An Oliver woman is looking for people to join her in a potential class action lawsuit against FortisBC.

Maureen Blow said Fortis customers in Oliver are being charged “outrageous” amounts for electricity, which has caused distress and hardship for hundreds of people.

Blow said the idea for the lawsuit was born from a conversation she had with friends.

“People are still up in arms but feeling that there isn’t anything they can do about it individually . . . no one can go against Fortis alone.”

She believes that people need to come together to take a stand and unite as a group. Although many people are up in arms, few are coming together, she pointed out.

Blow lives in a vineyard on Wild Rose Street.

Before moving here, she checked with Fortis on what the electricity costs would be. She made a point of paying her bills on time.

In January of this year, they received a Fortis bill for more than $3,100. She didn’t tell her roommate because he was very ill and dying of cancer. He subsequently passed away on January 25.

“Since February Fortis has been on my ass about the electric bill. They will not put the electricity in my name until I agree to pay the bill that comes to the estate,” Blow said. “There is no estate, there was no will, there is no money. I have spent most of what I have keeping this house going for the past year.”

Blow said she has a disability, and her roommate took her in when everyone else deserted her.

“If I took on the Fortis bill, which I won’t, at about $600 to $700 a month, plus a thousand a month rent, my grandson and I don’t eat. Simple as that.”

Blow said she needs as many people as possible to get involved in the class action suit.

“I’m so in,” said Oliver resident Kelly Wheeler, who previously helped organize a petition against FortisBC rate hikes.

Wheeler said she was thinking of launching a class action suit, but was trying to find a lawyer who would do it pro-bono (without charge).

She also spoke to the Human Rights Commission about the widespread grievance against the utility, but that didn’t get her anywhere.

Wheeler said the rate hikes have forced people into poverty in BC. Some have had to forego their medication to pay for these hikes, she pointed out.

“We can’t stay quiet (any longer).”

Wheeler noted that people have lost faith in the government. “The government is owned by corporations, and we have nothing to fight with because we have no money.”

She believes this is a human rights issue because it encompasses everybody.

When asked if a class action lawsuit would be successful, Wheeler said it depends if anyone “has the balls” to push it, adding that too many people are afraid.

Anyone interested in joining a potential lawsuit can email Blow at [email protected]