Letter from the Chair

Welcome to the first issue of 'Know What's Below,' the CCGA's monthly newsletter!

I'm excited that we are kicking off our own nation-wide newsletter. It’s a fantastic opportunity for all of us across Canada to share information: updates from each province, regional issues we encounter and the latest developments in damage prevention.

If there was one thing we could point to as the single most common cause of damage to underground infrastructure, it is a lack of communication, both between stakeholders and between individuals. Everyone owns a piece of the solution, but sometimes that information gets lost along the way.

The reason our regional partners exist — and the reason our national association exists — is to own the challenges we face and discover solutions together. The CCGA and the Regional Partners are committed to mutual support – particularly for the grassroots damage prevention effort – but it is a struggle. When we gather at our national symposium in a few short months, the energy, enthusiasm and strength of the damage prevention movement in Canada consume all of us. I hope to harness that energy, bottle that enthusiasm and deliver our mandate with that strength.

It's the role of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance to support the national interests of our regional partners. We may work on a national perspective, but the end goal will always be at the point of an excavator's shovel.

So, this is your newsletter, and we are releasing it as a way of sharing your triumphs and concerns each month and keeping the dialogue open year-round. Send us your updates, your blog posts and your event announcements, and we will share them with the rest of the damage prevention community.

— Todd Scott