Ontario Helping Contain Costs of Building Roads and New Homes

Proposal prohibiting fees to locate underground infrastructure such as gas and water lines would improve safety and efficiency

Today, the Ontario government is introducing The Building Infrastructure Safely Act, 2023, that, if passed, would prohibit underground infrastructure owners and operators from charging fees to locate telecommunications lines, water mains and gas pipelines.

From planting a tree in your yard to large commercial construction, a locate is required before construction begins for a new home, subway line or high-speed internet cabling. The new legislation would help protect the public from damages to critical infrastructure and keep costs down for construction projects – an important part of Ontario’s plan to get vital infrastructure projects built safely and efficiently.

The free-of-charge locate system is consistent with a long-standing industry practice across Canada and the United States.

The Ontario government also plans to bring forward regulations to help streamline the locate delivery processes that would cut down on the number of times a locate needs to be repeated.