I had to shake my head about all those contractors who simply said it wasn't necessary to call before digging. Aside from the dangers of hitting a gas line, what about the dangers to the person doing the digging from hitting a live electrical cable? What about severing a phone line needed by someone to call an ambulance? We built our own home, and over the course of the construction of it and the shed in our yard, I have had the utilities staked out three times. While I can safely say that I know where all the utilities are located, I would never attempt any work involving digging without getting a fresh locate done first. The task is relatively simple, but "Ontario One Call" (www.on1call.com, or 1-800-400-2255) only knows about gas and telephone locations for our area. At least they instruct you to contact the electrical utility for their locations. As for the pitiful actions of the authorities, this looks like a situation where people may have to take action themselves. I know that if I had to go through an evacuation because of someone's failure to call before digging, I'm filing a law suit for compensation for the inconvenience (never mind if property damage, or worse, were to occur). Maybe a few occurrences of entire neighbourhoods filing class action law suits might improve the situation if the authorities are not going to lay criminal charges. Posted by: Calvin Henry-Cotnam | Jan 16, 08 07:22 PM

WOW...did your program tonight make me think twice. As a landscape owner/operator, I am now making it a requirement for all my customers who we are installing fences, new sod, tree planting, that all lines/utilities must be identified before we start. I really didn't realize that this could be such a hazard, even for us little landscape companies. As always, safety first for everyone. Thanks, as always for an informative program. Posted by: Terry Sullivan | Jan 16, 08 08:01 PM

I found your program on "call before you dig" excellent. I am a Landscape Designer in Toronto and always get stake outs done for all landscaping jobs as I know how important this is. However I wish that the program had touched on the length of time it can take to have a locate done in Ontario. I have waited 5 to 6 weeks for locates. I now request locates for all jobs when I start design work in the hope that 6 weeks later when the job is about to be constructed that they might have got round to marking out the utilities. However no job starts without the locates done. My contractors love the fact that I deal with all this and that they are safe to dig when they turn up. If the locate companies could turn the request around in 48 hours there would be no excuse for not calling first. I am told time and time again by contractors that they cannot deal with 5 to 6 week waits. I hope you can follow up on this and get the locate companies to improve their response time to one that encourages people to use them. Posted by: Dorothy Smyth | Jan 16, 08 08:09 PM

I just watched your program on Gas Hits. I wish someone had interviewed me and my experience four years ago. I rented a small backhoe to dig a trench down the side of my house to fix a leak in my foundation. I hit a gas line right at the gas meter at the side of the house thinking it went down the side of the house whereas it cut across the laneway. I turned off the backhoe and jumped off and called 911. The noise of the gas line break was deafening. Five minutes later the Fire Dept arrived but they could do nothing although they had the tool to crimp the line and stop the gas flow they were no longer allowed to do it and we had to wait for 45 min for the consumer gas gentleman to walk up to the break and in 30 seconds he crimped the gas line. I thought this was ridiculous. There was no rush and no panic it was a big joke. The gas man looked at the meter and equipment and simply said to me that they would simply replace the outdated meter and connections as it should have been done much earlier. They replace the meter and I never heard from them again. I live in Peterborough Ont. Posted by: Robert Gelinas | Jan 16, 08 08:13 PM

Interesting story. Visit www.orcga.com for information on what Ontario underground utility industry stakeholders are doing to improve excavation safety. In fact, the ORCGA's annual excavation safety awareness session is being held in Toronto tomorrow (details available on the website). Get involved and you will find that there are many, many people who work tirelessly on initiatives to improve the system, including legislated utility participation in the Ontario One Call system, and the establishment of an 811 system for the province. Posted by: Bryan Jones | Jan 16, 08 08:27 PM

In Alberta we have ALBERTA 1 CALL and they will mark your utilities, it has been here for 20 years. http://www.alberta1call.com/ They have the same service in Sask, http://www.sask1stcall.com/. Posted by: Jason Kaye | Jan 16, 08 08:55 PM

As a former employee of TrueFENCE in Calgary I know that without fail we had Alberta One Call ALWAYS check EVERY job BEFORE we started. We would not do the job without getting a utility locate. Alberta One Call is free and fast. I'm actually shocked at the findings of this show. I can't imagine taking that kind of risk. Fence posts go at least 2' in the ground and even though you would think that utilities are buried deep, often they are quite shallow. It's just not worth it to not get the locate done. Posted by: Chris Conway | Jan 16, 08 09:51 PM

