Cape Breton resident calls for more tree trimming to stop power outages

In the small Cape Breton fishing community of Main-a-Dieu, the electricity has gone out several times since last fall's huge storm.

One resident says Nova Scotia Power could do a better job of trimming trees near its lines and poles in the area, but the utility says it has done a lot of work already and plans to do more in future.

Ken Wadden says the power has gone out at least three times since post-tropical storm Fiona hit last September, which caused the longest outage in recent memory.

"The power went out for 14 days," he said. "Trees down across the power lines everywhere.... And why we lost the power so long? Nova Scotia Power, because they're not cleaning the trees every year."

Sometimes, the electricity goes off and then comes back on, but not for long, Wadden said.

"One day it's good and when you get a breeze, it's gone again," he said.

There are several stretches along Main-a-Dieu Road leading into the community where a long line of trees is leaning over and nearly touching the lines and poles.

The electric utility trimmed some branches after last fall's storm, with the help of crews from other provinces and the United States, as well as the Canadian army. But the company didn't do nearly enough, Wadden said.

"There's a lot they could do, but they're not doing it. They're just saving the budget, saving the budget [and] putting the money in their pockets."

Nova Scotia Power would not provide anyone for an interview. But in an email, the company said outages in Main-a-Dieu since Fiona are the result of trees weakened by the storm.

It said it has cleared trees and branches along 70 kilometres of lines to the community since 2018.

'It's time for them to wake up'

But Wadden said it's obvious that more work needs to be done.

"It's time for them to wake up and do something with the power lines."

As a result of Wadden's complaints, the utility said it will send a crew out to Main-a-Dieu to determine whether more trimming is needed.

Nova Scotia Power said it spends up to $25 million on tree trimming annually across the province.

"Going forward, our plans include increasing this investment ... and to nearly double our annual investment over the next five years to improve reliability for customers," the company said.

"This is essential as trees coming into contact with our power lines during storms is the number one reason for outages."