FortisBC offers bill credits and billing relief for wildfire affected communities

Please note: This is not an Okanagan Indian Band announcement. The following news release is being shared by OKIB on behalf of FortisBC to provide members with information about billing relief available to customers affected by recent wildfires.

Kelowna, B.C. ̶ August 14, 2026: To support communities impacted by wildfires, FortisBC Energy Inc. and FortisBC Inc. (collectively FortisBC) customers will be eligible for bill credits on their accounts for the period of time they were under an evacuation order.

“We know this wildfire season has been extremely challenging for many people across British Columbia, especially those who have had to leave their homes and businesses,” said Kira Bennett, manager, customer experience – strategy and projects, FortisBC. “While our focus remains on supporting emergency response efforts and helping maintain safe, reliable energy service, we want to offer some practical support – including bill credits and payment relief – for those required to evacuate.”

To make the billing relief process simple, FortisBC will automatically apply the credit by cross-referencing billing data with evacuation information from municipalities, First Nations band councils, the provincial government and its operations team. The credit is intended to offset utility charges incurred at the customer’s home or business during the evacuation period. Customers must be under an evacuation order for five or more consecutive days to qualify.

FortisBC has also paused collection-related activities for affected customers, including outreach regarding outstanding balances, and is waiving late payment charges that may have otherwise occurred during the evacuation period.

In addition to billing relief for affected customers, FortisBC has been supporting wildfire-impacted communities and First Nations through employee volunteer efforts and community funding initiatives, including support for evacuee dinners. FortisBC will continue to assess further support for organizations assisting evacuees, families and communities affected by wildfires.

FortisBC continues to support emergency officials responding to wildfire activity across the province. The company is closely monitoring conditions, assessing potential impacts on its gas and electricity systems and taking steps to help protect critical infrastructure and support customers and communities in affected areas.

Public and employee safety remains a top priority for FortisBC. As conditions permit, crews continue to assess affected areas, evaluate potential damage to infrastructure and work toward restoring service safely.

Information about bill credits, restoration efforts and wildfire preparedness is available at fortisbc.com.

Key facts

• Customers must be under an evacuation order for five or more consecutive days to qualify for the bill credit.
• Customers who were under evacuation alert only are not eligible for evacuation credits.
• Credits will be applied automatically to eligible accounts. Customers do not need to apply.
• Collection-related activities are paused for eligible customers during the evacuation period.
• Late payment charges incurred during the evacuation period will be waived.
• Depending on billing cycles and the volume of impacted customers, credits may take several months to appear on customer bills.

Customers with questions can contact FortisBC:

Natural gas: 1-888-224-2710
Electricity: 1-866-436-7847

-30-