Mississauga man’s month without power after ice storm was a learning experience
David Farmer from Mississauga went more than five weeks without power following last year's GTA ice storm. But he had a lot of help from across the province.

thestar.com
Dec. 23, 2014
By Marco Chown Oved

Spending a month without power in the dead of winter would be a nightmare for many Torontonians.

But for David Farmer, the Mississauga man who did precisely that after last year’s ice storm, it was a learning experience.

“I know now that I can do without,” he said this week, a year after the storm hit.

Braving -20 C degree temperatures in the dark was less difficult than you’d think, Farmer said. Between chopping wood in his back yard and sitting beside the raging wood-stove, he bided away 36 days without resorting to complaining. When the Star caught up with him last January, he appeared to be the last person without power in the GTA.

It wasn’t a complete return to pioneer living, however. He did have a few perks that helped him withstand the cold.

“I was lucky to be in the middle of a city that had power. I was able to pop out for fast food dinners,” he said.

Friendly neighbours offered him up hot dinners and use of their washers and dryers. Thanks to his gas-powered water heater, Farmer was even able to take a hot bath every Sunday.

But after being featured in the Star, Farmer became something of a mini-celebrity in the post-ice storm GTA. Shortly afterward, he appeared on Canada AM.

“It’s amazing what a little publicity will do,” he said. “The article came out on Saturday and my power was back on Monday.”

People from across the province who read about him in the Star also reached out.

“A woman read my story and brought by a plate of cookies,” he said. “I was even contacted by an old classmate from Grade 1, 2 and 3.”

“There was a farmer from Kingston who called up,” he said. “He’d been out of power for five or six weeks himself one other time and all the hassles he’d went through. We shared our stories.”

But perhaps the most useful contact was a man who showed up with an extension cord with two male ends. This allowed Farmer to plug his generator into an outside outlet and power the house without having to leave a door or window cracked open.

“It’s a good little technical trick that I learned,” said Farmer.

While this won’t power the whole house, he said, it will power everything that’s on the same side of your circuit board as the exterior plug.

The one thing he missed more than anything else when he didn’t have power? His woodworking tools.

“It’s nice to have the power tools available. I’ve got another car model project that I’m working on,” he said. “It’ll be nice to get going on one of those things again.”