By Edward Lander

A group of buildings that lost power during a storm on Sept. 2 will still be running on diesel generators until Oct. 2, according to Facilities Management and Development (FMD).

The university told The Eyeopener in an email that water damage to infrastructure in the basement of the Victoria Building during the severe thunderstorms damaged the power supply to Image Arts, The Image Centre and the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education (CED). 

After a three-day outage, generators were brought in to restore power.

Now, FMD said the generators will continue powering these buildings until necessary repairs are completed.

FMD said they cannot confirm how much the university is spending on the generators nor the diesel fuel required to power them. 

However, in a statement to The Eye they said, “TMU is working closely with its insurance provider and final decisions on the cost of the generators and whether or not it will be covered by insurance are not available as of yet.”

Diesel, which the generators run on, has seen a large price increase in recent months, hitting record highs amid shipping blockages caused by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, according to Global News. The average cost of diesel across Canada hit $2.75 per litre in mid-September, according to Kalibrate analytics.

The Canadian Press reported that this  cost surpasses a previous record of $2.25 per litre in 2022, which was fuelled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The two generators, located in front of the Victoria Building and behind the Image Arts building, are being rented from L.M. Generating Power Co. and Gal Power Systems, both purveyors of emergency power supplies.

Toronto Hydro said in an email to The Eye they are continuing to work closely with the university and are, “ready to safely reconnect the affected facility once the necessary repairs are completed.”

They also said they were not involved in the procurement of the generators.

Though the generators have allowed for activities to continue in the Victoria Building, Image Arts and The Image Centre, CED remains closed until further notice. 

The university said on their website they are working to ensure all activities that would typically take place in the building find new locations. Heather Hardcastle, space planning manager, has been tasked with coordinating any relocations.

In an email sent to The Eye on Sept. 9, the university said CED contains mostly administrative activities.

An alert posted to their webpage states FMD is “optimistic” the building will reopen on Oct. 2, but the department will provide an update closer to the date.