By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
FortisBC is inviting the public to attend an information session around its controversial “Public Safety Power Shutoff” (PSPS) program.
The program has drawn the ire of rural communities and the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) as it self-empowers the company to proactively shut down sections of the electrical grid to reduce wildfire risk when conditions reach predefined thresholds.
FortisBC says the strategy has been developed for specific communities “at greatest risk of wildfire to help keep them safe during wildfire season. PSPS is an added layer of protection,” it added.
Residents can find out if there is a PSPS plan for their area, and what happens before, during and after a PSPS event so they can stay informed and prepared.
FortisBC intends to have this shutoff program as a “last case scenario”, to reduce the likelihood of wildfires caused by electrical infrastructure during extreme weather events.
If conditions are dry and windy – beyond certain thresholds – there could be risk for a tree falling on a powerline and creating a wildfire, as one example.
The fact that FortisBC announced that they want to be able to shut off power to entire communities during extreme weather events did nothing short of inflaming viewpoints up and down the Southern Interior. FortisBC said that the outages could last 72 hours and were suggesting people stock up on emergency supplies.
When it was first announced in the spring of 2025 widespread complaints over not just the plan but the lack of consultation led the BC Utilities Commission to order FortisBC to halt any more plans for the implementation of the program. Fortis has since been given the green light by the regulator with certain conditions.
Rural communities and the RDOS remain opposed to the plan and at an RDOS Board meeting in mid-April CAO Jim Zaffino pointed out that, “PSPS implementation in these areas poses significant and disproportionate risk to community safety.”
This included concerns around food security, heat exposure, public health and sustained emergency response, disruption to Voyent Alert! and BC Emergency Alert, and cooling centres that would be inoperative, among others.
The FortisBC roadshow will be in Osoyoos on May 27, from 3-6 p.m. at the Sonora Community Centre, 8505-68th Ave.
