Latest news with #ChrisLanteigne
CBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
What's going on with Nova Scotia Power's billing
Nova Scotia Power is sending workers out to manually check power meters at homes to ensure accurate billing, as some customers complain of receiving higher than expected bills. It's the latest development since a ransomware attack breached the company's computer systems on March 19 and brought some of its systems to a halt. More than half of the utility's customers in Nova Scotia — about 280,000 — were informed by letter that their personal information may have been compromised. "The meters on customers' homes have continued to accurately record energy use throughout the cyber incident, but they're unable to send the information back to our billing systems right now," Chris Lanteigne, Nova Scotia Power's director of customer care, told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia in an interview that aired Monday. Lanteigne said meters that previously could send power usage data directly to Nova Scotia Power haven't been able to do that since the breach. He said he expects meter readers will be out collecting data "over the next couple of months." He said bills that have been sent out over the last month were based on estimates of "seasonal usage from the previous year." 'We want to help' "When we are reading the meter, that will actually show the information that's on the meter to generate the bill," Lanteigne said. He said customers should call Nova Scotia Power directly if they're concerned about a bill. "We want to help them understand what has transpired on their bill and we're happy to talk it through with them and find a solution," he said. Billing was paused on April 25 — when the breach was discovered — and only resumed in early June. Now, some customers are receiving two bills within a relatively short period of time. "Over the course of the last five weeks or so, we've been catching up on billing," Lanteigne said. "So when customers are receiving a bill, a good way to think about it is the first one is catching up and then the time between that bill and the next bill will be shorter." He said the utility is not currently charging late fees on outstanding balances. Customer with solar panels gets 'significantly higher' bill Robyn Brown, a Nova Scotia Power customer in Dartmouth, has had solar panels on her home since September 2022. She said her bill is usually around $40 every two months — the cost of the meter fee, since the panels generate more electricity than she uses. Her latest bill was around $162, more than four times higher than normal. "It's not a lot of money compared to other people, but it was significantly higher," Brown said. People with solar panels get data about their power generation during a billing period. Brown said she noticed the latest bill didn't include that information. She called the company for answers and said she was told they weren't able to track her solar production. "I was like, 'How did you come up with this number?" … and basically [the customer service representative] didn't know where they generated this estimate from because it didn't make sense with any of my previous data. [She] said it could have been data from as far back as 2022 before I got solar." Brown said she was told she could pay the higher amount, which would eventually be reflected on her account as a credit, or she could wait. She said she paid the amount for the meter fee. Energy board calls for report "My concern is the fact that they don't seem to have an accurate read on how much solar producers are producing and I'm worried. What's my recourse if they come back with the next adjusted bill next month and there's no solar on there? Like what are they going to do then?" Brown said. The Nova Scotia Energy Board, formerly known as the Utility and Review Board, opened a proceeding into Nova Scotia Power's cybersecurity breach. It will require a report from the company — which is doing its own investigation — about the incident. The report to the energy board must include: An incident description. Details on affected systems and data, indicators of compromise (how the company knew a breach happened). A root-cause analysis (how the breach happened, plus vulnerabilities and security gaps). Impact analysis. Response and recovery actions. Details on collection and retention of personal data. Recommendations. "While the board appreciates that it will not be possible to publicly disclose certain information for security reasons and to mitigate impacts relating to personal and confidential information that was stolen, it is important that the board's inquiry be conducted publicly and as transparently as possible," a news release from the board said Monday. Once the report is filed, the board will establish a public process to review it and Nova Scotia Power's planning for and response to the event that happened. The board wants Nova Scotia Power to file the report by the end of the year, though that deadline could change.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- CTV News
Nova Scotia Power sees big turnout for cyber security breach information session in Cape Breton
Victims of the Nova Scotia Power cyber security breach, line up for information session at New Waterford Fire Hall. (CTV Atlantic/ Ryan MacDonald) People were lined up out the door of the New Waterford Fire Hall on Tuesday, many of them with letters in hand telling them they had been impacted by Nova Scotia Power's recent security breach. 'Ridiculous,' said one customer who was waiting in the lineup outside. 'They're trying,' said another. 'They're trying something for us, but maybe they could have done it a little bit different.' The utility was hosting one of a series of in-person sessions in communities across Nova Scotia to help people sign-up for additional protection as part of a response to what happened. 'Essentially, for any customer who did receive a letter we are offering two years of credit monitoring through the TransUnion service 'My True Identity,'' said Chris Lanteigne, director of customer care for Nova Scotia Power. 'You can sign up at using the code that is in the letter.' A lot of the people who showed up at the session in New Waterford were seniors, some of whom said they don't often use internet or email. Nova Scotia Power said part of the goal of these in-person sessions is to try to help people figure out other ways to access the credit monitoring, and to better protect themselves. 'Getting a copy of your credit report,' Lanteigne added. 'You can do that through both Trans Union and Equifax, the two major credit reporting agencies in Canada. There are also options where you can place an alert on your credit file through those organizations.' '[The] lineup was too long, so I'm going to try it at home,' said one customer after exiting the session. Frustrated, some people left before getting any help. Others said they were confused by what they were told. The utility said more opportunities like this one will take place elsewhere in the province the rest of the week and in the near future. 'We are very sorry that this did happen,' Lanteigne said. 'We know that it has caused concerns for our customers. We feel that the most important thing people can do right now is protect themselves.' Line up for information session Victims of the Nova Scotia Power cyber security breach, line up for information session at New Waterford Fire Hall. (CTV Atlantic/ Ryan MacDonald) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