I am disappointed in your show this week, I feel you painted all provinces in Canada with one brush. Had you come to Alberta you would see that things are a lot better here with Alberta One Call, and the advertising on TV to call before you dig. As I watched the show I felt like you made all Canadians look stupid, I am a line locator and in the area I live and work people know to call before they dig. Maybe not all do it but most do. I hope you will do a update on your show and see what people in Alberta do. Posted by: Ivan Bolen | Jan 16, 08 10:13 PM

Excellent program, Here in BC, we have BC One Call, great name sadly that's the only great thing about it, as you demonstrated in tonights show the maps you receive via BC One Call are from the original installation of the utilities, guessing if things are in feet or metric is only one of the problems. Getting the utilities to respond can often be a nightmare as well. We need a better system. Even the current one is very lacking. I would prefer to have my underground services marked for me. This takes part of the guessing out, left only with how deep? as a question can be handled by some shoveling and a good set of eyes. A national standard Canada wide might be a good place to start. Thanks for show, I found it balanced and informative. PS BC one call has up to five business days to reply. If they don't then you still have to call again. Posted by: Bob Street | Jan 16, 08 11:14 PM

Being an inspector, working for the major gas utility in Niagara, I see this kind of thing at least once a month. The outcome is usually a phone call to my dispatch with orders to send a construction crew to repair the damage. Any billing after that I am unaware. Just this past summer we had a boring machine hit a gas line and a life was lost. I'm surprised that CBC didn't mention the TSSA in their report, or the fines they've laid. I came away from the show, feeling once again, like the CBC was trying to make me feel second nature to the all knowing Americans. I hate that. Posted by: Greg | Jan 17, 08 01:16 AM

As a neighbour of the Belcourt gasline ruptured by careless fencepost diggers I can only imagine the cost involved. There were at least a dozen firefighters on scene for several hours, an ambulance bus and paramedics and at least three police cars tied up for the duration of the repair. This aside from the cost of the lost gas and repairs to the line. It's inconceivable that the contractor isn't held responsible for at least some of this cost. Posted by: James | Jan 17, 08 12:00 PM

Call location services are not always accurate and waive all responsibility. A few years ago we had an extension built one the back of our house. Even though we could locate the gas shutoff valve in the back alley and the gas meter at the back of the house, we still wanted to guide the excavation work for the area between. We called Atco Gas to send the location specialist. He marked the grass using yellow spray paint giving us and the contractor a zone about two feet wide. This was outside the area to be excavated. We were shocked when the contractor's Bobcat hit our gas pipe while digging and bent it severely. There was no leak, but we were quite worried. We then had the contractor shield the pipe with conduit to greater protect it in the future before backfilling the excavation. This gas pipe was about eight feet away from the clearly marked route still visible on the untouched grass adjacent to the excavation. When we called Atco to express our displeasure with their mandatory location service, we were told they were not responsible for the accuracy of their location service. This viewpoint was absent from your piece. Posted by: Alastair Muir, Calgary | Jan 17, 08 12:58 PM

I have tried for years to convince those responsible for the guidelines regarding the laying of gas lines to change how they do it. I witnessed a company digging a trench in the road for a gas feeder line. The material they were digging in was gravel with some big rocks in it. They laid down the plastic line on the bottom and then pushed that same rocky material right on top. Then a thin wire was placed in the trench and this was what one was to look for when digging. When water and sewer lines are laid, they are bedded in sand and then more sand is placed on either side of the line and about 12" more on top before putting any of the original material back in. Sometimes a yellow warning tape is placed before filling in. Now, when someone is digging, they have a proper warning to stop their machine and to finish by hand to expose the pipe. The authorities won't listen and that is why there will always be these incidents. They are arrogant and old fashioned in their methods. By changing, many accidents could be avoided. Posted by: Ed Aiken | Jan 17, 08 03:44 PM

