Phone outages in Cape Breton village leave resident frustrated

Kate MacLean grew up in Marble Mountain, N.S., and recently returned to the small Cape Breton community.

Ever since, she's been frustrated by the region's inconsistent landline phone service. 

"Every time the power goes out, you're unable to make a phone call," said MacLean. "Which includes calling 911 in the event of an emergency.

"We pay and every bill you get from Bell Aliant, there's a Nova Scotia 911 service fee on it," she added.

Backup battery packs

There are backup phone battery packs in place to ensure landlines work when the power goes out, and Bell Aliant spokesperson Marc Choma said they were recently tested successfully.

But he said recent widespread power outages across Nova Scotia caused a power surge, damaging the region's phone line.

"If the power goes out, the battery does kick in," said Choma. "But if there has been damage on the network, it isn't really the power supply that's the problem and that's what we're looking into right now."

But MacLean said the outages are not a new problem. 

"For over five years, it's been a known issue," said MacLean. "Many calls have been made to Bell Aliant but the situation has never changed."

She said her grandparents moved out of Marble Mountain six years ago partially because of the unreliability of the phones. About 60 people live in the village by Bras d'Or Lake. 

"You were unable to get hold of them," MacLean said. "Or if something happened, they were unable to get hold of you or call 911." 

'I've pretty much given up'

Choma said Bell Aliant technicians are working in Marble Mountain this week.

"If there is a recurring issue, we'll certainly take a look at that," said Choma. "I'd have to go back and see the history of the area and see if the technicians can determine any sort of next steps."  

MacLean said part of her frustration stems from the company's apparent lack of tracking; she said she and others have made many calls about the issue. 

"I've been assured numerous times that it will be fixed and I've pretty much given up," she said.