A recent lawsuit has been filed against Hydro-Québec in response to the power outage that struck Montreal’s west end over the weekend. Tragically, two seniors lost their lives during the service disruption amid the freezing cold weather, prompting an investigation by the Coroner’s office.
The outage, triggered by a substation failure in Hampstead, left thousands of homes without power in Côte Saint-Luc, Montreal West, and the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough of Montreal. Legal firm Lex Group stepped in on Wednesday to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of those affected by the incident, citing damages suffered.
According to the lawsuit lodged with the Quebec Superior Court, the law firm alleges that Hydro-Québec failed to fulfill its responsibilities, specifically pointing to the company’s alleged neglect of aging and faulty equipment that led to the outage.
Residents endured the outage, which commenced on Jan. 24 at 10:30 a.m. amidst frigid temperatures plummeting to minus 26 degrees Celsius, lasting up to three days for some, with intermittent failures worsening the situation.
The lawsuit contends that Hydro-Québec knowingly allowed outdated equipment to operate despite clear signs of impending failure, resulting in residents being forced to vacate their homes and facing damages like burst pipes, as well as damage to alarm systems, HVAC systems, and Jacuzzis.
Responding to the legal action, Hydro-Québec stated to CityNews that they are reviewing the lawsuit filing. The utility company emphasized their efforts to communicate with affected communities, including informing emergency services early on, making direct automated calls to customers, conducting door-to-door outreach, posting updates on social media, and keeping local authorities and officials informed.
Hydro-Québec’s spokesperson, Pascal Poinlane, advised customers to contact their insurers for property damages incurred during outages.
