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Hamilton Spectator
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
RDOS board members tear into Fortis officials over plan to shut down power under extreme weather conditions
A proposal by FortisBC that could see power shut off to tens of thousands of residents across the South Okanagan and Similkameen during extreme weather emergencies was met with sharp criticism from members of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board, Thursday. The utility's representatives — Hayley Newmarch, Manager of Community and Indigenous Relations; Rob Maschek, Project Manager; and T.M. Sandulak, Emergency Management Manager — presented details about FortisBC's Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program. The program would allow Fortis to proactively shut down portions of the electrical grid when wildfire risks reach critical levels. The intent is to prevent wildfires ignited by electrical infrastructure. However, RDOS directors said the plan could do more harm than good. PEOPLE COULD DIE, COYNE WARNS Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne responded angrily, warning that lives could be at risk if power is shut off during the frequent extreme heat events in the region. 'There's a lot of emotion in our Valley right now,' he said. 'There are 10,000-plus people that are thinking that all of August, we're going to be without power, because we're under an extreme heat (warning) most of August.' Shutting off the power would cut access to water provided by treatment plants that need electricity to run and a power outage could eliminate medical services or access to gas stations and refrigerators and freezers would not work, said Coyne. 'We're going to lose our food,' he said. 'We won't have a restaurant to go to. We won't have a grocery store to go to. Has any of this been taken into consideration? 'Our industries are going to shut down and we're going to be without jobs at this time too. Like, has any of this been considered, because none of us have been talked to at this level. We're talking about having to evacuate hundreds, if not thousands of people, because you guys are looking at having to turn off the power because it's hot out.' Coyne acknowledged Fortis' effort to reduce liability but asked, 'Who will pay for the losses in our communities?' Maschek emphasized the PSPS would be used only as a last resort. Coyne remained unconvinced. He understands Fortis is attempting to minimize its risk and not get sued, but he wondered 'who is going to pay for the losses in our communities.' Mashek reiterated Fortis would only move forward with a PSPS event as a last resort. This didn't appease Coyne. 'Sorry, that's not acceptable,' he said. 'When it's 40-plus degrees out, people are going to start dying because they don't have air conditioning. I get where you guys are coming from, I really do, but you have to get where we're coming from. 'We have vulnerable individuals who are going to die because they don't have air conditioning.' OTHER DIRECTORS JOIN IN Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes wondered why Fortis is moving ahead with this power shutdown initiative now as wildfires have been around forever in this region. The increase in frequency and scope of wildfires has increased dramatically across the Fortis coverage area in the 20 years he's worked for Fortis, said Mashek. 'I've been evacuated myself five times,' he said. Director Adrienne Fedrigo said Fortis has come into communities like Naramata, which she represents on the RDOS board, and 'decimated the trees' to build more power lines. 'It's awful that those trees have been decimated ... we have large milling companies who would love to log under your electrical lines way out in a remote area,' she said. The threat to thousands of residents that they might have their power turned off with only a day or two of notice is scary to many people she's talked to, said Fedrigo. 'You're just adding and compounding to that stress,' she said. 'I'm not sure where to go with this, but I think it has to be thought out a little bit more. We're looking at life over profit. I'm not sure if that's fair to say, but ... that's how it feels.' Sandulak said the PSPS concept was inspired by California wildfires a decade ago. Since then, many utilities across North America, including in Washington State and Alberta, have adopted similar measures. 'Those public power shutoff programs have slowly been moving north and east across North America,' he said, adding numerous power providers in Washington State have initiated power shutdown programs during extreme weather events. 'It is the very, very last resort,' he said. LACK Of CONSULTATION Director Tim Roberts was angry that Fortis management didn't discuss this serious issue with community leaders, before issuing a recent press release about the PSPS program. 'This was a discussion that definitely needed to happen before it went to the public,' he said. 'Trust me, you had better be prepared for your meeting in Keremeos. You should see social media. It's buzzing.' Coyne blasted Fortis managers again for the way they do business in many rural communities. 'You guys have no problems going to our parks and cutting down our trees in the parks and mutilating them there,' he said. 'But because they're on the side of the road or near somebody's fancy house on a lake, you're just going to leave them. This is the problem. The solution here is not equal to what you're proposing. 'You go by my farm and you devastate pretty much every single, living thing, but then I drive by another area and the power lines are literally embedded in the trees. Why is that allowed.' Coyne stated the residents that would be affected by a power shutdown 'are on the wrong end of this' and he urged Fortis to reconsider its PSPS program. 