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<\/p>\nRiver Heights business owners who adjusted their operations to accommodate a planned power outage were taken off guard when Manitoba Hydro rescheduled the event.<\/p>\n
Work on overhead electrical equipment was supposed to take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and affect properties on Lanark and Renfrew streets, between Corydon Avenue and John Brebeuf Place.<\/p>\n
The owners of several establishments \u2014 including restaurants, a Royal Bank and services such as physiotherapy \u2014 learned about the outage on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Staff in Corydon Village Mall scrambled to reschedule appointments and cancel catering orders. A medical centre posted a sign saying it would close Friday.<\/p>\n
Hydro acknowledged the short notice and blamed it on outdated contact information.<\/p>\n
Initially, Hydro said it needed to do the work during the day for safety reasons. It chose Friday because St. John Brebeuf School was closed for an in-service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe realize planned outages are inconvenient, but necessary to keep our crews safe and avoid longer, unplanned outages,\u201d Manitoba Hydro spokesman Peter Chura wrote. \u201cWe appreciate our customers\u2019 patience and support.\u201d<\/p>\n
While a daytime operation is still preferred, Chura said the outage was moved to Sunday, Nov. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this case we are rescheduling to accommodate customers,\u201d Chura wrote. \u201c(We) have a crew available late Sunday, so some of the work would be done at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hydro rescheduled its planned outage after the scramble. It\u2019s conducting regular maintenance on a type of switch, called a \u201cdisconnect,\u201d that\u2019s due for replacement.<\/p>\n
Hydro used automated voice calls Thursday to notify roughly 70 clients about the Nov. 1 outage.<\/p>\n
Small businesses often face challenges due to a lack of notification, especially with roadwork, said Brianna Solberg, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business\u2019s director of legislative affairs for the Prairies.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall businesses need that advance notice because, unlike larger businesses, they have limited financial flexibility,\u201d Solberg said.<\/p>\n
Many entrepreneurs can\u2019t easily make up for a lost day of revenue, she said.<\/p>\n
She encouraged \u201creliable\u201d notification processes from entities such as Manitoba Hydro and governments scheduling road construction.<\/p>\n
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
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Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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