Persistent power outages a fact of life for Coquitlam neighbourhood

It might be the darkest part of the Tri-Cities.

There’s a sliver-shaped section of Coquitlam that stretches from Burke Mountain to the highway and if the power’s out anywhere, it’s usually out there.

The house is usually dark for two or three hours, according to resident Ian Bushfield. It can be a major inconvenience if he’s trying to finish some work, get dinner on the table, or just keep warm.

“In the winter the house starts to get a little bit cold after a few hours of no heat,” he said.

After 14 outages in 2024, residents of the Hockaday/New Horizons neighbourhood reported three outages in January.

But while the outages are persistent, they’re also puzzling.

 “A giant atmospheric river goes through and tens of thousands of people across the province are losing power and we lose it then. I’m not mad about that,” Bushfield said.

However, in some cases the sun is shining, there’s a little wind, and the lights go out.

 “What’s that from?” Bushfield asked.

There has been a marked increase in outages in the area, confirmed BC Hydro media relations liaison Kyle Donaldson.

Most of the 2024 outages were caused by adverse weather leading to trees and branches falling on power lines, he stated in a message to the Dispatch.

“A motor vehicle accident and unexpected equipment failure were also factors,” Donaldson added.

To address the issue, BC Hydro is set to move a circuit breaker north of David Avenue away from the forested area. Fault circuit indicators should also help BC Hydro pinpoint problem areas, according to Donaldson.

Crews are also set to inspect vegetation in the area and around Westwood Plateau in the next few months, possibly removing hazardous trees.

Some sections of the overhead line could be put underground in 2026, Donald stated. 

Donaldson thanked customers for their patience.

“We know outages are disruptive and we work hard to prevent them and respond quickly,” he stated.

Addressing BC Hydro’s plans, Bushfield recognized the many residents who wrote to BC Hydro about the outages.

“Without those voices, I don’t think we’d be seeing as concrete action coming as quickly.”

Across the province, 2024 was a record year for weather-related power outages, with nearly 75 percent of British Columbians ending up in the dark at least once.

In about 75 percent of those outages, the lights were back on in 12 hours. Approximately 10 percent of outages lasted longer than 24 hours, according to BC Hydro.

The record number of outages is likely due to violent storms sweeping over areas that have experienced years of drought. With weaker roots, trees were more likely to topple, BC Hydro found.

The crown corporation announced plans to triple its vegetation management budget in 2025.