Statement on FortisBC’s Public Safety Power Shutoff policy

May 13, 2025

We’ve received important feedback and questions from communities, local governments and customers about our Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) policy. In addition, we have also received a direction from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to pause our implementation to allow for a review our PSPS policy. As a result, we’ve made the decision to postpone our upcoming open houses to early June. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their concerns so far. We’re committed to listening, engaging in meaningful conversations, and working together to find the best path forward in implementing this new policy.

Our commitment remains ensuring the safety of our customers and the communities we serve. While the PSPS policy remains an integral part of our approach to wildfire safety, we recognize the importance of getting it right. That means taking more time to engage with the communities that could be most affected and listening to their feedback.

Background

• FortisBC is developing a Public Safety Power Shutoff policy as a preventative measure to reduce wildfire risk during extreme weather conditions.
• The policy is part of FortisBC’s comprehensive wildfire safety measures to help protect the communities we serve.
• The open houses that were scheduled for May 14 in Keremeos, May 15 in Greenwood and May 22 virtually will be rescheduled to early June.
• Power outages can happen at any time and for a variety of reasons such as storms, maintenance or wildfires. To help protect against emergencies, it is important for customers to always be prepared to be without power for at least 72 hours.
• For more information on FortisBC’s wildfire safety measures, please visit fortisbc.com/wildfiresafety.

 

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