Light poles toppled by wind get SaskPower's attention

It's unusual for the wind to topple two light poles in the same day, SaskPower says, but spokesman Tyler Hopson has been getting questions about safety in the wake of two incidents yesterday.

A light standard fell on a man in Moose Jaw, injuring the 73-year-old, and another of the poles fell on a car in Regina.

It was windy across the whole province Tuesday, with gust topping 70 kilometres per hour in some areas. Not the hurricane-force winds one might expect would be necessary to bring down light standards, however.

In Regina, SaskPower is responsible for 19,000 light poles. In Moose Jaw, there are about 3,000 more.

In total, the Crown utility maintains about 83,000 streetlights in cities, towns and villages across the province.

However, streetlights in new subdivisions and development areas, as well as privately owned lights are not SaskPower's responsibility.

According to Hopson, a streetlight's lifespan depends on its composition, location, and whether or not there's salt used on the roads during the winter. Two poles being blown over in a day is "unusual", he said.

SaskPower has a program to replace older light standards, but people who spot one that's rusting out can report it on the company's website, he said.

It could be another windy day today.

Environment Canada says gusts in the Regina area could reach 70 km/h Wednesday morning.