Vandalism caused power loss, hydro says

Paul Choi
Hamilton Spectator
(May 23, 2006)

[SISIS note: The following mainstream news article is provided for reference only, as an example of how mainstream media treats indigenous resistance to genocide. Mainstream media often presents biased and distorted information, lacking pertinent facts and/or context. Inclusion of this article on our site should not be considered an endorsement by SISIS.]

Power in the Haldimand County area was interrupted for hours yesterday after a large transformer station behind native barricades in Caledonia was interrupted.

The disruption happened about 2 p.m. when a transformer station owned by Hydro One failed, severing power to Haldimand County, Caledonia, Hagersville, Cayuga and surrounding areas.

Hydro One spokeswoman Laura Cooke told The Canadian Press the cause was clearly vandalism.

In total, about 8,000 Haldimand customers were affected. Areas in Norfolk and elsewhere may also have been affected, said Haldimand County Hydro CEO Lloyd Payne.

Payne said power was restored to rural areas surrounding Caledonia, including Hagersville and Cayuga, about 9 p.m. last night.

Power was switched from another area.

"But it's a different story in Caledonia.

"It's a greater distance from an alternative transformer station and that represents voltage problems for us.''

There was no clear timeline for repairing the main transformer station, which is on Argyle Street in Caledonia, Payne said.

There were unconfirmed reports yesterday evening that hydro crews trying to cross native lines to get to the station were blocked by protesters.

"I've had a lot of calls from people worried about how it happened," said Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer, referring to some townspeople's concerns that the outage could have been the result of sabotage.

"People are very, very upset."

pchoi@thespec.com
905-526-3404