a newly released Quebec coroner's report.
- The outage began on January 24 following an equipment failure at Hydro-Québec's Hampstead substation, leaving approximately 15,000 customers in the West End without power for more than 48 hours.
- Coroner Marie-Claude Boutin ruled the death accidental, noting Padmore's body temperature dropped to 24.5 C; Dr. Christopher Labos stated that temperatures below 28 C are extremely dangerous for older individuals.
- Following the incident, Hydro-Québec replaced the failed breaker and increased distribution capacity, while Montreal law firm Lex Group Inc. filed a class-action lawsuit alleging inadequate restoration efforts.
- Neighbour and tenant Dawn Lambing criticized the response, arguing more should have been done to communicate with vulnerable residents like Padmore's husband, Kelvin, before the crisis deepened.
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The coroner points out that Sheila Padmore had been in a private electricity apartment for 36 hours.
·Montreal, Canada
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Le Journal de MontrealReposted by 
Le Journal de Quebec
Le Journal de QuebecSheila Padmore, 87, died after 36 hours without heating in her home in the west of the island during the cold of January.
·Montreal, Canada
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The coroner Marie-Claude Boutin concludes that one of the two elderly ladies who died during the major power blackout in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Côte-Saint-Luc sector on the island of Montreal last January is very cold.
·Montreal, Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Left, 40% Center
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources lean Left, 40% of the sources are Center
40% Center
L 40%
C 40%
R 20%
Factuality
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