By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle 

The dispute between the regional district and FortisBC has reignited after the utility indicated it plans to stick with a program to pre-emptively cut off power to parts of the electrical grid during wildfire crises.

At a meeting last week, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) board voted to inform the appropriate provincial ministers and the BC Utilities Commission that it does not support the Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in the district.

The board further seeks “Provincial and regulatory intervention to ensure wildfire risk reduction strategies prioritize infrastructure hardening, system reliability, and public safety without transferring unacceptable risk to rural communities and local governments.”

The PSPS program became an issue about a year ago when FortisBC indicated its plans for the 2025 wildfire season.

According to a report to the RDOS board, “(The) PSPS programs allow electrical utilities to proactively de-energize portions of the electrical grid during periods of elevated wildfire risk to reduce the likelihood of wildfire ignitions caused by electrical infrastructure.”

In May last year, after the RDOS identified to the BC Utilities Commission “significant operational, emergency management, and public safety concerns,” the commission ordered FortisBC to suspend implementation of PSPS. The utility was ordered to do more reporting and consultation.

In November, FortisBC submitted its compliance report and indicated that PSPS remains part of its wildfire toolkit.

Late last month FortisBC advised the RDOS that several areas are identified as “PSPS Watch Areas, meaning they are considered to have a higher likelihood of experiencing pre-emptive power shutoffs during periods of elevated wildfire risk.”

The communities cited include rural Princeton, rural Hedley, Tulameen, Coalmont and Apex. FortisBC added that under extreme conditions the power shutoffs could extend to other areas in the region.

The report from CAO Jim Zaffino to the board points out that “PSPS implementation in these areas poses significant and disproportionate risk to community safety.”

Key concerns, the report continues, include:

  • FortisBC has not clearly articulated the specific environmental, operational, or risk-based thresholds that would trigger a PSPS event;
  • FortisBC has confirmed that PSPS events may extend beyond 72 hours, creating heightened risks related to food security, heat exposure, public health, and sustained emergency response;
  • Power interruptions may impair emergency notification systems, including Voyent Alert! and BC Emergency Alert, at times when evacuation alerts or orders may be required;
  • RDOS cooling centres don’t typically have backup power generators and access to them is limited;
  • There remains a lack of clarity regarding support for medically dependent residents, seniors, Indigenous communities, and other vulnerable populations during prolonged PSPS events; and
  • PSPS shifts operational and public safety risk from utilities to local governments and residents, without corresponding mitigation funding, clear authority, or enforceable safeguards.

Princeton Mayor and RDOS Director Spencer Coyne said a PSPS shutdown would result in increased costs to local taxpayers. “We’ll have to have cooling centres and all these other things with no support from them to cover the costs. …  This is completely unacceptable.”

He said FortisBC is “trying to backpedal a little bit,” saying they will keep critical infrastructure on. “(I) don’t know how they’re planning to keep some things on while they’re turning the substations off. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Adrienne Fedrigo, director for the Naramata area, echoed Coyne’s concerns. “Private enterprise is downloading (the costs) of an emergency onto local government. … I’ve asked if they are going to buy us generators to put in our arena.”