More than 100 residents in a Côte Saint-Luc apartment complex remain without heat days after a power outage, even though electricity was restored to most of the area.
For many residents, the Jan. 24 outage triggered a cascade of problems. While power returned within about 24 hours, pipes inside the building froze, leaving dozens of units without functioning heating systems.
Sofiane Benyoucef, a father of two, told Global News his family tried to wait it out while building management worked on repairs.
“We tried discussing with them, they said they were working on it. It went on for one or two days, and nothing was happening so I said OK, what are we doing here,” Benyoucef said.
As temperatures dropped, the family was forced to leave. They moved into a hotel with assistance from the Red Cross, hoping the situation would be resolved within days.
That hope faded on Sunday, Benyoucef said, when firefighters responded to a small fire in the building’s basement. Residents were told they could not return for at least another three days.
“The fact that they are not giving us the view of the long term, mid-term or short term — we can’t plan our lives,” he said.
Global News contacted Bluestone, the owner of the building, for comment but did not receive a response before deadline.
Côte Saint-Luc Mayor David Tordjman said the city is working with building owners to support displaced residents and speed up repairs.
“We are opening up city resources for our residents,” Tordjman said. “All we can do is make sure repairs are done as quickly and safely as possible and make sure that our residents come back home.”
The prolonged outage has now become the subject of a proposed class action lawsuit. The filing alleges Hydro-Quebec was negligent in maintaining its infrastructure and failed to prevent a foreseeable breakdown.
Hydro-Quebec said it is reviewing the legal filing and will not comment further on the matter. The power utility added that it “maintained constant communication with the communities affected by the outage.”
Lawyer David Assor, who is involved in the case, said the claim seeks damages related to the outage, including burst pipes, water damage and displacement costs.
“People had to move out of their house. It was very cold that weekend, as we all know,” Assor said.
City officials are urging residents affected by the outage to carefully document their experiences, including keeping timelines, saving receipts and taking photos, steps they say could be critical for insurance claims or for those considering joining the class action.
Read the full article here