Loyalist Township Brings Infrastructure Locate Services In-House

Odessa, ON – Following a decade of locate services provided by external contractors, Loyalist Township is bringing locate services for underground infrastructure back in-house effective August 1, 2024.

Provincial legislation requires property owners and contractors to contact Ontario One Call before digging for landscaping or construction, to obtain the location of buried infrastructure owned by municipalities and other utilities, such as Hydro One, Enbridge Gas, or Bell. Until 2014, Utilities operators in Loyalist Township completed locates for the Township’s buried infrastructure as part of their duties. Increased workload and changes in legislation led the Township to opt to use external contractors for this work.

However, the cost of contracting locate services has increased substantially in the last several years. “In Council’s 2024 Utilities budget deliberations,” says Mayor Jim Hegadorn, “our staff proposed bringing locates back in-house, illustrating that even to hire new administrative and field staff and purchase the necessary equipment still results in a significant savings to the Township.”

Mayor Hegadorn adds, “Accountability and quality will be greatly improved by having the Township’s Utilities staff complete the work. Property owners and contractors can have confidence that our staff will provide reliable information within the prescribed timelines.”

Ontario One Call is a free-to-the-user service. For information on how to request a locate, visit the Township’s website.