Blog : Ragazou

By JANICE ARNOLD, Staff Reporter  (CJN)

MONTREAL ? Residents of the Outremont and de Vimy Street areas avoided having to conduct their first seder in the dark after Hydro-Quebec responded to complaints about a planned power break.

The utility had notified residents late last month that the electricity would be cut from Monday night, March 29, at 11:30 p.m. through to 4:30 a.m. on March 30 as part of a load-shedding procedure that is fairly frequent in the area.

Rabbi Mordechai Bulua, who lives on Van Horne Avenue, phoned Hydro immediately to point out that it was the start of a major Jewish holiday and, although the hour was late, many seders would just be beginning at 11:30 p.m. and would likely continue into the wee hours.

The area is home to a large Jewish population, mostly Orthodox. Rabbi Bulua pointed out that with the return to daylight saving time on March 14 sundown is now quite late. By the time, people get home from synagogue, it is nearing midnight.

Hydro told him the shutdown could not be avoided. Rabbi Bulua then complained to B'nai Brith Canada and to the office of Outremont's MNA, Finance Minister Raymond Bachand.

He doesn't know if Bachand did anything, but B'nai Brith did phone Hydro, underlining the importance of Passover to its Jewish customers, and things changed quickly.

Rabbi Bulua said there were apparently other complaints from residents.

On March 26, Hydro apologized and announced the shutdown would take place one week later, on April 5, from 11:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Even though this is the second-to-last day of Passover and a holy day, Rabbi Bulua said he's satisfied that Hydro extended a ?reasonable accommodation' to the community.