PETER L. SMITH
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

UPPER PONTIAC – The Upper Pontiac communities of L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, Chichester, Sheenboro, Waltham, and parts of Mansfield are demanding answers following power outages that occurred over two days beginning Monday, July 7. Outages ranged in duration from brief interruptions to as long as six hours.

Hydro-Québec representative Marie-Annick Gariépy, team lead and business advisor, said the outages may have been caused by tree branches making contact with power lines or by equipment damage due to heavy rainfall. She emphasized that Hydro-Québec will continue vegetation control, including clearing and brushing, and the removal of 2,434 hazardous trees along the Waltham 221 line, which supplies part of the region. “These efforts aim to improve the grid’s reliability and resilience in bad weather. In the long term, the completion of the Coulonge substation and its supply line will strengthen service in the region,” she said.

A Hydro-Québec crew member working locally agreed that vegetation was a factor but stressed the need for equipment upgrades, noting the age of the Waltham dam and increasing demand due to new residents.

Lines 221 and 224 supply the area with electricity. According to a retired Hydro-Québec employee who asked not to be named, during storms, lines are fused to lower amperage levels, making outages more likely. “When heavy rain and wind cause branches to contact the lines, the amperage increases toward substations like the Waltham dam, overloading the system,” he explained.

Municipal mayors and MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller have lobbied Hydro-Québec for years to improve service and have held several in-person meetings with the utility.

Once the new substation is complete—expected within three to four years—the region will no longer rely on the Ontario grid for backup, which is anticipated to significantly improve reliability. But with increasingly frequent and severe storms, residents are asking what they should do in the meantime?

Many say their biggest concern is the lack of communication during outages. Cell service is unreliable or nonexistent in most of the region, and Bell Canada’s fibre-optic phone service depends on hydro. When the power goes out, so do the landlines. This has left vulnerable residents, including seniors, without any way to call for help during emergencies.