Two elected community leaders expressed their concern at the length of time it takes for the installation of new utility hook-ups for new buildings in Bonnyville, after ATCO Electric said the process usually takes anywhere between four and six months.
MD of Bonnyville Reeve Ed Rondeau and Bonnyville Mayor Ernie Isley both said they believe the waiting time is far too long and that ATCO officials should address the situation and work on improving that time frame.
“I really think that ATCO should be looking at the length of time it takes to hook up utilities – they should definitely be able to provide a better service than they are currently providing,” Rondeau said.
However, Rondeau said the organization is in a favourable position at the moment as they are the only utility company providing services in Bonnyville.
“The problem here is the fact there is absolutely no competition for ATCO,” Rondeau said. “They have a captured customer base, so the public has absolutely no choice but to wait.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Isley as he said the company should really be doing better for its paying customers.
“I can't think of a logical reason why it takes so long,” Isley said. “The actual process is way longer than it should be and ATCO really needs to work on their process so that those (timeframes are reduced).”
Isley went on to say that he feels the length of time it takes for utilities to be hooked up could potentially affect new investment in Bonnyville, with organizations usually looking to have everything constructed and in place in a couple of months.
And it's not just Bonnyville facing these problems, neighbouring communities such as St. Paul, Cold Lake and Lac La Biche are also served by ATCO, so similarly if businesses are looking to invest there, they would be facing a four to six month wait too.
Brent Kobelka, South East Region Manager for ATCO Electric, said unfortunately the four to six month waiting time is the best the organization can offer at the moment, as there are a variety of different variables the company has to consider and design before they can begin work on a new project.
“The thing is, installing a new utility line is a very lengthy process,” Kobelka said. “It can't happen overnight. The process involved with designing a brand new system is a long one – at the end of the day we do our due diligence and want to make sure we do the job right, so it takes time.”
Kobelka encouraged those individuals or organizations looking to construct a new build in Bonnyville to start the process early so as to ensure everything is up and running as soon as possible.
“We definitely encourage long-term planning,” Kobelka said. “The process involved with designing a new utility line is similar to the process involved with constructing a new building. We want to get involved as early as possible so we can determine exactly what is needed and get our services in as soon as we can.”
