Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough officials are asking for residents’ collaboration after a major electrical outage left thousands without power for 72 hours during a bitter cold snap. Interim borough mayor Sonny Moroz said a massive break in Hydro-Québec’s network at the Hampstead substation in Côte-Saint-Luc left more than 6,000 residents without power starting Saturday. The borough is now asking residents for “additional community effort” to allow Hydro-Québec crews to carry out essential work needed to fully restore capacity in the network. A parking ban will be enforced on the following streets: Westmore, Patricia, Trenholme, and Connaught avenues, between Côte-Saint-Luc Road and Sherbrooke Street. Residents are being asked not to park their vehicles on the side of the street that will be plowed during snow-clearing operations beginning Tuesday night. The ban will be in place from 7 p.m. Tuesday to Wednesday at 7 p.m. while the Hydro-Québec work is completed. Moroz said he met with Hydro-Québec president and CEO Claudine Bouchard to discuss the situation. “We are asking residents in the west end to continue using electricity in a conservative manner because during the re-establishment of service that is when network stability is needed,” he said. He noted the crisis was nearing its end but said about 30 households lost power Tuesday morning, and admitted additional outages are still expected. “We know that this has happened before and we want to move forward with a short-, medium- and long-term plan,” he said, adding that the public utility was in the middle of fixing the problem when it experienced a major rupture of service. ‘A lack of investment in the area’ When asked why the problem recurs in NDG, Moroz said he did not have answers and that Hydro-Québec would provide more information. “I am a longtime resident of the area and I am aware of the feeling of a lack of investment in the area, but we have a new director at Hydro-Québec, someone who really understands the issue, and I do believe that that conversation will bear fruit.” He said he also raised concerns about Hydro-Québec’s communication with customers during his meeting with Bouchard, and told her it needed to be addressed immediately. Désirée McGraw, the Liberal MNA for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, also criticized Hydro-Quebec, saying the outage was not an “isolated incident.” “THIS facility has long been known to be outdated and inadequate,” she wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “I cannot accept that its modernization is only scheduled to be completed 2029. Nearly 20,000 households were left without power for days in –30°C weather, especially in my riding. Replacing this infrastructure must become an immediate priority." With files from CTV News’ Joe Lofaro
