Island businesses lament lost revenue from post-Fiona power outages

With the power still out for thousands of customers throughout Prince Edward Island, some businesses are still closed, or not fully operational without electricity.

In Charlottetown, Rod Santa Maria uses a generator to keep the Harbour House up and running. There's just enough power to light his small hotel's reception and dining area, and to keep the Wi-Fi going.

But without hot water, heat, or light in the rooms, most guests who had booked before post-tropical storm Fiona are finding other accommodations, he said.

"For example, today we have seven rooms checking in. I've been contacting them every morning and already four cancelled because we don't have power. It's the same for tomorrow and the day after."

All told, cancellations have cost the Harbour House more than $30,000 in revenue since Fiona hit 11 days ago.

"For us, it's been devastating," said Santa Maria. "After two years of pandemic, just doing long-terms, we were going to have an excellent year, an excellent season. And now this? I know Maritime Electric is doing what they can. But it's very frustrating."

Bev Campbell, owner of In the Mix Bakery in Mount Stewart, said she's had to stay closed altogether because of the power outage.

She has a generator, but it's just keeping the fridges running, so that she can salvage some of her food. It can't let her power up the oven and keep the doors open.

Considering this is my only income, it's going to be tough.—Bev Campbell

"Considering this is my only income, it's going to be tough," she said. "This time of year would be a really busy time with Thanksgiving weekend coming up.

"We've lost a lot of restaurant business also. Right now, we're pretty well the only one that offers food in town."

The community's other restaurant, Laurie's Country Kitchen, closed in mid-September because the owner couldn't find enough staff to stay open on a consistent basis. 

Season was lucrative until Fiona hit

For tourism operators, blown-over trees, flipped trailers and mounds of work ahead is not how they envisioned the first rosy season in three years would end.

"It was one of the best tourist seasons that I can remember in my 35 years, 36 years," said Dale Farnish of Sunset Campground in Cavendish. "It's going back to starting all over again.

"And it's going to cost a lot of money to get rid of all these fallen trees."

Instead of welcoming campers until Thanksgiving weekend like they do most years, staff at Marco Polo Campground have turned their attention to cleaning up the property.

"You have to be optimistic, because if you have a business, you're going to have setbacks," said owner Harmen Hoekstra. "You're going to have to overcome it. It just takes a little bit longer, but everything is fixable."

No compensation for lost revenue

The provincial government has announced that it will cover lost wages for Islanders who haven't been able to work with businesses closed due to storm-related damage or power loss.

But at this point, it hasn't said anything about covering lost revenues for business owners.

"I'm kind of hoping there's a few things for some of the losses, and maybe even gas support," Campbell said.

In an email to CBC News, a government spokesperson said businesses should speak with their insurance providers to see if they have coverage for lost revenues under circumstances like these. The spokesperson added that small businesses can also turn to P.E.I.'s disaster financial assistance program.

"I'm not asking to get all the money we were going to make, but at least some part, to be able to survive and cover all our expenses," said Santa Maria.