On July 12 in the Highlands, many of us experienced two power outages. Annoying, inconvenient, and, for some, costly.
For them, we had no neighbourhood notification. This is usual, but it need not be. We all know what is involved in our respective households regarding. TV, phones, computers, and time lost on homework etc.
I phoned Hydro’s main office and lodged a formal complaint.
If this had happened during the height of the heatwave, things might have had a tragic turn.
We need to be told when any planned action like this will occur.
Every time this happens, we go offline, all electrical activities suddenly stop. Cars can be locked in or out of garages. Sensitive surge-prone electronics can be compromised etc. Hydro should care more and stop flexing its government-backed power. Remember we are all still dealing with COVID!
Due to COVID, many have adopted a “work at home regime” with Zoom meetings etc. Any interruptions of this can sometimes have costly or very inconvenient consequences.
Whenever there is a planned outage, a notice board — preferably portable or even electronic — should be posted near the site where the work is to be done.
The information on such notice should include the time and duration of the operation.
Dave Colwell, Garibaldi Highlands
Editor’s note: BC Hydro told The Chief that safety is the corporation’s top priority.
“On July 12, we had a crew performing routine system upgrades in the area of Kintyre Drive in Squamish.
Our crews often perform high-risk work, and in this case, an unplanned emergency outage was required for the safety of our crews because of the discovery of a malfunctioning high voltage switch. This was followed by a secondary outage that was required to safely complete the repair work.
The first outage lasted for 18 minutes from 9:35 a.m. to 9:53 a.m., while the second lasted for 27 minutes later in the afternoon.
We understand this was inconvenient for our customers, and we thank them for their patience.”
