A small business owner says she is “steamed” that a planned Nova Scotia Power maintenance outage will leave her business in the dark for four workdays.
On Outram and Esplanade Streets in Truro, a planned outage for system upgrading is set to last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Sarah Coleman says her store Calling Corner New Age Boutique is located right on the corner of the two streets.
It will be one of three business among 12 customers hit with the seven-hour outages for four-straight days.
“This is ludicrous. There’s no way that should be a four-day event,” said Coleman.
Calling Corners is a tarot and crystal shop in Truro, N.S.
Submitted by Sarah Coleman
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Coleman has shut down her store for Monday, as she initially thought the outage would last just the one day.
She said she was not informed of the four-day-long outages by Nova Scotia Power, but found out from a Facebook post made by another business owner in the area.
Calling for communication, empathy
Coleman said that on March 8, one of her staff texted her that Nova Scotia Power came in and informed them that power would be out on Monday.
When receiving the information, Coleman contacted customer support, who she said confirmed they saw a planned outage for Monday — nothing else.
Notice of the outages on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday came as a shock.
“Monday would have been an inconvenience,” Coleman said. “The majority of the week… takes away our entire staff’s paychecks. This is my only form of livelihood at the moment.
“There was no regard that I could see… I don’t know, It just didn’t seem like they cared.”
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Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Jacqueline Foster said in an email statement their team has been working with the town of Truro on the planned outage.
“This is for a capital project on Outram Street where we are rebuilding the power line. The planned outage is needed so our crews can complete the work safely,” Foster wrote.
“We appreciate outages are inconvenient for customers even when they’re planned. We have done as much work ahead of time as possible, including digging