BC Hydro has carved a major update of its information technology systems into small portions, allowing it to elude scrutiny by the independent utilities watchdog. But smaller projects did not prove to be more manageable – an updated accounting for a string of projects shows cost overruns have plagued the Crown corporation’s IT ambitions.
Two months after the NDP energy critic Adrian Dix asked for financial details on the Crown corporation’s IT upgrades, Hydro has provided answers on four of the projects that are part of the systems overhaul. None was reviewed in advance by the B.C. Utilities Commission because each project was forecast to be completed for less than $20-million. All four ended up over budget.
“The implementation of these schemes have been a disaster,” Mr. Dix said Tuesday. “They want the big solution, the one ring to rule all. Then it costs far more than they think and it doesn’t achieve what they want it to achieve.”
JUSTINE HUNTER – Globe and Mail – Jun. 16, 2015.
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