Markham politicians put PowerStream on hot seat

January 17, 2014
Markham Economist & Sun
By Amanda Persico

During the power outage peak in December, some 17,200 Markham homes were without power.

Within about 36 hours, PowerStream was able to restore power to about 88 per cent of homes.

By Dec. 23, about 2,000 Markham homes sat in the dark for days.

"This was a once in a generation event," said PowerStream president and chief executive officer Brian Bentz during a special committee meeting last week to discuss repercussions from the Dec. 22 ice storm.

"We dealt with ice storms, two tornados, flooding, mass power outages and Hurricane Sandy. But this was the perfect storm."

During Hurricane Sandy, about 30,000 PowerStream customers were affected.

During its peak, some 92,000 PowerStream customers across the region were without power on Dec. 22. That amounts to about 35 per cent of PowerStream customers.

Toronto Hydro reported some 300,000 residents without power or about 40 per cent.

While PowerStream crews worked to restore power, it was the several days after the storm hit that were painstakingly slow.

After power lines along major roads were cleared of tree debris, power line crews continued to work on backyard connections, where power connections restored about 30 homes a time.

While many were very thankful for crews from all over Ontario taking their holiday time to help restore power, Markham councillors say more should have been done by the company itself.

To start with, the company's website and corporate phone lines were severely strained during the first few days of the power outage.

Due to data overload, the company's automated outage map and voice command system were malfunctioning, where many residents were told power was restored to their home only to be sitting in the dark.

"The downfall was when one technology was talking to another piece of software," said Mayor Frank Scarpitti, who is also chairperson of PowerStream.

"The technology works when it stands alone. It wasn't a downfall of the system. It was trees that came down on the system."

But more should have been done to better inform residents from the onset of the storm, Councillor Howard Shore said.

"Not only am I an unhappy councillor, but I'm also an unhappy customer," he said. "I understand this was a natural disaster and mother nature took charge. But I have a serious concern about the lack of information."

Many residents in the Thornhill area could not get consistent information from PowerStream. And many were told the power was restored only to return home and still not have any power, Mr. Shore added.

"The best information I received was from the crew chief working on my street," he said. "He gave me a ballpark time plus some and I accept that. That is better than hearing there are no estimated restoration times."

When calling the company's outage phone line, residents were prompted to give either postal code or account numbers.

"I don't know my PowerStream account number," Mr. Shore said. "I'm not sitting in a freezing house for three days just to have my bill handy."

He also suggested a drop down menu or either streets or postal codes on the company's website, so residents can access street by street information.

The other major concern was the length of time it took to restore power to older areas where power connections are in private back yards, especially in Thornhill and Unionville.

"Pat the workers on the back, yes" Councillor Don Hamilton said. "But there is a long way go. This issue of back yard connections is not new."

There have been several instances in the last couple of years where PowerStream was made aware of low hanging branches along power lines in back yards, he added.

"We were told, if reported, (PowerStream) would come and clear it," Mr. Hamilton said referring to low-hanging branches. "You know there is a problem, so do something about it."

Ward Councillor Valerie Burke agreed.

"These are not new complaints," she said. "Residents call about this when there is a thunderstorm."

PowerStream is looking at converting back yard power connections to front yard connections, as underground servicing comes with a very high price tag, PowerStream operations and construction senior vice president Mike Matthews said.

Not to mention, those with back yard connections also have their fuse boxes located at the back of the house as well.

The company is also working on a mobilized notification system for councillors who can receive localized information to pass on to residents.

But PowerStream also has the responsibility to inform residents along with councillors, Mr. Hamilton said.

"Residents call us as a last resort," he said. "But we're helpless in this situation because we don't have any information. PowerStream dropped the ball on this."

PowerStream is also looking at boosting its phone line and website capacity.

Council also asked PowerStream to provide regular progress reports on the back yard conversion process, as well as the updated digital infrastructure process.