At 8:44 a.m. on Oct. 1, 1984, a contractor by the name of Kent Hansen, representing his own company, Hansen Plumbing, placed a locate request with Alberta One-Call prior to digging up a sewer line in Calgary’s Northeast. It was the first locate request Alberta One-Call Corporation received and it signaled a new era of safety for Alberta.

Earlier this year, Utility Safety Partners handed out its first Industry Recognition Awards at its 2024 Safety Conference. The event at the Banff Springs Hotel turned into a party as USP celebrated its 40th anniversary but it also marked the beginning of a new era where we recognized and celebrated the value of our Safety Partners.

Last week, snow fell in Alberta and officially signaled the beginning of the end of the 2024 digging season. Construction projects are winding down, homeowners are finishing up their yard projects, and USP’s Safety Ambassadors are wrapping up another year of outreach.

What began as a COVID project to fill the outreach void and program pause created by social distancing has evolved into an additional engagement, education, and awareness instrument in Utility Safety Partners’ Public Awareness Program. Podcasts in general have proliferated the "cyberwaves" and the new medium isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

USP began its cybersecurity plan four years ago in collaboration with our IT partner, Shing Digital. We knew that legislative changes would be on the horizon that put digital asset protection requirements on stakeholders in our industry. The Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (CCSPA) and incoming Bill C226 lay out those requirements for Canadian critical infrastructure owners, and telecommunications providers.

This is a strange year. Typically, October in Alberta is a frigid affair; a strong taste of chilly winds blowing in from the North, and a few snow dumps that result in a snow-boots-and-jacket over your costume kind of Halloween for most kids. This year? Barely any of that. Temperatures have stubbornly held above 0 and snow has fleetingly fell and melted in a matter of days. As a result, we’ve actually held on to the majority of our staff for the month and won’t see any terminations until November!

After nearly a decade since its initial publication, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z247 Technical Committee has reconvened. The goal of this committee is to review and update the Z247 standard, potentially introducing needed changes that could impact stakeholders who rely on its guidance.

You’re invited to the 2025 Utility Safety Conference on April 14-15, 2025, at the JW Marriott ICE District in Edmonton. Join over 200 stakeholders in Breaking the Ice, Building a Stronger Community.