A child sits on the steps of the family’s newly built home in Hatley Township. Kris Smith said Tuesday that a possible path toward connecting the home had emerged after weeks without electricity. Photo courtesy of Kris Smith.
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A Hatley Township family that has been living without electricity in a newly built home could receive power as early as the end of this week after Kris Smith said a technician working on the connection identified a possible solution involving tree trimming on a neighbouring property.
Smith, who has a two-month-old baby at home, told The Pulse Tuesday afternoon that he had received a call with an update on the family’s stalled electrical connection.
“Long story short, if we can get our neighbours to allow them to trim some trees, they should be able to give us some sort of hook up with more work coming later,” Smith wrote.
A short time later, he said a site visit was planned for Wednesday with the neighbours to look at trees that could pose problems.
“Hopefully if all works out, we could have power by the end of the week or early next week,” Smith wrote.
The new timeline is considerably shorter than what Smith described during an interview earlier this week. At that time, he said a Hydro-Québec employee had told him the local electrical network did not have enough capacity to connect the new home and that, when he asked about a worst-case scenario, he was told it could take anywhere from six to 12 months.
It remains unclear what type of connection could now be provided, whether permission for the tree work will be obtained or what additional work may be required afterward.
The Pulse contacted Hydro-Québec by email Tuesday seeking confirmation and clarification about Smith’s account, including the reported network-capacity issue, possible timeline, the status of the file and options for connecting the home. As of Wednesday morning, Hydro-Québec had not responded to or acknowledged the request.
Smith told The Pulse the ProFab-built home was delivered June 12 and that his electrician filed the required paperwork June 25.
The first commissioning date was scheduled for July 14. Smith said severe storms struck the area that day and suspected they may have played a role in the appointment not going ahead. A second date was set for July 24.
Smith said a Hydro-Québec employee later came to the property and took photographs. When the family asked whether power would be connected that day, Smith said they were told it would not be.
“He basically explained that the grid wasn’t strong enough to support our house,” Smith said.
Smith said the file then went under review. When he contacted Hydro-Québec to ask how long the situation could take to resolve, he said he was given the six-to-12-month worst-case estimate.
He called again this week and said he was told the file had been moved to urgent status because the family has a two-month-old baby. At the time, Smith said he was told a technician was expected to work on the case during the week, but he still did not have a firm connection date.
“I want a timeline because if I have a timeline, I can kind of game plan something out,” Smith said. “The hard part is having a newborn and it’s going to start getting cold.”
Tuesday’s call gave Smith a much shorter possible timeline, although the connection remained dependent on what was found during the planned site visit and whether the tree issue could be resolved.
Until power is connected, the family has been relying heavily on Smith’s parents, who live nearby.
“We sleep in complete darkness with lanterns and we charge iPads, cell phones throughout the day and just kind of live out of my parents’ basement using one of their spare fridges,” Smith said. “We eat together.”
The presence of a newborn has made the situation more complicated. Smith said the baby is breastfeeding well. With their first child, he said, the family had to warm formula and sterilize bottles, which would have been difficult without electricity.
“We’re fortunate my parents do live across the street, but I mean, it’s not ideal,” he said.
Smith has also been thinking about what will happen as temperatures begin to fall. He said the family needs enough heat both to keep the home comfortable and to protect the new building from possible moisture-related damage.
Before Tuesday’s update, Smith was considering purchasing a generator capable of meeting more of the family’s needs. Without knowing when permanent service might arrive, however, he said it was difficult to decide whether the expense made sense.
“If they’re going to come the following week, then I’m out like $1,000 on spending on a crazy good generator just to make it work for nothing,” he said.
Smith is also preparing to return to work after the summer. A previous Pulse profile identified him as a Grade 5 and 6 teacher at Cookshire Elementary and a longtime Eastern Townships community volunteer.
He said living without electricity has complicated ordinary routines such as preparing lunches and breakfast, charging devices and getting his older child ready for daycare.
Smith said he has contacted Hatley Township about the situation and that the municipality was looking into it. He also contacted the office of Orford MNA Gilles Bélanger in hopes of getting more information or assistance.
Smith had previously said ProFab and the master electrician involved with the home had also contacted Hydro-Québec. At the time of the interview, he understood that even a temporary connection might not work.
His Tuesday update suggests another option may now be under consideration, involving some form of connection if the tree issue can be addressed, followed by additional work later.
For now, however, that possibility remains just that.
Smith said he hoped that, if Wednesday’s visit went well, the family could have electricity by the end of the week or early next week.
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