Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh is calling on Hydro One to do a much better job of keeping people in Greater Sudbury informed when there are power outages.
With the increase in severe weather events due to climate change, McIntosh said the utility needs to communicate more than the basic information it provides on its online power outage map.
She compared it to the job Greater Sudbury Hydro does in keeping the public informed through “constant updates” using media releases and social media posts whenever an area of the city is without power.
“So we knew, as a municipality, who had power and who didn’t,” she said.
Hydro One should provide more detailed, timely responses to local customers along the lines of what GSH is able to accomplish.
“Hydro One is not great about informing us, or informing the media,” McIntosh said.
During a recent outage, she only found out parts of her ward were without power when the affected residents sent her a text.
“And we can’t respond if we don’t know there’s no electricity in a community,” she said.
With the power going out frequently so far this winter, it's important city and customers have current information and updates.
“So that’s why I’m asking staff to reach out to Hydro One (now), before we have another outage.”
Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo said that during a recent storm, repair crews couldn't access certain areas because the road hadn't been plowed. If the city knew of the situation, a plow could have been rerouted to the area “to restore power eight hours quicker” than what actually happened on the ground.
The motion passed easily and a report on Hydro One's response is due in January.