'We took a look at our system and determined that the risk of us (Fortis) potentially being involved in starting a fire that could result in human loss is overwhelming,' said Mashek. Coyne urged Fortis to reconsider the PSPS plan, warning that residents are 'on the wrong end of this.' FORTIS EMPHASIZES FIRE RISK AND LAST RESORT NATURE Director Matt Taylor said his biggest concern is the amount of people who would eventually have to be evacuated due to a power shutdown 'would be massive. This is a really big deal that you're potentially triggering. I'm talking the number of people and the number of homes that would eventually have to evacuate.' Rural Princeton Director Bob Coyne, Spencer's father, criticized Fortis' public communications. Coyne Sr. said the recent press release 'put a whole lot of panic into a whole lot of people without a really good explanation about what was going on' in his district. Many residents and business owners have told him they don't have the money to buy a backup generator, he said. 'The way it came out is this is going to happen when it gets hot and dry,' he said. 'I think you've done a terrible job of putting it out to the public. I think it's kind of a half-baked idea that you're still working or they're not sharing all of the information with the public. It's one of the two.' He believes the program's primary motivation is avoiding liability. 'That's what this is really about,' he said. FORTIS RESPONDS TO CONCERNS Maschek acknowledged the seriousness of the issue. 'We understand the consequences and don't take them lightly,' he said. 'There's a risk assessment process involved. If shutting off power would create a bigger public hazard, we wouldn't do it.' Coyne Jr. remained angry with that response, saying having the fate of thousands of residents determined by a board of directors in a multi-million corporation isn't satisfactory. Municipal leaders and First Nation Bands are 'not part of that conversation' and should be, he said. Fortis owns and operates more than 7,000 kilometers of transmission and distribution lines in B.C. Maschek said dry and hot conditions in regions like South Okanagan, Similkameen, and Boundary increase wildfire risk. Fortis is hosting public information sessions to address concerns. A session is scheduled for tonight (May 14) at Greenwood Community Hall at 4 p.m., with another on May 16 at Keremeos Victory Hall, also at 4 p.m. A virtual open house is set for May 22 at 5 p.m., accessible at . At our press deadline, Fortis has reversed its position. See follow-up story in Friday's Herald.
Global News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Power shutoff initiative creating ‘wave of fear,' says Princeton, B.C. mayor
Concerns are growing over a plan to shut off power in nearly a dozen communities across the Similkameen and Kootenay-Boundary regions of British Columbia to reduce wildfire risk. FortisBC is launching a new initiative it calls the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). The power giant says it will initiate the PSPS during extreme weather such as extreme heat and powerful wind events to reduce the chance of trees and branches making contact with live powerlines and igniting fires. However, the initiative has many people, including residents, business owners in affected communities and local governments, expressing some serious concerns. Some of those concerns were brought up on Thursday at the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen's (RDOS) board meeting, where Fortis representatives outlined the plan. 'I'm sorry. It's not acceptable,' Princeton mayor Spencer Coyne told Fortis at the RDOS meeting. Story continues below advertisement 'When it's 40-plus degrees out, people are going to start dying because they don't have air conditioning.' While Coyne told Fortis he understands the importance of reducing the fire risk, the policy has some serious ramifications. 'I get where you guys are coming from. I really do. But you also forget where we're coming from,' a concerned Coyne said. ''We're not going to have water. We're not going to have medical services. We're not going to have gasoline. 'Our refrigerators and our freezers are going to go down, and we're going to lose our food. We won't have a restaurant to go to. We won't have a restaurant to go to. Like has any of this been taken into consideration?' 2:13 FortisBC to try proactive power shutoffs in some Southern Interior wildfire situations In Keremeos, another affected community, resident Jessica Johnson also expressed concerns. Story continues below advertisement 'We feel incredibly vulnerable, we feel incredibly scared,' she told Global News. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Johnson runs the Riverbank Acres Bed and Breakfast and said the company's so-called 'proactive' outage will have a big impact on both her home and business. 'As a home and family we're concerned about our freezers and fridges rotting full of food,' Johnson said. 'There would be no air conditioning, no ability to cook for people, so that would impact us, of course, financially.' Fortis' corporate communications senior adviser Gary Toft said the company is hearing the concerns. 'This is not something we would do lightly. It would only be used as a last resort,' Toft said. 'We are having discussions with communities and emergency services to understand what supports can be put in place.' Coyne said that is something that should have been done prior to announcing the new policy. 'They say they're still working on it, but if this is just something you're thinking about, or this is something you're still working on, that's when you are supposed to come to all the stakeholders and get input and work with us, and then you come up with a policy,' Coyne said. 