NANAIMO — Impacts from the summer wildfire season are starting to be felt long after the last embers have been extinguished, and BC Hydro is worried the line between wildfire and storm season is disappearing.
Ted Olynyk, BC Hydro’s regional community relations manager, said Vancouver Island vegetation can withstand all kinds of conditions, but the extreme conditions are putting them to the test.
“It doesn’t seem to want to rain very much until September, sometimes October, and now finally we’re getting a big dump in November, and so that puts a lot of stress on the vegetation across the island, and it weakens them. And then when we get these extreme events of the storms and the winds, it’s more stress, and the trees are already weak, so it’s a lot easier for them to come down.”
He said the last few years have felt like a “continuous circle”, as the utility company goes from dealing with wildfire-related problems in the summer months to high winds and heavy rain causing issues in the fall and winter.
The first of several fall storms made landfall on Friday, Nov. 6, forcing the cancellation of BC Ferries sailings and knocking out power to thousands of residents.
Olynyk said the wind puts additional stress on drought-stricken trees, making it easier for them to break and possibly cause power disruptions.
He said tree-related outages remain their biggest reliability challenge, with BC Hydro spending about $150 million a year on tree management.
Another wet and windy week is predicted, with a special weather statement issued on Monday, Nov. 9, covering most of Vancouver Island, calling for heavy rain and high winds well into the weekend.
“We’re certainly keeping an eye on them. We know things can change pretty quick. Mother Nature can turn on a dime and create some havoc for us. There’s going to be a lot of rain coming in there that can cause problems. Maybe it’s too much rain considering the soil conditions, slope stability, or anything like that. It’ll certainly help with filling up the reservoirs. We need that on Vancouver Island, but we’re keeping an eye on the wind part, that’s for sure.”
According to the BC Hydro report, their crews replaced 1,265 power poles and 110 transformers during the 2026 wildfire season.
They said they regularly remove over 50,000 trees deemed hazardous or potentially hazardous to their operations.
Olynyk reminds residents to have a 72-hour emergency kit ready in case of a prolonged power outage and to stay at least 10 metres away from downed, damaged, or low-hanging power lines before calling 911 to report them.
More safety tips are available here.
— with files from Jon de Roo, 97.3 FM The Eagle.
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