Cost of destructive storms in Windsor-Essex may end up on your utility bill

The cost of this year's destructive storms that snapped utility poles and required extended responses to restore power to thousands of people across Windsor-Essex could end up on ratepayer's bills.

Two of the area's distribution companies are tallying up expected costs following storms that officials believe are the worst in decades.

"First we had an ice storm and then we had a windstorm and now we had a flood storm," recalls Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy.

"I'm hoping that's it for the next 20 years really. We've had our share of storms here."

But Bondy, who chairs the board of directors ELK Energy  knows that more intense storms are likely, as a changing climate is expected to produce more frequent and damaging extreme weather events in Ontario, according to a recently released report prepared this summer for the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).

"I do feel like we're going to see this more and more often."

Bondy said ELK Energy is already dealing with $100,000 worth of damage following an ice storm in February that knocked power out to thousands of people and an unknown figure connected to a wind storm that toppled trees across Essex County last July.

Those same storms were felt in Windsor where Enwin Utilities estimated a year-to-date damage bill of a million dollars, including last week's tornadoes that ripped across the region.

ELK Energy is applying to the OEB for a rate increase this year that could add $4 to each customer's monthly bill in Belle River, Comber, Cottam, Essex, Harrow and Kingsville. 

"Getting healthy groceries is challenging, paying hydro bills is challenging. But when when people come into our town from out of town to work on our hydro poles, we have to compensate them," said Bondy. 

Distributors can apply to the OEB for what's called a "Z-factor" claim to help recover documented costs connected to things like natural disasters.

An OEB spokesperson said they've received seven of those types of applications since 2018.

Bondy said the money would go toward new switches that would allow the distributor to isolate power outages, a additional tree trimming and a pole replacement program. 

"Traditionally ELK has had years and years, approximately 20 years of under spending and now we're playing catch up."