The Hydro outages we have experienced in town over the past few years, especially the one this past Friday evening are concerning. Council agrees. And we have done a few things within our ability and authority about it.
Before I get into that, let’s define reality first.
1. Hydro One’s infrastructure is not owned by the Town. The town is a customer of Hydro One just like you.
2. The taxes we pay to the town do not support Hydro One in any way.
3. The Council you have elected has nothing to do with the stability of the electrical grid. An entirely new council could not have stopped the outage on Friday evening.
4. Growth plans in the town are all vetted by Hydro One to ensure that there is enough electricity to support growth. Hydro One has a bit of a trump card on development. If there’s not enough supply, they will flag the issue to town staff. Electrical supply isn’t an issue. Aging infrastructure in certain locations in town is.
On Aug 17, 2022, Council invited the then COO, now CEO of Hydro One to Stouffville to address our concerns.
Please find the video of the presentation and Councils questions for Report No. CAO-012-22 Hydro One -Infrastructure in Whitchurch-Stouffville HERE:
Please take the time to watch it.
It is important for the public to understand the role of council in dealing with private or crown corporations is advocacy. We have no authority over their operations.
Much like your internet service provider or natural gas provider, Council has no say in their service.
I posted my email to the Hydro One CEO on Friday evening immediately after the outage and heard back yesterday acknowledging my email. I expect to hear from him tomorrow (Monday) on their findings for the outage and will share what he says with the broader community.
The following was posted on FB Saturday which is helpful.
There are systems in place which make it faster and easier to get answers, like signing up with Hydro One for notifications, you can do that here: https://www.hydroone.com/request-a-service/outage-alerts
And get the app for your phone or device here:
https://www.hydroone.com/power-outages-and…/mobile-apps
Your frustration is completely understandable. You are of course entitled to be upset with me, direct your anger at me on socials, but I would humbly suggest that you direct your frustration to the one person who can actually do something about our issue.
Complaints can be directed to Hydro One’s Ombudsman’s Office
http://www.hydrooneombudsman.com/complaints/making-a-complaint/
Onward.
