Police say the cause of the outage is currently unknown
TORONTO — A retailer in Toronto's downtown core announced Thursday afternoon that a power outage had affected security and the entire payment system. I had to stop my business because I gave. financial district.
Shoppers Drug Mart and Tim Hortons stores on King Street East had signs on their doors saying they were closed due to a power outage. Patios along the Esplanade, normally full of customers enjoying the sun, were empty as people moved through the disaster area.
Adelaide Street Anna Spencer, the pastry chef at her XO Bisous in the East, blew a breaker in her shop just before the blackout, so she at first thought she caused the blackout. she said.
The bakery was unable to use the machine for debit or credit purchases and returned cash early in the outage before closing for the day.
Spencer said the biggest problem was that the refrigerator had lost power, adding that staff were trying to keep the air cool by closing the door as much as possible.
If the power outage lasts overnight, she said she could lose a few days' worth of work because the food goes bad.
Even if the outage lasts into tonight, she said she could lose at least hundreds of dollars' worth of product.
Some stores, like XO Bisous, posted signs saying they were unable to process electronic payments and only accepted cash.
The system includes an offline mode, so merchants using Square may have had the option to accept some transactions, she said Giovana Chichito. . She said she hasn't heard directly from her customers about the problem with the power outage.
Interac said merchants in the affected areas were affected by the blackout, but services were functioning normally.
Traffic slowed down in the affected areas as traffic lights dimmed, making it difficult for vehicles to reach point A from point B, and delays in deliveries. I was.
The blackout included Bay Street, where many of Canada's largest businesses are headquartered, but some financial people were able to get their work done.
Toronto's major stock exchange opened Thursday afternoon. TMX Group spokeswoman Catherine Kee said the trading system was not affected by the outage as the power system was backed up.
Hydro-One is working to restore power as soon as possible, she said.
— with additional reports by Tara Deschamps and Kayla Goodfield
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