Would-be Nova Scotia Power customer unable to get electricity hooked up

A would-be Nova Scotia Power customer who is moving into a new home says she is unable to get her electricity connected because the company is responding only to emergencies and outages amid a cybersecurity incident that was discovered April 25.

Amara Fortier is in the process of moving from her residence at Acadia University to live off-campus in Wolfville, N.S., with three roommates. More than a week before the company disclosed the cybersecurity breach on April 28, she said she tried to create an online account but was unsuccessful. She called Nova Scotia Power and was told they couldn't do anything about it, she said.

"Especially after a big move, we can't afford to be going and getting takeout, maybe getting a hotel room until power comes back on. We're just sitting there in the dark then," Fortier told CBC News on Wednesday, the day before she was set to move.

"It's not very reassuring when you call the customer service and they tell you they can't do anything."

Fortier attempted to get an answer from the company on Facebook too, but was told by the Nova Scotia Power account that it was "currently open to support our customers for emergencies and outages only."

'I wasn't getting any answers'

Fortier said she turned to social media because she was stressed out about the situation.

"I was upset because I wasn't getting any answers," Fortier said.

Even customers with existing accounts who are trying to move into new homes are having a difficult time reaching Nova Scotia Power about new connections.

James Walker is in the process of moving to Morden, N.S., from Dartmouth — about an hour and a half away. While the electricity in his new home in Kings County was still connected on Wednesday morning, Walker said he had no way of confirming how much longer that would last.

"Fortunately, I'm in an apartment so I can take the next month to go and move. But if I wasn't, I would definitely be in a hard spot," Walker told CBC News.

Questions remain about incident

Walker said when he tried to log into his Nova Scotia Power account on April 25, the website wasn't accessible, but he didn't think much of it at the time.

"But then I saw on Monday they actually posted they've been having a cybersecurity incident since then. I was a little surprised they took that long to go and post about it," he said. 

He said an email he subsequently sent to the company hadn't been answered.

"I think they should be communicating a lot more, like even if they don't necessarily have progress, even just telling people, that is something as opposed to just leaving people guessing."

Nova Scotia Power responds

In a statement emailed to CBC News on Thursday, Nova Scotia Power said any requests for service submitted before April 25 "are already in our system and will be completed." The company said customers without power should call its outage line.

Nova Scotia Power said customers can still submit a request for a new service hook-up for electricity by filling out a form on its website.

"We appreciate our customers' patience and understanding as we work through technical challenges related to the current cyber incident," the statement said. 

It said information on services that had been impacted by the cyber incident was available in the FAQs section of the company's website.

Some customer information accessed

In an update on its website Thursday, Nova Scotia Power said the incident is still being investigated and the company has "identified that certain customer personal information was accessed and taken by an unauthorized third party."

The utility said it would be in touch with customers whose data has been affected.

"Rest assured, we are treating this situation very seriously. The security of your information is our top priority. We are working urgently to determine the full nature and scope of the data that may have been affected, and individuals impacted."