I see this often since I work in the field. As a service tech for Enbridge I am regularly called out to job sites where no locates have been done. Although the call is free and all utilities are located (gas, water, sewer, hydro) many contractors figure they'll chance it. They are charged for the repair if no locate sheets are provided and this can range from 500-1000 dollars. I'm surprised CBC didn't mention the TSSA in their report. TSSA is the policing agency for gas contractors as well as a number of other technical trades. They regularly do audits and lay charges where necessary. I feel CBC should look further into this since there have been at least 2 fatalities in Niagara due to gas explosions and would be shocked to find there were no charges laid, as reported by the lawyer interviewed. Posted by: greg | Jan 18, 08 12:06 PM

I think part of the problem sometimes is also attributable to the organization(s) who set the standards for the installations of the gas pipe lines. We have complained many times to our local natural gas provider that the gas pipe is not buried deep enough to provide safe excavations. For example we were installing a window well for a basement window and found a gas line no more than 18" below the surface. In another instance, a concrete contractor was scraping the dirt, no more than 6-8" down, to install a sidewalk along a city boulevard, and hit a main gas line. We were told that 18" is the standard depth for burying the gas lines. I do not believe this is a safe depth to bury services that a homeowner could easily damage with simple garden tools. I believe that any utility lines should be buried to a safer standard depth of lets say 3'-4' so that all excavators would know that at some standard point they would expect to encounter services and the average homeowner could not damage the lines while performing minor home projects. Posted by: Carlo | Jan 19, 08 11:24 AM

Onecall is a bit of a joke in BC. When I was going to have gas installed, I thought I was responsible for making the onecall. When I did, I was told that it was effective for 14 days and then I would have to call again. Who gave an effective response to the onecall? The municipal workers were out the next day marking their utilities. BC Hydro sent a map showing where the lines were buried on the street and where they came onto the property. Along with that they sent some instructions basically telling me to hire a locate contractor and to proceed with caution; in other words "Do it yourself." I was told that Telus didn't respond to the onecall and that if a line was cut, they would come out and repair it, for free I think. Terrasin Gas sent a letter saying there were no gas lines on the property. And finally, I had to call Shaw Cable myself because they are not on the onecall system. I don't know, is 2 out of 5 a good score? Posted by: Dave Glaze | Jan 19, 08 04:29 PM

Just reviewed the show and I am not amazed that only 2 out of 7 contractors were concerned about underground utilities. I live in Ontario and it is the same way. I had a fence put in and not long after they started they hit a gas line. they called the gas company to have it shut off. In my case a gas leak is extremely dangerous because I have no sense of smell. What made me mad is both the gas company and the fencing company said things happen. There should be strict penalties for anyone not calling before you dig, whether it be homeowner or contractor. This slap in the wrist policy has got to go. Posted by: jm | Jan 19, 08 09:05 PM

In Manitoba you can call 888-MBHYDRO. Posted by: Travis - Winnipeg | Jan 20, 08 08:21 AM

Your suggestion to hand dig to check the location should be approached with caution. A home owner three houses from mine was digging a trench between houses to put weeping tile in with a small trench digger. He had the locates done but they were not correct. The gas line going to the gas meter was plastic tube with a metal cable run beside it for locating the line. The line was laid incorrectly so that there was a loop in the gas tube while the cable went straight, this resulted in the line being cut. This might not have been prevented by hand digging as a shovel could just as easily cut the plastic tube. I also found out that there is no shut-off valve at the road like with the water main. The service had to dig down before the cut to locate the gas line and used vice grips to shut off the gas to make the repair Posted by: Frank Froklage | Jan 20, 08 10:50 AM

Very slanted and almost untruthful story. This story purposefully highlighted outside practices, where a gas hit presents a very limited hazard as gas has no chance to collect and dissipates to levels below that required for combustibility/explosion almost immediately in even a slight breeze. Very hard to believe that there would be internal explosions inside homes from an outside hit. They really should have used examples that related to the actual problems ie. internal contractors ripping up a concrete floor or similar work thereby creating a leak internally. There is likely a much higher incidence, if not almost universal practice of checking for gas in sensitive internal renovations as to make this story unworthy of broadcast. They may have been unable to find any who didn't check for gas for inside jobs in the short time-frame for broadcast and had to rely on entrapping hapless fence contractors. The images were juxtaposed purposefully, untruthfully, to justify the basis of the story. Poor journalism and very transparent. Posted by: Rob Weafer | Jan 20, 08 12:32 PM

