Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
His electricity provider, Alectra Utilities, wants him to pay $27,000 for the repair.
“They want $27,000,” Paul Willis of Brampton said. “And then I have to pay another contractor to run the final 80 feet and that’s about another $5,000.”
Willis started building his garage in November 2021 with the help of a contractor. Willis said that at the start of the project, the contractor dug too deep, severing a hydro cable.
Homeowners are legally required to contact Ontario One – a free, non-profit agency that works with utilities to make sure no damage is done to underground gas pipes, communications networks, power lines or individuals – before beginning a digging project.
The agency’s CEO, Jim Keech, says that “the whole process is to make sure when you dig, be it with a shovel or major equipment, you’re aware of the infrastructure and don’t hit it.”
However, Willis says that he did contact Ontario One, and that his contractor didn’t follow the agency’s instructions.
“I’ve sued the contractor,” Willis said. “The problem is he has ignored the suit, he has ignored my lawyer and he has ignored me.”
Since November 2021, Alectra has repaired the hydro line two times. Both times, the line broke, leaving Willis with a temporary hydro line that he says needs to be replaced.
He is currently receiving power from a hydro pole line that is running over the ground with multiple splices connected to his home.
Willis says that he’s been told to pay the fee, or the hydro company is going to shut off his power.
In a statement to CTV News, a Alectra Utilities spokesperson said that they are aware of the situation and that their records indicate that the existing line was damaged by the third-party contractor.
“In response, our crews promptly addressed the issue with an emergency connection and provided the customer with an estimate of approximately $27,000 to replace the damaged line with an upgraded infrastructure in order to meet existing safety and electrical standards,” it reads.
Willis says that he doesn’t feel that he should have to pay the entire cost, and is hoping to find a compromise between all parties.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when provincial fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.
A Utah couple accidentally shipped their cat with an Amazon return. A week -- and 3 'miracles' -- later, they were on a plane to meet a stranger
The Amazon returns employee wasn't at work the day one of her colleagues at a California warehouse found a small, furry stowaway in a box mailed six days earlier from Utah. But Brandy Hunter got the call anyway.
Duelling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.