‘I had no heat’: NB Power cuts senior’s power with no explanation

A New Brunswick woman says the power was cut at her home.

It was warm and cozy inside Theresa Beaudin’s home on Friday, but a few weeks ago it was anything but.

The 90-year-old lives by herself in a small house in a rural area north of Miramichi.

On Nov. 4 her power was cut and she was left with no heat, electricity and no way to make a phone call.

“It was tough. It was real tough. I had no heat,” said Theresa. “No phone. Nobody could reach me.”

Her son Charles Beaudin said NB Power arrived at the home that day just before 10 a.m. to install a smart meter, but instead removed her existing meter and left without installing a new one.

No explanation or warning was given to his mother, according to Charles.

There was no answer when he tried to call, so around 8 p.m., Charles drove other to see if something had happened.

“She was sitting at the table. She was covered up in sweaters and just an oil lamp. I said, ‘Oh my gosh, what is going on?’ Then she told me, ‘They unhooked my power. They told me they were going to put a smart meter on and they just left,’” said Charles.

Charles brought his mother home with him to stay until Nov. 13 when the power was restored, nine days later.

During that stretch of time Charles called NB Power everyday.

He said he was told he would have to hire a licenced electrician to repair the meter at their own expense, a cost of around $170.

One NB Power employee told him the meter looked like it had been tampered with and company protocol in such cases it disconnect the power and leave.

Theresa said she never misses a bill payment and swears she didn’t touch her meter and can’t imagine why anyone would.

“We got an apology on the phone saying that they were sorry for the inconvenience. Everybody I talked to just kept on saying sorry for the inconvenience,” said Charles. “I got a letter saying that they weren’t going to put my mother’s power on until November 21^st and that was just not acceptable for me. I just said, no that’s not going to happen.”

NB Power spokesperson Tracey Stephenson said the crown corporation cannot speak to particular customer accounts due to privacy legislation.

“We do have very specific safety protocols that need to be followed to ensure the safety of our customers as it relates to meter installation,” said Stephenson in an email to CTV News. “We work to restore power as quickly as we can after receiving confirmation it is safe to do so.”

Stephenson said NB Power constantly reviews its processes related to customers and equipment safety.

“Particularly in situations involving vulnerable customers, to identify areas where we can improve,” said Stephenson.

The Beaudin’s have been told a reconnection fee of around $75 will be applied to the next bill.

Charles is still upset over everything and finds the whole situation odd and confusing.

“It was stressful, the whole thing,” said Charles.

His mother was only at her home without power for around 10 hours before leaving with her son, but Charles said if anything had happened there would have been no way for her to call 911.

“Well, I was scared. I’m telling you I was,” said Theresa. “Especially with no power. It was good luck I had a lamp.”

Charles is sharing his mother’s story because he doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else, especially a senior living on their own.

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