Phew - I was stunned at the lack of knowledge portrayed about "call before you dig". When I lived in Alberta I was well aware of that requirement. Living in Saskatchewan, it is clearly advertised as well - Sask 1st Call - give them 48 hours notice. Last year I was planning on planting 2 trees, I called in the morning - by afternoon the lines had been marked! Too bad the show (which I normally find interesting) did not check with more provinces than BC and Ontario! Posted by: Jeannine Gallays | Jan 20, 08 01:35 PM

I live in Burnaby, BC and on the street where I live, there are a lot of new duplexes that are being built. That being said, within the past two years, there have been TWO gas line hits that I have witnessed; one where the contractor banged on my door and told me to run for my dear life and another when I came home from grocery shopping and was told by the fire department to leave the vicinity! When I commented that gas line hits have become so common, the fireman shook his head and said "You haven't seen the least of it!". So my question is, why haven't our federal and provincial governments done anything about it? Do we really need a catastrophe before we get moving? I firmly believe that a letter does not deter future digs; hence why the number of gas line hits have not gone down. With severe fines to contractors (since they do this for a living and are more likely to hit gas lines given the number of builds they do) and home owners combined with education; perhaps we can strive to have a system similar to Virginia. Your program was wonderful and I hope that more media pick up on this story to educate their viewers. Posted by: Sharon Jordan | Jan 20, 08 03:35 PM

This story is a prime example of why I don't watch CBC investigative reporting anymore. The have turned an important story into a misleading farce of americanized fear mongering. The only mention of services like BC One Call was literally '5 provinces have integrated call centers'. In 2 minutes at www.bconecall.bc.ca I learned just how bad the CBC's story was. The CBC made it out like BC One Call only sent the map of gas lines. What about the electrical, water and other maps CBC received? Since 1994 no one in BC has had to make '12 calls' for everything. BC One call does use 'high tech' maps to locate services. Virginia's ortho photos look pretty but they are not necessary. Anyone that can read a street map can use some patience and care and figure utility maps. What would you prefer? An interpreted map from a third party, or the actual map created by the utility at the time the service was installed, such as what they received? BC One Call provided CBC with maps not just for the bait house but also neighbouring houses. This is a great thing but the CBC host played dumb, didn't take the time to read the papers properly and used the wrong map! This must have been intentional. The issue of Feet or Metres was blown out way out of proportion, we all know that there are 3.28 feet in 1 metre. Just take a measuring tape and spend 2 minutes measuring from the house to the edge of the property and compare that to the measurements on the map! If it looks out by a factor of 3 either way, you know you've used the wrong units! The consultant who located the line knew this, he's just so used to dealing with it that he simply said 'I know it is metres'. YES there needs to be more regulations to force everyone to call before they dig, but unlike what the CBC indicated, we are not helpless! If anyone causes damages by negligently failing to make an effort to locate underground services, especially if it is a contractor that should know better, SUE THEM! Posted by: Ken Lord | Jan 20, 08 04:39 PM

I am astounded that as Canadians, we are not deemed more worthy of being protected from such a disaster - when such a simple phone call could prevent it. I am in full agreement that the contractors should get more than a slap on the hands - and instead should receive fines or even stronger prevention measures. Posted by: Ruth Hof | Jan 20, 08 07:03 PM

Ontario, British Columbia, should look at Alberta, Manitoba for how to apply the law of locating underground utilities line. In Ottawa, an optic fiber line and electric line were severed by diggers. The government National Defence buildings were affected. Yet, the MPs still want a raise to prove to Canada that they are working hard to improve Citizen's lives. Posted by: Watson | Jan 21, 08 10:02 AM

Alberta Call 1st doesn't locate secondary power lines on your property such as a buried cable from house to garage. I called before replacing a fence and the power supplier advised they were only responsible for overhead line and that I'd have to find a private contractor to locate buried cable. Nearest was Edmonton 2 hrs away at my cost. Alberta's system leaves homeowners vulnerable when they Call 1st. Posted by: Carl Hunt | Jan 21, 08 01:19 PM

