Shaw service outage in Maple Ridge caused by vandalism, sparks outrage

A Shaw service outage in Maple Ridge that sparked outrage on social media over the last two days has now been resolved, according to the parent company of the provider.

The outage was affecting internet, business internet, phone, business phone, WiFi access points, digital TV, and more services. Rogers Communications, the parent company, said the issue was fixed as of Wednesday morning.

“Some customers in Maple Ridge experienced an interruption to their home services due to fibre damage caused by vandalism,” reads a statement from Rogers. “Our technical teams worked around the clock to make this complex repair.”

---

Related articles:

• Rogers says it couldn’t have restored emergency services any faster during outage

• ‘We failed’: Rogers issues letter to customers following outage

• Helicopter in Vancouver hoists new Rogers sign on former Shaw Tower

---

On Tuesday morning, the company said its technicians were working to get service back online “as quickly as possible.”

Some people on social media demanded future service discounts, others debated whether or not service had been restored or not — while some just wanted a timeline on when they’d be able to use their services again.

“I am in the area with the map provided saying resolved and believe me it is still not resolved,” said one Reddit user.

“As much as we all love to hate on Shaw. It’s been confirmed that the outage was caused by damage to a fibre optic line so it’s not Shaw’s fault that this happened,” another explained.
“Because of the nature of the damage and repairs needed it’ll likely be a while before it’s fixed since you can’t really “fix” fibre lines that easily. Remember always call before you dig.”

As of Tuesday night, some people on social media say their services have returned, while others say they still can’t get online.

Meanwhile, the Shaw Support website shows multiple fixes in progress on the Lower Mainland.

Rogers is the parent company of CityNews.