Alectra utilities

Even if the cause of the damage is electrical, this does not mean that Alectra Utilities is liable. 

Barring gross or intentional fault, Alectra offers no compensation for damage to a device or appliance. We strongly advise you to contact your insurer in a case such as this. 

Below are examples of situations where Alectra cannot be held liable for damages: 

• A meteorological event (e.g., a storm) 
• Voltage or frequency variations or losses – it is up to you to protect your electrical installation and electronic appliances against such events, for instance, using power bars with surge protection. 
• A service interruption caused by an emergency, an accident, equipment failure or the activation of system protective devices 
• A service interruption or non-delivery of electricity due to maintenance, repairs, system modification/management or for reasons of public utility or safety 

See Alectra’s Conditions of Service approved by the OEB.

Barring gross or intentional fault, Alectra Utilities offers no compensation for losses incurred due to an outage. 

Alectra may, at any time, interrupt electricity service for system maintenance or safety reasons. However, in the case of a planned service interruption, we make every effort to inform you in advance (robocalls and telephone notifications). 

We advise you to contact your insurer. 

See Alectra’s Conditions of Service approved by the OEB.

If an Alectra Utilities employee or representative sees that they have caused damage while working on your property, they will leave a notice to that effect on your door. 

• If the notice bears the Alectra Utilities logo, we will get in touch with you to remedy the situation. 

• If the notice does not bear the Alectra Utilities logo, this means the work was carried out by another company. You must contact them directly. 

If you believe an Alectra employee or representative has caused damage to your property without leaving you a notice, you may file a claim with us. However, we do suggest that you start by calling your insurer, who will help you analyze the situation. 

Alectra Utilities will only reimburse for an invoice in cases where we have advised you to contact an electrician and the issue is determined to be with Alectra’s equipment. There is no reimbursement if you hired the electrician without having first contacted Alectra.

To maintain the reliability of electricity service, Alectra Utilities must ensure that trees don’t damage the power distribution system. Depending on where trees are and what their function is, the company may prune or cut them down. Work is done in compliance with best practices, and tree waste is disposed of as the situation warrants. Vegetation control work does not constitute property damage, unless an accident occurs. Visit our Vegetation Management page for more information.

Alectra Utilities is committed to doing everything reasonably possible to ensure the quality and reliability of our service. While we apologize for any disruptions to your electricity service, Alectra does not provide compensation for loss of income, or any inconvenience suffered by the customer as a result of a power outage or damage to property.

Ontario has a “no-fault” insurance system. You must call your broker or insurer directly in the event of a collision between two or more vehicles. This rule also applies to collisions involving an Alectra Utilities vehicle. 

Even if Alectra is liable, your insurer is the one who must contact us, if necessary. In fact, all motorists are directly compensated by their insurer. 

When a vehicle collides with a pole or any other Alectra equipment 

If damage is incurred as a result of a collision between your vehicle and a utility pole or other equipment belonging to Alectra Utilities, you must call your insurer, who will then contact us, if necessary.

Under the terms and conditions of Alectra Utilities’ liability policy, all claims are referred to our insurer.

It typically takes 60-90 days for Alectra Utilities’ insurer to review an individual claim from the time it is received. Once we receive your claim and supporting information and documentation, Alectra and our insurer commence an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Every claim is different and requires a specific set of considerations and there may be circumstances where the investigation requires additional time.

If the investigation performed by Alectra Utilities and our insurer determines that your damages have resulted from Alectra’s negligence or willful misconduct, you will be paid the lesser of two amounts: 

1. The cost to repair the damaged item, or 
2. The value of an item of like kind and quality that has the same amount of wear and tear as the item that was damaged. Claims are paid based on depreciated value as per the example below. 

Claims are not paid out based on the replacement value. 

For example: If you purchased a refrigerator for $1,000 (which typically has a 10-year useful life), and the damage occurred after four years, the amount of compensation would likely be $600 if Alectra Utilities was found negligent. 

Payments for any amounts determined to be owed are sent by cheque to you directly from our insurer.

Although every claim and policy is different, we recommend contacting your insurance agent or broker to find out if you are covered for the damage. 

There may be benefits to claiming a loss through your personal insurance: 

• Insurance companies typically pay full replacement value for any damaged items, whereas if Alectra Utilities is found negligent, you would be paid the lesser of the cost to repair the damaged item or the value of an item of like kind and quality. 
• Insurance companies may reimburse you in instances where the damages did not result from Alectra’s negligence or willful misconduct.

Yes, please do not throw away any damaged items until a decision has been made on your claim, since we may need to validate damaged items.

We understand there are circumstances where items may require immediate repair or replacement. You are responsible for paying for any replacements, repairs, or technicians’ bills until a decision has been made on your claim. If you need to replace your items immediately, please keep the damaged equipment until your claim has been processed.