Update - Damage Prevention Legislation for Alberta
The second draft of proposed Damage Prevention Legislation for Alberta was posted for comment in early June for a period of 30 days. The most recent draft included improvements suggested by stakeholders who reviewed the first draft a few months back and with our ongoing objective of transparency for this process, USP posted its response to all comments received whether they were incorporated or not.
Over 30 stakeholders offered comments on the most recent draft and we are embarking on the same process once again – reviewing comments and responding to them in a feedback matrix that will be posted to our website once completed. And, we are updating the draft legislation with those comments that will be incorporated. This third and final draft will be presented to the Alberta government once the USP Board of Directors has had the opportunity to deliver final review, which is anticipated before the end of September 2023.
When the final draft is presented to the government, it will also be posted to the USP website and all Albertans will have the opportunity to provide their Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) with a letter of support.
Across Alberta, there is an immense understanding of how buried and aboveground energy and utilities contribute to the province of Alberta and to all Albertans - and the level of voluntary registration with Utility Safety Partners exceeds every jurisdiction in Canada. This province has done a great job! To reach the goal of securing membership from all buried and overhead utilities, and every excavation beginning with a locate request to USP, legislation is necessary. When the time comes to help promote public, worker and community safety across the province of Alberta, I hope I can count on your support.
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Mike Sullivan – President, Utility Safety Partners