The CAQ government will allow Hydro-Québec to work on private property without needing permission from the owners.
The bill was tabled last week by Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon to give the energy company more power.
It specifies that Hydro-Québec employees can “enter any building for certain purposes, such as carrying out preparatory work or clearing the buildings of all vegetation, poles and wires.”
Hydro-Québec indicated that this was a problem because crew members couldn’t cut branches or trees that posed a risk due to a customer’s refusal to access their property.
The energy company said they encountered this situation in several municipalities in Estrie earlier this year.
Hydro-Québec had to obtain authorization from property owners to cut down trees on their land to fix outage problems, but several owners were non-compliant.
The bill also specifies that Hydro employees can access private property to carry out inventory, surveys, or other preparatory work, and to install poles and wires.
Lastly, Hydro-Québec must repair any damages that happen during these interventions.