A Vancouver-based professional engineer is raising the alarm after coming across five pole locations in the city containing exposed electric wires.
Erik Wiik says he first notified the City on Jan. 11 about the wires at a location near Pacific Boulevard and Davie Street, near Roundhouse Community Centre, in the Yaletown area.
Wiik took a picture of the wires and reported it through the City’s VanConnect app.
He called the 3-1-1 service a few weeks later to follow up, but was told the wires were taken care of.
When he went back to check, the exposed wires were still there.
He believes the wires were left there as part of a pole replacement project.
On Tuesday, he documented four other locations around the Yaletown area with the same problem and posted them on social media.
After a lack or response from the City, Wiik says he bought a clamp meter and measured the current at all of these locations. Five of the six locations tested had live current.
So he reached out to Mayor Gregor Robertson and City Council via email Tuesday night, saying he was seriously concerned about the electrical safety at these locations.
Wiik says the City tweeted back at him this morning, saying his concern was forwarded to the City’s electrical department.
He says leaving live wires behind is against the electrical code and is a major safety violation.
Wiik says if this was one of the construction sites he was managing, he would expect the wires to be protected.
Wiik is especially concerned because all five locations are in very public areas, close to community centres. One of them is on the same block as his son’s daycare.
He says the situation could have been easily avoided if the City finished its pole replacement projects as soon as possible.
The City told Global News their electrical team is currently investigating and they will providing an update as soon as there is more information from the technicians.
A spokesperson with the City also said engineering staff will be conducting a safety review of their maintenance standards to identify improvements that can be made to future work flows.
More to come.
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