downed pole toronto

Teetering utility pole has threatened to topple in Toronto backyard for weeks

A frustrated Bell subscriber in Toronto has shared photos of a cracked pole and downed lines on Reddit and says they've been waiting over two weeks for the company to provide a fix.

The photos show that the pole is bent at an awkward angle, and the lines are dangerously very low. The user also mentions that they're unable to park there due to the downed lines and the danger of the pole entirely breaking.

They claim to have contacted Bell around ten times, but the company has only sent out cable technicians who can't fix the pole. They've even submitted photos of the problem, but Bell's support is not helpful.

Bell, it's been 2 weeks. Can you please actually send someone to fix this?
byu/Senor40 inbell

Alongside that, there have been no updates from the company regarding whether it is still working on a resolution. When they called the city, it told them that Bell owns the pole and is supposed to be the ones to fix it.

A commenter on Reddit suggests using Bell's 'resolve a concern' website to talk with someone from the executive support team. Others suggest calling 310-2355 to report the low outside wires, but even people who seem to either be Bell cable technicians or people who have been through similar service in the past seem split on what the resolution should be.

In an update, the original poster said that someone from their Reddit thread was able to get them in touch with Aecon, and the construction company is supposedly sending someone on July 2 to fix the broken pole.

That said, the person should have only had to make a single call to Bell and the company should be able to sort out what kind of repair is needed without the need for people on Reddit to debate the terms of the repair.

Others in the comments share similar stories of bad company service or issues with cables that have been left unattended for a long time. One user even says they had a temporary cable running across their front yard for a year until a random Bell tech saw the cable while driving by and then put in an actual report.

While Bell has experienced numerous rounds of layoffs over the past two years, it's unclear how many of the cut positions were related to customer service and field technicians. There were 43 confirmed technician layoffs last summer, but it's hard to tell if that number has gone up since then.

We have reached out to Bell to see if the company is aware of, and working on, the pole.

Lead photo by

Senor40/Reddit


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Latest in Tech

Thousands of wireless earbuds sold in Canada affected by urgent recall

Here's how Canadians can get payout in proposed $4.5M 23andMe settlement

Waymo self-driving taxis could be coming to Toronto

Toronto engineer turns commuter frustration into site that exposes TTC delay data

These are the best deals available for tech on Black Friday in Canada

These are some of the best tech gifts for the holidays this year

Health Canada issues 'injury hazard' warning about laser pointer sold on Amazon

Over 50 of the continent's 500 fastest-growing tech companies are from Ontario