(Charlottetown) Calls are mounting in Prince Edward Island for a public inquiry into how the government and electric utilities were prepared – or not – to ride out the post-storm storm. tropical Fiona.
Posted at 3:24 p.m.
Peter Bevan-Baker, leader of the Green Party, the official opposition in the Legislative Assembly, had asked the Conservative government on October 7 to create a commission of inquiry, with subpoena powers and independent commissioners.
He wanted this commission to examine in particular the operations to restore electricity by the company Maritime Electric, which lasted more than two weeks on the island.
Premier Dennis King recently told the CBC he was ‘open’ to having ‘someone’ review the government and electric utility’s response, but he did not commit to what he called a ‘thorough investigation’.
Pauline Howard, a volunteer with the P. EI Food Exchange, an organization that helps destitute islanders, said in an interview Thursday that this natural disaster will cause food insecurity through the fall and winter.
She believes that a simple internal review will not be enough to assess how Maritime Electric and the government handled this disaster.
Mr. Bevan-Baker, meanwhile, admits that full public inquiries are rare in Prince Edward Island. But he reminds that with the risk of recurring climate emergencies, lessons must be learned and put into practice before a storm similar to Fiona don’t knock again.