As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to let you know how we’re monitoring the situation and maintaining continuity for our customers, while ensuring that our team members remain safe and healthy during this critical time.
Our plans to continue delivering power to Ontarians
As an essential service, we play a critical role in providing power to families, communities, hospitals, grocery stores and other essential services. These are uncertain and challenging times. We will conduct our work programs with these safety measures in mind. Can you kindly confirm whether Hydro One crews would be welcome in your community to respond to any connection requests and or trouble calls?
Now and always, the health and safety of our customers, team members and the communities we serve remain our top priority. To ensure everyone’s safety and the reliable delivery of power, we are concentrating our efforts on conducting only the work that directly impacts system safety, reliability and customer service.
- We’re following the guidance provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and other global and provincial health agencies.
- We’re reviewing our operations on a daily basis, and have already made adjustments to our core operations, such as splitting field crews, staggering start times and minimizing travel within the province.
- While there are times when our team members may need to interact directly with a customer due to the critical nature of the work, they are limiting the amount of contact and practising social distancing.
Helping our customers when they need us most
This is a difficult time for everyone, and we want our customers to know that we’re here for them.
We are prepared for this and in order to support those most in need, we are putting additional practices into place to ensure that every hospital, health care facility, first responder and all other critical services across Ontario remain connected.
We have also heard concerns from customers experiencing hardship. We recognize that this is a difficult time for everyone and we want our customers to know that we’re here to support them. We have additional relief programs in place to assist customers through increased payment flexibility, payment programs and financial assistance. Plus we have also extended our Winter Relief program so we can commit that no customer will have power disconnected during this time.
In addition to this, the Ontario government is offering additional relief to customers. For the next 45 days, customers will automatically pay a flat rate of 10.1 cents per kWh. This is expected to reduce the monthly bill of a typical residential customer by about 15% during this period. This change does not require customers to take any action. More details are available at HydroOne.com/RateRelief.
We hope these added measures provide our customers peace of mind so you can concentrate on what matters most — keeping your loved ones safe.
All of us will face uncertainty and new challenges over the coming days. But you have our commitment that we will do everything in our power to ensure that you have the power you need to keep yourselves and your families safe.
As we have more important updates to share we will continue to communicate using our website and email as a direct channel to provide you with the most relevant information.
While it won’t be business as usual for a while, we commit that you will be able to count on us. Our teams across the province will continue working hard, despite the circumstances to live up to that commitment.
We’re stronger together
As important partners, we must act together and do our part to reduce the spread of the virus to not only keep our families, employees and communities healthy, but also our businesses and the economy. You have our commitment that we will continue to share operational updates as they are available on HydroOne.com.
Our thoughts are with those who have been seriously impacted by COVID-19, and we are deeply grateful to the public health organizations, health-care workers on the frontlines and all of those working during this challenging time.
On behalf of all of us at Hydro One, we’re here for you.
Derek Chum
VP Indigenous Relations
Hydro One