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Lights out Saturday for 4,800 in Port Coquitlam

BC Hydro maintenance work will shut off power for up to eight hours in a southwest portion of Port Coquitlam
Power outage is scheduled for southwest Port Coquitlam
A power outage is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 29 in Port Coquitlam that will affect 4,800 customers.

The lights are going out in Port Coquitlam for the second time in a month.

A power outage is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 29 that will affect 4,800 customers in homes, businesses and a seniors’ care facility in the southwest part of the city.

It comes two weeks after another scheduled outage on Feb.16 that shut down power to 4,500 customers, including many businesses in Port Coquitlam’s downtown.

“People seem to be dealing with it,” said Jennifer McKinnon, executive director of Port Coquitlam BIA, a business advocacy group, who said BC Hydro is giving customers plenty of notice.

But some businesses, such as Pharmasave, have had to make special arrangements.

Owner Brad Fenton said some drugs that require refrigeration had to be moved to from the Elgin Avenue store to the Coast Meridian Pharmasave and it’s lucky the power was out on a Sunday, when the store is normally closed.

According to BC Hydro, power has to be shut down to enable crews to do work to upgrade the city’s power grid.

The area affected this Saturday will be southwest of Kingsway Avenue, north of Coquitlam Avenue, south of Wilson Avenue and north of Citadel Drive between Reeve Street and Kingsway Avenue. 

BC Hydro says it needs to shut off power from roughly 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. so employees can safely complete the upgrade work but it’s possible power may be restored sooner if the work is finished more quickly.

Approximately 100 business customers will be affected and BC Hydro has reached out to critical customers that may require advance notice, such as School District 43, the city of Port Coquitlam and the Low Income Housing Society.

Homes and businesses that will be affected were sent a notice about Saturday's outage.

Kevin Aquino said in an email BC Hydro recognizes the inconvenience this will have for many in the area and “appreciates the patience of our customers impacted by this outage.”

But he said for the safety of the crews and pubic, the work needs to be conducted when equipment is “de-energized," noting that the work is an upgrade to help meet the long-term needs and future load growth in the area. 

While many business owners and residents will be inconvenienced Saturday, Hawthorne Seniors Care Facility will have to make special arrangements to ensure its 201 residents are looked after and 48 staff can do their jobs.

One elevator will not be working but two will be; meals will provided and people will be safe, thanks to two generators that will power the large facility.

“We have been anticipating this power outage; the lead time has been really helpful in making sure we’re ready,” said executive director Lenore Pickering.

Some rooms may be without power but they will be lit with natural daylight, she said, and all the common areas will be lit.

“For the lodge and cottages you’ll hardly notice," she said.