Ice Storm Remembered Twenty-Five Years Later

Tara Clow January 9, 2023 8:08 am Last Updated on February 8, 2026 10:13 am

Memories of 25 years ago came flooding back for many New Brunswickers on Sunday, January 8th.

Around 15,000 Canadian Armed Forces members were deployed to Eastern Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick after a devastating ice storm struck.

It was the largest domestic military deployment in Canadian history.

A prolonged period of freezing rain and ice pellets toppled thousands of trees, snapped power lines, and turned roads into skating rinks in January 1998.

Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Lawrence MacAulay says “Canada’s women and men in uniform stepped up to help right here at home during the ice storm that devastated eastern Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Working day and night in harsh winter conditions, our troops played a vital role in the disaster relief operation.”

Around 35 people died as a result of the storm, almost 1,000 were injured, and more than 600,000 were temporarily displaced.

Author

Tara Clow

Tara Clow is a multi-award-winning news anchor and reporter with more than 30 years of experience at radio stations across Canada. She is a graduate of the Radio and TV Arts program at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Humber College radio broadcasting program. She is based in Moncton and covers stories across Canada. Contact Tara at clow.tara@radioabl.ca.