It is well known within Edmonton, Alberta that you can't rely on the accuracy of locators. We always call three times and get at least two different location marks. The locator companies here hire summer students for $8 a location and as many as they can do the better for them. Contractors always take pictures of markings before they dig to prove that the location marks are wrong, if there is a problem. Posted by: KR | Jan 22, 08 08:06 PM

As the owner of a medium-sized line locating company providing damage prevention services for two major gas companies in Virginia, I have to say that I was stunned by the lack of enforcement involvement in some areas of Canada when a gas line damage occurs. In Virginia, not everyone receives fines when a damage occurs. The Virginia State Corporation Commission allows and even requires due process to take place before an independent Advisory Committee so that all relevant facts can be presented by all parties - gas company, excavator, line locator, homeowner, etc. The goal is not to rule with an iron fist and focus solely on fining someone, but rather to have an open forum where everyone has a voice in the process and is allowed to present the facts as they see them. The "shining star" in the entire process is that the independent Advisory Committee comprised of utility owners, line locating companies, excavators, and other utility professionals ultimately makes the decision of what type of enforcement action, if any, should be taken. They can accept staff recommendation, offer additional enforcement, or negate staff recommendations and offer their own recommendation. The primary focus is on identifying the failures that might have contributed to a damage and then educating the parties involved so that the likelihood of recurrent behavior is reduced significantly. When peoples' lives are at risk, it should be the responsibility of government to protect them. I hope that Canadians see this video and make their government aware of the need for uniform regulatory oversight and enforcement when it comes to these types of potential disasters. Posted by: John Cook - Atlanta, Georgia | Jan 23, 08 08:42 AM

This presentation was outstanding. I commend Market Place for their contribution to Public Safety. I want to mention that in Virginia an air of respect now exists for underground utilities. This is/was no easy task and requires serious people willing to do serious work. What’s needed is Education, a strong law with Civil and Criminal penalties and a Government agency with skilled leadership willing to take enforcement action. The advanced technology at the Miss Utility of Virginia Call Center has provided the necessary cutting edge tools. But, most of all in Virginia, Massoud Tahamtani, a 1980 V.M.I. graduate, the Sheriff in the video, for more than the past twenty-five years has provided the skilled leadership, combining Education and Enforcement with his personal Initiative. That Initiative is what really accounts for the statistical data and countless lives saved. Regards, John W. Combs, III (Jack) Former President and Chairman of the Board Miss Utility of Virginia Posted by: Jack Combs | Jan 30, 08 07:00 PM

I missed the original broadcast in January but was able to watch the program tonight regarding "Calling before Digging". What a wonderful and important show. In fact, it is my hope that by broadcasting this information, you will have saved lives. Additionally, I was able to read some of the comments regarding the original broadcast and was saddened to read that some people were more concerned about complaining about the way in which the program was broadcast as opposed to getting the message; that in all circumstances, a call before digging is necessary. I was at the explosion 5 years ago on Bloor Street near Aukland where the strip plaza exploded killing what I later found out were 7 people. I watched from my vehicle at Auckland, at a red light (a light which I am convinced saved my life) while 2 explosions took place, one immediately following the other. I watched as debris was literally catapulted across the road creating more damage still. The construction company responsible was sued - fine - but what about the lives lost? One call people. That's all it would have taken to have prevented that tragedy. One call. Thank you CBC and Marketplace for making people aware of the need to call before digging in all instances. Posted by: vl | Mar 19, 08 08:18 PM

Media sensationalizes all , Alberta & Sask have one call service that is provided for in 2 working days , BC has one call service as well but not as prompt at times, Locater services make mistakes but reputable & knowledgeable operators know how to check the line positions. A person walks with one flagging wire in each hand pointed ahead, when you cross a line water, gas, pipe, electrical cable, or grave the wires will cross except for my uncle who is not patient enough. Use hydovacs within 3 ft of lines. Posted by: Eugene Feduk | Mar 19, 08 10:42 PM

Regarding your show on March 19th of 2008. I'm a contractor in Calgary and I would not do any digging before calling Alberta 1 call, which is 1-800-242-3447. They will come out and mark all underground utilities within 48 hours of the call and leave a rough drawing of the locations at no charge. In your show, you mentioned that nowhere in Canada you are able to call one number for this service, except Alberta Posted by: Tony | Mar 19, 08 10:58 PM

