New contractor rules could mean fines for excavations in Brampton

New rules for contractors will improve the safety around construction and excavation sites in Brampton, the city says.

The city has updated the Site Alteration By-law to reinforce existing provincial requirements for contractors to locate underground utilities before doing any excavations, grading or soil-moving work.

Contractors already have to obtain utility locates from the province before beginning any work, but the updated Brampton bylaw also requires contractors to keep proof of utility locate documents on-site during any site alteration activities.

The changes will “keep the community safe by reducing the risk of damaging underground utilities,” the city says, and come after city council heard concerns from residents – including one case of an excavation that went viral on social media.

In the video, a resident asks workers digging at the property where their building permit is – which are required to be displayed at the front of the house – and whether the contractor had called to check for underground gas lines and utilities before starting work.

The workers then tell the neighbour that no utility checks, known in the construction businesses as “locates,” were never ordered.

City workers went to inspect the property after receiving numerous 311 complaints and confirmed what the video showed – no locates had been performed on the property before work started.

“Violations can result in fines or being reported to Ontario One Call for additional enforcement,” the city says in a release.

The changes will also improve coordination and training between agencies, set clear rules in site alteration permits about utility locates, and update information materials to better explain responsibilities for homeowners and contractors.

For more details on the updated bylaw, visit www.Brampton.ca.