Water main break outside CHEO cuts off water, air conditioning on hottest day of the year

A water main break right outside CHEO has forced the hospital to cancel elective surgeries and some clinic visits for the day Tuesday because its access to water has been disrupted, cutting off drinking water and air conditioning.

It happened at around 12:30 p.m., right outside the main entrance, prompting CHEO to issue a Code Grey.

“This incident has disrupted our access to water for clinical care, cooling, drinking water and restroom facilities,” a CHEO spokesperson said in an email to CTV News Ottawa.

“At the present time, we are actively working on solutions with our hospital and other local partners to help resolve this situation and reduce the impact on patients and their families.”

Non-elective surgeries remain ongoing.

The disruption to water and air conditioning comes on the hottest day of the year so far. At 3 p.m. the temperature in Ottawa was 32 C with a humidex of 43. Some portable air conditioners were brought in to provide some cooling.

Some staff were sent home early to conserve water.

A spokesperson for the Ottawa Hospital says the hospital has been communicating with CHEO and is available to offer support if needed. The Ottawa Hospital General Campus is nearby, but is unaffected by the water main break. 

There is currently construction on the CHEO campus for the development of its new Children Integrated Treatment Centre, which includes a new parking garage to accommodate more people and a tunnel to connect the two buildings.

There is no timeline for how long it will take to repair the water main.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.