I enjoyed the show and it brought up serious concerns that people should be aware of although I agree with some previous respondents from the January 30th, 2008 telecast of this program: there is a lot of information available in several, if not all, provinces that, unfortunately, people ignore. One thing that would be interesting for Marketplace to review though, would be the status of insurance coverage for property and personal damage that results from these occurances. This was missing from your program and from respondents to the previous telecast. Contractors may not have enough insurance coverage for the results of their mistakes and many insurers will not pay if negligence is involved. Homeowners that do not get a permit when required or have contractors without proper certification or qualification, may not be covered. Insurers often claim that they do not cover negligence or improperly done work which is difficult to prove after the house is reduced to toothpicks as is common in these explosions. Of course, this then expands into the issues related to insurance coverage when work is done without proper permits and inspections by building inspectors - even when the work may have been done before the current owner owned the building. Let the buyer and the DIYer beware!!! Insurance is important and extends to getting the proper permits and inspections or service contractor which was obviously a subject of your program. Posted by: John Rees | Mar 19, 08 11:40 PM

Right after watching this show this evening, I opened up our local community newspaper for March 19th, and there was an article about 200 homes being evacuated due to gas line rupture. Last year, I returned to work from a lunch time errand and discovered no one in the office. I wandered around, checked my voicemail and email trying to figure out where everyone had gone. Turned out there was a gas leak that had evacuated several blocks but there were no signs, and no one to stop me from entering the building. I later heard that at least one of our employees had decided they weren't going to take the bus home, so went down to our underground parking, started their car and drove home. It's absolutely frightening how lax everyone is about something so deadly! Posted by: Anita V. | Mar 20, 08 12:55 AM

When excavating to access our septic tank, we diligently called BC Gas/Terasen and found them to be blasé about the whole thing. As your reporter noted, we were sent a map by BC Gas that was useless. The measurements were vague, as were the landmarks to measure off of. According to their map, the gas line was located well away from the septic tank. After careful hand excavation, we discovered the gas line had been laid by the gas company (when the house had been built) directly across the access hole to the septic tank. And the gas line was located a good 4 feet or more from its locator wire. We fortunately managed reroute the intact line sufficient to access the septic tank to empty it. A couple years later our plastic septic tank failed. When excavated, we discovered that the tank had failed due to being punctured by the BC gas backhoe when the gas line had been laid on top of it. To pull the tank, we uncovered about 20” of gas line leaving it intact. We called the gas company to advise them that the line needed to be rerouted in order for the septic tank to be lifted out. The BC Gas contractor came out, cut the line, and put a longer splice into it, enabling it to be rerouted around the excavation site. Although we never cut the line, and the utility company placed it in such a way that it had to be cut and moved, and ultimately it was their backhoe puncturing it that resulted in our septic tank’s failure and eventual excavation/replacement, we were still charged a $450 fine for an emergency call out for "hitting the line" and its subsequent repair. In closing, if one is responsible and calls the BC gas company advance of digging, their attitude does not foster confidence in the process, and nor do they offer significant assistance in the location and avoidance of hitting their lines. Until they begin to take more responsibility and a more pro-active approach, people will continue not to call, and BC gas lines will continue to be hit. Posted by: Yvonne | Mar 20, 08 01:10 AM

Sadly, its just another example of unregulated contractors again not being held responsible. Mike Holmes must be sitting at home shaking his head. Posted by: Randall Bartlett | Mar 20, 08 06:14 AM

If the locating companies were prompt in providing service it would be more beneficial.Telling you they will be there will be there sometime in the next 2 weeks causes problems in scheduling work. When they visit residential sites it would be helpful if they marked all the utilities. Posted by: John Blanchard | Mar 22, 08 08:06 PM

Two years ago when we were having major landscaping changes made on our property, with plan for a big backhoe to come into the area where our gas line was supposed to be, I personally telephone Terasen Gas Co.'s line locator number and couldn't get them to send someone out because I couldn't provide an exact date when the contractor would be available to do the work. We live in a rain forest so the work had to be done when weather was appropriate. I can totally understand the exasperation of contractors, and quite frankly wonder how you managed to be provided with a map of utility lines as we weren't even offered that option. Posted by: Pat Creighton | Mar 23, 08 03:07 PM