Communications lines for Gabriola Island residents have been down since Tuesday evening, severely impacting access to vital services, including 911. (submitted photo/Tyler Gray)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Cut off

Communication lines zapped on Gabriola Island following Tuesday snow storm

Dec 1, 2022 | 1:29 PM

GABRIOLA ISLAND — Communication remains vastly reduced on Gabriola Island following Tuesday’s wintry storm.

The severing of a main communication line between Mudge Island and Vancouver Island has seen service cut for thousands on Mudge and Gabriola Islands, impacting phone, internet and television. Access to 911 is also offline for many residents.

In an email to NanaimoNewsNOW, TELUS public relations specialist Lena Chen said they’re working to reconnect everybody.

“TELUS is working to fully restore services as quickly as possible, and are reconfiguring nearby cell towers to better improve coverage in parts of the region with no power or cell service.”

According to BC Hydro, power is unaffected on the Island by the issues, despite the communications line using a shared pole on Gabriola with other infrastructure.

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Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department have told residents if they’re unable to connect to 911, they should try and contact the department directly at 250-247-9677, or visit their hall on Church St.

The outage is also affecting Shaw Communications services on Island.

An update at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon from TELUS stated “the cause of the issue has been identified, and equipment to support repair efforts are being sourced.”

There remains no timeline for services to be restored.

Residents on Island tell NanaimoNewsNOW they are using the Descanso Bay BC Ferries terminal, or standing on Gabriola Island beaches in order to text, make phone calls or use the internet.

A damaged wire linking Mudge and Vancouver Islands is the source of tech outages. (submitted photo/Tyler Gray)

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