Most mornings, Blair Leon waits on hold with Nova Scotia Power.

Leon operates Alliance Electrical Contracting in Sydney. In April, the utility rolled out a new system that allows electricians to apply for permits and electrical inspections over the phone. Leon said he can be left on hold for hours if he doesn’t call right when the line opens at 7 a.m.

“You can’t get through to them. That’s the problem,” he said. “You call one minute past 7 a.m., you’re 45 in the queue.”

The permit allows contractors to inform the utility that electrical work needs to be done on either new or existing homes. Nova Scotia Power is then able to send an employee to inspect the work and ensure the project is safe to go ahead.

Leon has waited days to get permits approved under the new system, he said, and that’s setting him and his company back weeks on projects.

Justin MacDonald said he’s had similar issues with the permit system. He owns JMD Electric in Sydney, and said some homeowners have been waiting months to move into new builds that are delayed because of the utility.

“Even if you called at 7 a.m. right on the dot, there could be anywhere between 30 to 60 people ahead of you,” he said. “I waited over seven hours the other day.”

MacDonald said electricians in the province don’t want to take days off of work to wait on hold. He worries some will skip the process out of frustration. 

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