Canadians from coast to coast to coast celebrate our beautiful country on July 1 with parades, fireworks, community events, barbeques, walks and runs, music and smiles and laughter. And why not? We live in one of the most desirable countries on earth! Many of us who were born here take our bounty for granted but for countless Canadians who chose to come seeking a better life, it is their reaction to Canada Day festivities that reminds me of how fortunate we truly are.

The Canadian Common Ground Alliance’s 2021 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report notes that 29% of all damages to buried energy and utility assets across Canada did not include a locate request to a provincial notification centre. Almost 3,400 damages — over 13 per day — without a locate request. 

June is a month for stopping, taking stock, and ensuring that you still have all your important (and less important) bits. Head? Check. Brains? Slightly scrambled, but check. Heart? I left it in San Francisco, but I’m sure it’s fine. Looking around what would normally be a smouldering wreckage, this June I see a well running and confident Contact Centre humming along without much issue relative to year’s past.

The recent Utility Safety Conference held in Red Deer provided us with valuable insight and feedback from the digging community, which has shaped the TSC's initiatives for the year ahead. We are excited to share some of the key initiatives that will drive the TSC in 2023.

One of the key functions of the USP board is reviewing and considering the annual business plan. USP operations begins preparing the business plan months before it’s delivered to the executive committee and then to the board — and we develop the plan by the following critical objectives:

The utility owners have marked buried lines below using flags and paint on the site where you intend to dig. They have also left you with a document called a Locate Slip. You are clear on how to dig safely and understand the responsibilities as a ground disturber. But, what if other things come up and you’re not actually ready to dig. How long do you have before needing refresh the request? What is the process? 

Utility Safety Partners is pleased to announce that we are introducing annual recognition awards to bring attention to those stakeholders who go above and beyond every day to elevate safety, to promote safe excavation and who build constructive relationships around the belief that safety is everyone’s responsibility. The awards will be given out annually in the categories of Excavator of the Year, Locator of the Year, and Member of the Year. Winners may qualify as individuals or as organizations. Excavator of the Year will be awarded in three categories of Organization – Small Organization or Individual, Mid-sized Organization and Large Organization.

In 2019, Utility Safety Partners, then operating under Alberta One-Call Corporation, began seeking new office space. “The number of employees had been organically reducing over time as more locate requests were originating on the web, and we had updated our work policy permitting more personnel to work remotely,” said operations director, Sher Kirk.