Freezing and hungry: Residents of Acadian Peninsula petition for public inquiry into ice storm response

​A resident of the Acadian Peninsula has started a petition for a public inquiry into the government's response to January's ice storm.

Roger St-Pierre of Maltempec, south of Caraquet, said many people on the peninsula remained home for 10 days with no heat, no food and no light because of a lack of communication from the government.

When help finally arrived in the province's far north, people felt left behind, he said.

"I guess we are the slum of the city because there was nobody to take care of us," he told CBC Shift New Brunswick on Friday.

"After seven days, they knocked on my door and they said, 'Well, there's a place where you can gather and you are invited to there.' But that was seven days after."

Hardest hit area

At its peak, the ice storm left 130,000 NB Power customers without electricity. Residents on the peninsula were among the hardest hit, and the last people getting back on the grid on day 12 after the storm.

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Two people died from carbon monoxide poisoning because of the unsafe use of generators, while almost 40 others were hospitalized.

Several communities also declared a state of emergency when food and water supplies were running low, and the military was brought in to help.

A week after the storm, the provincial government told residents it was setting up a disaster relief program to help people recover financially from losses caused by the storm, except for items covered by insurance.

But that was much too late, said St-Pierre.

"They put the life of everyone in jeopardy," he said.

Desperate measures

St-Pierre said he and several others were aware of the dangers of using a generator to keep at least some power going inside their homes. But his home is not insured, and he was afraid the pipes could freeze and burst if he left.

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The generator was given to him after four days of relying on propane, he said.

Others were less lucky. To keep warm, one man in his neighbourhood slept in a box covered in insulation and plastic. Another woman used a candle to heat a pot of water to get some heat, he said.

"The communication wasn't there," he said. "The people that were supposed to protect them, they were not there.

"They were not there at all and it was really, really bad."

Internal investigation not enough

St-Pierre's petition asks that Premier Brian Gallant establish an independent public inquiry and survey to highlight all the shortcomings and circumstances surrounding the ice storm crisis on the peninsula.

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It is endorsed by a help centre in Caraquet that serves other local service districts on the Acadian Peninsula.

"Important issues will need to be addressed, such as communication, co-ordination and comprehensive management of the crisis itself in all its aspects," the petition reads.

Any recommendations from the survey could then be used to "minimize the negative impacts on the life and health of the population for future ice storms."

Gallant previously said there would be an internal investigation into the ice storm response involving NB Power and the Organization of Emergency Measures.

But there's a big difference between an independent and public inquiry and consultation, and one that takes place behind closed doors, said St-Pierre.

So far, he was able to get 60 signatures in three hours. He hopes the coming days will bring even more, as people start hearing about it.

"We can't just (sweep) everything under the rug," he added.

"Two people died, and there were 40 people, 40 people almost died. Somebody has to listen to us."

You can read the petition in French here or read an English translation below.

Petition: Request for an independent public inquiry into the ice storm of NB 2017

Attention: Premier of New Brunswick Brian Gallant

We are asking Premier Brian Gallant to establish an independent public inquiry that would highlight all the shortcomings and circumstances surrounding the ice storm crisis in the Acadian Peninsula.

Important issues will need to be addressed, such as communication, coordination and comprehensive management of the crisis itself in all its aspects. The recommendations resulting from this survey would minimize the negative impacts on the life and health of the population for future ice storms.

There is a very big difference between an independent public inquiry, public consultations, and the internal investigation that the Premier is proposing with NB Power and the Organization of Emergency Measures.