Landlines weren't usable for most Nova Scotians during Fiona

Many Nova Scotians looking to call for help or communicate with family when post-tropical storm Fiona crashed into the region over the weekend were simply out of luck — even those with landlines.

Anne Camozzi, who lives alone just outside Antigonish, N.S., and uses a wheelchair, said at the height of the storm Saturday she had no power, internet, cell service or working landline.

"I do not think I could have called 911. And I was quite frightened because the situation here was very dire. We had winds of 146 kilometres an hour and there was debris hitting my windows. What would I have done if I needed to evacuate?" Camozzi said.

"Fortunately I got through this emergency OK, but if I hadn't, how could I have communicated with anybody?"

Most landlines in the province, and across Canada, now use fibre-optic internet cables to work, rather than the underground copper wires installed decades ago.

Telecom companies tout the fibre-op cables as being faster and more efficient for landline phone use, but they rely on power from the electrical grid and an internet connection to function. When the power goes out, the landlines go down unless there's a battery backup that usually lasts another few hours.

Some people, especially in rural areas, still have copper wiring for their landlines which rely on batteries that might last less than 12 hours after the power goes down.

Jim Stewart of Chance Harbour, N.S., is one of those people still waiting for power in Pictou County. His cellphone is now working sporadically, but his copper-wired landline is dead.

"It's like living on Gilligan's Island," he said.

Stewart said he remembers the days when the landline never went out, even long after a major storm or power outage. He said he's left questioning why phone systems haven't improved in recent years, even in light of the major impacts of storms like Juan and Dorian.

"Why don't we learn from our mistakes?" Stewart said.  "Once things get back to normal and the power comes back on, everybody sort of forgets what happened."

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) urges those with fibre-op landlines to use an "alternative phone service" like a cellphone "to increase the reliability of your access to emergency services during any service interruption."

But when all cell networks are down, as occurred during Fiona, 911 access might be limited or non-existent with cellphones.

There are also still many seniors, or others who chose not to cut the cord, who rely on landlines. 

Half of seniors don't have smartphones

Statistics Canada numbers show that in 2020, 84.4 per cent of Canadians owned a smartphone — but that number drops considerably to 54.1 per cent in the 65 and over age group. In 2019, only 15.2 per cent of those 65 and over did not have a landline.

According to information Bell sent to the CRTC in the wake of Dorian in September 2019, fibre-optic systems are "significantly more reliable" than copper-based networks.

In fact, Bell wrote that their fibre-wired network in the Atlantic region was available throughout Dorian and its aftermath — "excluding situations where power was unavailable to customers' premises" and where damaged wires caused a service outage.

In Canada, the internet-landline rollout has gone through relatively quietly compared to countries like the United Kingdom. In the U.K., there are various resources explaining the pros and cons of the technology, including an entire website informing people how all phones will be connected through fibre-op by 2025. 

Bell said their fibre network expansion program was about half complete by the end of 2018, with the number of all-fibre connections reaching roughly 4.6 million homes and businesses in Atlantic Canada, Québec, Ontario and Manitoba. 

Eastlink spokesperson Jill Laing said Tuesday that in Nova Scotia there were still 46,000 customers without internet — of which 21,000 were also without phone service — largely due to "power-related issues."

"These customers are scattered across the region with harder hit areas mirroring those more severely impacted by power outages," Laing said.

She said no Eastlink customers are on copper-wired landlines.

Calls for telecom accountability

Over in Antigonish, Camozzi said when she eventually heard from the "brave" home-care workers who called to check in on her once cell service resumed, her fear turned to anger.

"We're living in 2022. And I do not understand why telecommunication companies are allowed to get away with this," Camozzi said.

Dominic LeBlanc, the federal infrastructure minister, said in a press conference Tuesday the government has served "notice" that telecom companies are expected to do everything necessary to make their systems more resilient.

"I'm very clear on behalf of the Government of Canada that we expect them to accept this responsibility," LeBlanc said.