Toronto Hydro Says Stray Electricity An Ongoing Problem
Posted January 6, 2010 9:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto Hydro has admitted that stray electricity could continue to pose a safety threat on city streets, following an incident on Monday when a dog was zapped.
“I don’t want to mislead the public in any way, this is a problem that we are going to have on an ongoing basis,” said Toronto Hydro’s Tanya Bruckmueller.
The latest incident took place when Marnie Jennings was walking with her three-week-old baby and five-year-old Lab near Danforth and Jones St., on Monday night. The beloved family pet suddenly started shaking after stepping on a seemingly innocent stretch of sidewalk.
“His paw touched (part of the sidewalk) and he just fell and his foot started to shake and then his other paw and then his body went into like a convulsion,” Jennings recalled.
Luckily, the animal wasn’t seriously injured, but other pets haven’t been so lucky when coming into contact with stray voltage.
Last year two dogs died after similar incidents, prompting Toronto Hydro to send 600 employees out to inspect the city’s aging infrastructure at a cost of $14 million.
Crews inspected and worked on the spot where Jennings’ dog was zapped. Apparently a hydro pole was struck by a car several years ago in the area, and Toronto Hydro’s patch job didn’t stand the test of time.
“Over the years the asphalt over top of the hole deteriorated, allowing water and other elements to get in, providing a path for the electricity to come to the surface,” Bruckmueller admitted.
In the meantime, Toronto Hydro has launched an educational radio ad campaign, and all customers will begin to receive bill inserts in the following months.
