GUELPH,
ON, April 24, 2024 /CNW/ - Ontario One Call
(OOC) is working closely with underground infrastructure
owners/operators and excavators to usher in a new era of improved
locate performance in the province of Ontario.
Improving locate performance is a key priority for OOC who is
making every effort to work across the sector to facilitate timely
locates and encourage safe excavation.
Ontario One Call is an
administrative authority that promotes safe excavation (Click
Before You Dig) and facilitates locate requests made by those
wanting to dig (excavators) in the province of Ontario. The organization operates a web
platform and contact centre that relays locate requests from
excavators to underground infrastructure owners across the
province.
A regulation, effective May 1,
2024, will provide assessors appointed by OOC with the
regulatory authority to issue administrative penalties for
non-compliance with prescribed provisions of the Ontario
Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012,
including digging without locates or not delivering locates within
specified timelines.
"Ontario One Call will be
implementing this new regulation judiciously, in a risk-based and
proportionate manner, relying on existing compliance tools to
encourage locate performance improvement over time. In so doing,
our objective is to foster collaboration between industry
participants and support industry performance improvement to allow
projects to be completed on schedule. Our focus remains on ensuring
individuals are aware of their responsibilities under the Act and
working with them towards a common goal of compliance with the law.
As a result, OOC will make every effort to educate individuals on
their responsibilities under the Act, with penalties used where
appropriate in the exercise of independent discretion by OOC's
assessors appointed under the Act," Jim
Keech, President and CEO.
"Ontario One Call plays an
important role in educating the public and the industry about the
need for safe digging practices. Digging safely is not just a
shared mission to keep Ontarians safe, it is also the first step in
building Ontario faster. OOC's
expanded regulatory function and tools will support industry
performance, safer practices, and, ultimately, Ontario's growth.
We are ready to execute on our mandate in a fair, transparent,
and accountable manner and we look forward to collaborating with
the industry to enhance safety and locate delivery performance."
said Ryan McAfee, Director of
Compliance and Industry Performance.
Background
Ontario One Call is an
administrative authority that acts as a communications link between
utility companies, underground infrastructure owners, excavators
and individuals who are planning to dig in the province of
Ontario. In 2012, the Ontario
Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act was passed,
which stipulates by law that anyone in the province of Ontario must contact Ontario One Call before
they dig.
On March 20, 2024, Ontario One
Call hosted a webinar for stakeholders to provide specific details
on how the administrative penalty system would be
implemented. Over 600 individuals attended the session and
participated in a live Q&A discussion. The organization has
also met with several industry associations, presented at targeted
conferences and met with interested excavators to further inform
all participants of their obligations as they prepare for this
regulatory change.
Additional resources and information can be found on Ontario One
Call's website at
https://ontarioonecall.ca/compliance-enforcement/.
SOURCE Ontario One Call