Court Refuses Class Action Against Hydro-Québec After 2023 Ice Storm Power Outage

The Superior Court has declined to authorize a class action against Hydro-Québec following the power outage in April 2023 caused by an ice storm in the Montreal region. The plaintiff, Daniel Rolland, had sought damages of $1,000 per resident in the metropolitan Montreal area, totaling nearly 4 million people, due to the outage that lasted between two to six days.

Rolland aimed to represent all citizens residing in the Greater Montreal Area, individuals or entities, who were without electricity supply for days starting from April 5, 2023. Allegations were made regarding the negligence of Hydro-Québec and the Quebec government concerning vegetation control near power lines, which purportedly led to the outage after the ice storm.

Despite the legal representation by Me Gérard Samet from Derhy Avocats, the Court found the lack of specific or detailed claims of fault. Hydro-Québec was defended by Me Alessandra Palumbo, Me William Moran, Me Vincent Rochette, Me Marie-Geneviève Bélanger, and Me Jean Bertrand. The Quebec government was represented by Me Gabriel Lavigne and Me Alexandra Hodder from Justice Québec.

The presiding judge Lukasz Granosik emphasized the absence of a justifiable cause and insufficient legal grounds to support the class action request. There were no substantial allegations of fault against either Hydro-Québec or the Quebec government.

Hydro-Québec, upon being contacted, expressed contentment with the Court’s decision and awaits a potential appeal from the plaintiff, Daniel Rolland, who is yet to confirm any further legal steps in this matter.