'Right now, what they've done is they've said they're going to do this and they've set a wave of fear across our entire region.' Story continues below advertisement Coyne has written a letter to both the provincial government and the B.C. Utilities Commission hoping they intervene. Johnson is also hoping the initiative doesn't go ahead as planned. 'I just feel like they are well overplaying their cards on this,' Johnson said. 'It's one thing to be ready to go because an emergency has happened, it's entirely another because they think something could happen, maybe. ' The 10 communities Fortis has identified as high-risk for wildfires and where the PSPS initiative will be implemented include Princeton, Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, Christian Valley, Westbridge, Rock Creek, Cawston, Keremeos, and Hedley.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
State Catholic leaders see positive momentum with Pope Leo XIV
HARTFORD Conn. (WTNH) — With the election of a new pope dominating headlines and social media feeds around the world, Catholics in Connecticut are optimistic that renewed attention on the Church will help them build on recent growth. In the past few years, Church leaders say they've seen a resurgence of interest and attendance. Connecticut church leaders, lawmakers react to election of new pope 'We've been seeing significant growth in numbers,' said Archbishop Christopher Coyne of Hartford. Coyne pointed to increased mass attendance in the diocese and an increase in vocations to the priesthood. He noted that much of the church's growth has happened among college-aged churchgoers. On campuses from Fairfield to Hartford, mass attendance has spiked in recent years, so much so that Coyne said some college parishes have had to find bigger spaces to hold Sunday services. Alexander Walton, a graduate student at Yale Divinity School, said he's observed increased interest in Catholicism among his peers. Walton himself is a recent convert to the faith as well. 'I think the Holy Spirit is trying to work throughout the world and talk to people who feel lost or feel insecure in this new modern age and I think young people are at the forefront of it,' Walton said. 'I think God's working hard and I think a lot of young people are trying to be open and make sense of the world and they find a lot of love and fraternity in the Catholic Church.' Bishop Juan Betancourt, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford, said he expects the newly-elected Pope Leo XIV will continue the work Pope Francis undertook to instill a spirit of 'new evangelism' among the world's youth. 'Pope Leo said, like the arms of St. Peter's Basilica, the church welcomes everyone,' Betancourt said in an interview with News 8's Dennis House. 'This is something that I trust that he will keep in mind — something that will be very important in his pontificate. To receive everybody. That will be his message. Everybody is welcome into the church.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Uniquely qualified:' Hartford Archbishop on Pope Leo XIV
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Archbishop Christopher Coyne of the Archdiocese of Hartford reacted to the election of American-born Robert Francis Prevost as pope. Connecticut church leaders, lawmakers react to election of new pope As pontiff, Prevost has selected the name Leo XIV, a name that harkens to some of the Church's most storied leaders including Pope Leo I, known as 'Leo the Great,' and Pope Leo XIII, who was known for his articulation of the church's social teachings as the global economy industrialized in the late 19th century. Coyne noted the historical significance of the new pontiff's choice of name and also anticipated that Leo XIV would embody a 'continuity' of leadership that has run through the popes of the modern era, including Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. He also described Leo XIV, who was born in the Chicago area and spent two decades ministering in Peru, as a 'bridge' between the northern and southern hemispheres. 'In Pope Leo, we have a man who is uniquely qualified for the office,' Coyne said. Coyne also weighed in on speculation as to the direction of the Church following the reign of Pope Francis, who was seen as a change agent who sometimes found himself at odds with more conservative Catholics. 'If you're asking me if the Pope will depart from the tradition of the Chruch's dogma and doctrine and it's creeds and it's faith — no,' Coyne said. But, Coyne added, there may be areas where, like Francis before him, Leo XIV might interpret certain 'pastoral situations and realities' in new ways. 'Hold fast to the deposit of faith,' Coyne said. 'But also do so in a way that's merciful, loving, and salvific.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
New Rochelle police looking for robbery suspects who allegedly confined victims with tape
New Rochelle police are looking for three suspects after two people say they were confined in duct tape and held at gunpoint Monday, April 28. Capt. J. Collins Coyne said police responded to a robbery in progress at a Pelham Road residence at around 2:50 a.m. Coyne said officers attempted to pursue a White Ford F-150 Lightning that was witnessed fleeing the scene, but were unsuccessful. No suspects were apprehended. The victims told police that three suspects ambushed them and attempted to confine them using duct tape. Nearly $45,000 worth of luxury items, car keys and an iPhone were stolen, Coyne said. The New Rochelle Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding the robbery or possible suspects to call 914-654-2300. (This story may update.) This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Goods worth nearly $45K stolen from New Rochelle NY residents: Police
