B.C. Hydro reviewing comms plan after 10-hour planned outage doesn't materialize, prompting confusion

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 8:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

B.C. Hydro says it is reviewing its connection astir large planned powerfulness outages aft a confusing nighttime for immoderate residents successful Prince George.

For weeks, radical successful the metropolis had been getting telephone calls and emails from the powerfulness supplier informing that captious enactment being done connected instrumentality astatine hazard of nonaccomplishment would interaction astir 15,000 customers, cutting energy from 7 p.m. PT March 30 until 5 a.m. PT March 31.

Those affected were warned to unplug large appliances, marque definite they had blankets and different hole for a nighttime of darkness.

And then, for many, thing happened.

Outage lasted 20 minutes — oregon not astatine all

Chantel Chavez had spent her time preparing her family, which includes 2 toddlers.

"We rushed to eat, person baths," she said.

Perishable nutrient was transferred, lanterns were successful place, and her hubby was prepared to walk the nighttime sleeping connected the level adjacent their youngest due to the fact that the babe show wouldn't beryllium working.

"It was a lot," she said.

But successful the end, powerfulness to her neighbourhood was chopped retired for little than fractional an hour — which she would person welcomed,  but determination was nary denotation the enactment had been completed.

"I went to the [B.C. Hydro outages] website, and it inactive said 'no powerfulness overnight,'" she said. "So we thought it was inactive coming."

Elsewhere, businesses had closed aboriginal aft being told they wouldn't beryllium capable to operate. Restaurants and immoderate individuals had generators moving to marque definite nutrient would enactment harmless to eat, pursuing nationalist wellness advice, but the lights stayed on, prompting galore to wonderment if the enactment had adjacent taken spot oregon was simply rescheduled for different day.

In an email to CBC News, B.C. Hydro spokesperson Mike Kellett confirmed the planned enactment had been completed and acknowledged the discrepancy betwixt what was communicated successful beforehand and what really took place. 

He said owed to the size and complexity of the outage determination were galore "overlapping operations" that resulted successful "blanket notifications" being acceptable retired to each portion that was perchance impacted.

Chavez says she doesn't caput that the outage ne'er materialized arsenic advertised, but she's confused astir wherefore B.C. Hydro didn't supply updates alternatively than permission radical similar her successful limbo.

Others expressed akin confusion, taking to societal media to effort to fig retired what had taken place.

"Why not conscionable update the website?" Chavez wondered.

"We recognize this led to immoderate confusion, and we apologize for immoderate inconvenience caused," Kellett wrote. "We're reviewing our processes to amended the lawsuit acquisition for aboriginal outages of this scale."

Darkness connected the borderline of town

The longer outage did materialize successful immoderate places, including the Hart neighbourhood connected the bluish borderline of the city. There power was cut, arsenic planned, for astir the full 10 hour window, making for a little stargazing connected a wide night.

"It was rather nice, actually," said Bev Schreiner. "We played games. Without power, radical person to speech to each other."

Chavez said successful the extremity the preparations she made, specified arsenic buying indoor lanterns and making definite they had enough warmth to past a nighttime without powerfulness is astir apt a bully thing, should an exigency happen.

"But don't inquire maine to bash it again," she joked.