Dear Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know it\u2019s been a tough few days, and for many of you here in Atlantic Canada, it will take weeks\u2014perhaps months\u2014to recover from Fiona. So far, we know that the storm killed three people, including a woman in Port aux Basques<\/a> who was swept to sea while preparing to evacuate her home. Beyond the physical damage from the storm, there\u2019s an emotional and psychological toll as well. The stress and anxiety of waiting for \u201can historic storm\u201d to hit is no small thing, even for those who don\u2019t live in the region but have family and friends who do. Of course, for those whose homes were lost or damaged, the toll is much greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that the storm has passed, we have some important choices to make.<\/strong> We can buy into the narrative that our utility companies are our saviours, coming to our rescue, or we can call them out for putting profits before people\u2014and demand they be held accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I talk about utility companies, I am referring to the executives who make the decisions about our electricity grid\u2014not<\/em> the fine folks who work under them and heroically clean up after each storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy get angry at the utility power brokers?<\/strong> Here\u2019s why:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n