An internet and phone outage that affected several North Island communities on Sunday and Monday was caused by deliberate damage to a Telus communications building in Port McNeill, police said.
The RCMP said an exterior door was pried open and infrastructure damaged at a Telus property on Furney Place sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.
The outage was initially reported to the company late Sunday night.
Telus said in a notice to its customers that service was fully restored just before 7:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Telus spokesperson Athyu Eleti said that while the company is unable to provide further details due to the ongoing investigation, it’s co-operating with the authorities and is committed to ensuring the safety and security of its facilities.
Port McNeill, Port Alice, and Sointula were among those that saw service interruptions.
Point-of-sale devices at B.C. Ferries’ Port McNeill terminal were affected. Sointula’s elementary school reported that it did not have internet or landline phone service on Monday.
Margo O’Hara, an addictions recovery coach in Port Alice, said she had no way to contact her clients on Monday until she found someone in town with a Skylink satellite connection.
One client became very concerned when O’Hara didn’t show up for an appointment, she said, adding that she was able to eventually reschedule the rest of her clients that day.
Island District RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé said the damage to the building is still being assessed and a police investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
