Power Line Damage Prevention Authorizations

Summary#

The Canada Energy Regulator introduced the final regulation called International and Interprovincial Power Line Damage Prevention Regulations — Authorizations. It sets rules for anyone who wants to build, dig, or drive equipment across or near international or interprovincial power lines; it requires authorizations from the line owner and pre-work locate requests. The regulations were registered on December 2, 2019 and published in the Canada Gazette on December 11, 2019 and take effect when a related set of holder obligations comes into force.

What it does#

• Defines the “prescribed area” beside a power line as the line’s recorded right-of-way, or if there is no right-of-way, 30 m on each side of the line.
• Says some shallow work is not considered a risky “ground disturbance”:
  • cultivation less than 45 cm deep; or
  • other activity less than 30 cm deep that does not reduce the soil cover over any underground part of the line.
• Requires people planning to build across, dig within the prescribed area, or operate vehicle/mobile equipment across a line (outside the travelled part of a road) to get written authorization from the line’s owner (holder) before starting.
• Requires a written work procedure and schedule agreed with the holder for construction or digging near a line.
• Requires a locate request to be made to a one-call centre (or to the holder if no one-call centre serves the area) at least three working days before starting work. In emergencies, contact must be made as soon as possible.
• For overhead and underground crossings, requires design and execution to follow CSA Group standard C22.3 No. 1 (overhead) and CSA Group standard C22.3 No. 7 (underground), where applicable.
• Adds on-site safety measures, including:
  • no adding soil or material that could reduce clearance under overhead lines;
  • immediate notification to the holder if any underground part of a line is struck; and
  • at least 24 hours notice before backfilling exposed underground parts (unless otherwise agreed).
• Temporarily prohibits ground disturbance in an area identified by the holder as possibly affected during the period when the holder is locating their equipment.
• Keeps authorizations (leaves) issued under the old rules valid until they expire, and repeals the previous Power Line Crossing Regulations (SOR/95-500).
• Enforcement and oversight are to be done by the Canadian Energy Regulator.

Who's affected#

• Anyone who plans to construct a facility across, on, along, or under an international or interprovincial power line.
• People planning to dig or otherwise cause ground disturbance inside the prescribed area (for example, construction crews, utility workers, pipeline contractors).
• People planning to operate vehicles or tall/mobile equipment across a power line outside the travelled portion of a public road (for example, farm operators with sprayers, heavy-haul operators).
• Holders of permits or certificates for international or interprovincial power lines (they must issue or refuse authorizations and mark their infrastructure).
• One-call centres, which receive locate requests and notify affected infrastructure owners.
• Landowners, farmers, construction companies, and some Indigenous communities and organizations who may need to request authorizations or wait for locates before working near lines.
• Offshore areas are excluded (the rules apply to areas other than offshore).

Why it matters#

• The rules are meant to reduce the risk of injury, power outages, property damage, and expensive repairs by clarifying who must be contacted and what must be done before work near major power lines.
• They set a standard timeline — three working days for locate requests — so people planning work know when to plan and how far in advance to contact a one-call centre or the line owner.
• For farmers and short-notice projects, the timeline and requirement for written authorization may affect scheduling of seasonal or urgent work.
• The regulations align federal practice with common provincial damage‑prevention procedures (like using one-call centres) and keep existing authorizations valid so work already underway is not unexpectedly halted.