Businesses scramble over rescheduled Hydro outage

River Heights business owners who adjusted their operations to accommodate a planned power outage were taken off guard when Manitoba Hydro rescheduled the event.

Work on overhead electrical equipment was supposed to take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and affect properties on Lanark and Renfrew streets, between Corydon Avenue and John Brebeuf Place.

The owners of several establishments — including restaurants, a Royal Bank and services such as physiotherapy — learned about the outage on Wednesday.

Staff in Corydon Village Mall scrambled to reschedule appointments and cancel catering orders. A medical centre posted a sign saying it would close Friday.

Hydro acknowledged the short notice and blamed it on outdated contact information.

Initially, Hydro said it needed to do the work during the day for safety reasons. It chose Friday because St. John Brebeuf School was closed for an in-service.

“We realize planned outages are inconvenient, but necessary to keep our crews safe and avoid longer, unplanned outages,” Manitoba Hydro spokesman Peter Chura wrote. “We appreciate our customers’ patience and support.”

While a daytime operation is still preferred, Chura said the outage was moved to Sunday, Nov. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“In this case we are rescheduling to accommodate customers,” Chura wrote. “(We) have a crew available late Sunday, so some of the work would be done at night.”

Hydro rescheduled its planned outage after the scramble. It’s conducting regular maintenance on a type of switch, called a “disconnect,” that’s due for replacement.

Hydro used automated voice calls Thursday to notify roughly 70 clients about the Nov. 1 outage.

Small businesses often face challenges due to a lack of notification, especially with roadwork, said Brianna Solberg, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s director of legislative affairs for the Prairies.

“Small businesses need that advance notice because, unlike larger businesses, they have limited financial flexibility,” Solberg said.

Many entrepreneurs can’t easily make up for a lost day of revenue, she said.

She encouraged “reliable” notification processes from entities such as Manitoba Hydro and governments scheduling road construction.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com