Dial before you dig could soon have a whole new meaning. Enbridge Gas is proposing a $200 charge per locate of underground gas lines request that has to be done.
Kapuskasing Town Council supported a resolution against the proposed rate from the provincial road supervisors. Mayor Dave Plourde says the fee would set a bad precedent.
“Then what makes it impossible for hydro and all other services to do the same,” he said. “So anybody looking to do any kind of construction anywhere would be looking at thousands of dollars to find the locates for construction jobs where they shouldn’t require any.”
In 2022, the Public Works department did a total of 375 locates for different entities, and average about 50 locate requests per year.
Plourde says this move may cause people to dig instead of asking for help.
“I think asking for the ability to charge a $200 fee per locate is totally unacceptable and I think it shouldn’t be considered,” he said. “It’s just another way that Enbridge can gouge as you can tell this year by our gas fees with what’s happening.”
