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Rogers outage leaves many in Orillia scrambling for service

'It’s definitely a little bit stress inducing,' said a Rogers customer; Local emergency officials say they are mostly not impacted by the outage
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Like many people, Sam decided to scramble to a local Tim Hortons for her internet fix on Friday amid a nationwide Rogers internet outage.

Feeling a little disconnected from the world, Sam, who didn't want to provide her last name, stole off to a Bayfield Street Tim Hortons to access WiFi on Friday.

“No service means I can’t contact my dad, so that kind of sucks,” the local woman explained.

A nationwide Rogers Communications internet service outage disrupted businesses and services across the country, leaving debit machines inaccessible. Even with some credit card services available, many retail outlets operated on a cash-only basis or shut down for the day.

On the emergency front, it was business as usual in Orillia. Although there are concerns about residents who do rely on Rogers services for connectivity.

“We haven’t missed a beat,” Barrie Police Services spokesman Peter Leon said.

The force’s 911 operating centre is fully functioning.

But there are concerns for those who are on Rogers internet and phone services.

Orillia's 911 service is still functioning properly.

However, police and fire officials in Orillia warn that phone service might be slower on Friday. They asked callers to remain on the line or call back if they’re disconnected.

"With the current Rogers network outage, the City of Orillia 911 call centre is fully operational; however, some Rogers network callers may have difficulty connecting," says a noticed posted on the city's Facebook page.

If you are unable to use your phone or internet connection and require emergency assistance, several options are:

  • Ask a neighbour or nearby community member with a working phone or internet connection to borrow theirs.
  • You can come into a fire, police, or paramedic station to ask for help in person.

The outage has also impacted Orillia's Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH).

"Please be advised OSMH has been impacted by the nationwide Rogers outage. If you need to reach us the public and staff are advised to call 705-325-2201," the hospital announced in a Tweet. 

"Patient appointments are going ahead as usual at this time. Thank you for your understanding and patience."

Online classes at Georgian College were postponed today.

"All scheduled remote learning is cancelled for the remainder for the day (July 8), and students will not be academically penalized. Scheduled in-person learning continues on campus," a school official explained.

The outage also impacted the Orillia Public Library. However, the downtown facility remains open.

"Due to the Rogers outage, our public computers, wifi and library catalogue are currently unavailable," the library announced on its Facebook page. However, the library is open and you can still load up on books and movies.

The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie has enacted a code grey – indicating infrastructure failure – in response to the nation-wide outage of the Rogers network, although most of its systems are operating normally.

“Earlier this morning the health centre switched over to a back-up service which has provided connectivity within RVH for most applications.  RVH’s Sperling Clinic and the unit at the IOOF are using downtime procedures,” RVH stated in a press release.

“There are some disruptions, and patients may experience some delays, however, most appointments and procedures are proceeding as scheduled. A family wait area has been set up at the back of the main lobby, and Patient Experience representatives are rounding on all units and can be reached at 705-728-9090, extension 66236.”

RVH indicated partners, including physicians, who use Rogers are also having difficulty connecting. It is working with its hospital partners in the region to support them.

RVH patients using Rogers services who are expecting a call from RVH to confirm a weekend procedure are asked to find a usable phone service to call the hospital  at 705-728-9802 to confirm the appointment.

For regular Rogers users the day proved somewhat hectic and frustrating..

“It’s definitely a little bit stress inducing,” said Sam at Tim Hortons.

 


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About the Author: Marg. Bruineman

Marg. Bruineman is an award-winning journalist who focuses on human interest stories
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