Trans-Northern Pipelines Inc. (TNPI) shares responsibility for pipeline safety with our neighbours, including other companies operating pipelines and utilities in the area, and those living and working near TNPI pipelines.
ACTIVITIES NEAR THE PIPELINE
Written approval by TNPI is required for many activities conducted within the controlled or prescribed area — a strip of land 30 metres wide on either side of the pipeline, measured from the centre of the outermost pipeline. These activities include:
- Fence installation or replacement of fence posts.
- Paving and landscaping.
- Blasting.
- Soil removal and excavation.
- Crossing the right-of-way with heavy equipment or vehicles (trucks, backhoes, graders, tractors, dump trucks).
- Installing in- or above-ground swimming pools.
- Planting trees and shrubs.
- Installation of drainage or irrigation systems.
- Building or installation of structures, including play structures, sheds, patios, fire pits, etc.
- Storing of vehicles or materials.
More information on securing approvals for these types of activities can be found within the Crossing Guidelines (PDF).
What to Expect from TNPI if You Live or Work Near TNPI Pipelines
TNPI will:
- Establish and maintain relationships with municipal and Indigenous communities’ first responders, emergency management staff, Indigenous community members and other municipal and provincial officials to share information on our pipeline operations and protocols.
- Be responsive to your questions and comments.
- Be in contact with you during the year to remind you that the pipeline crosses or is near your property, and provide information about what to do and who to contact if you need to conduct activities near the pipeline.
- Contact you in advance if we need to do maintenance, clear brush or trees, or are conducting an emergency response exercise in the immediate area so that you are aware of our activities. And, if we need to excavate, we will work with you to restore the sites to pre-excavation conditions.
Call or Click Before You Dig
If you’re digging, get permission first — and always
Third-party activities are among the leading cause of pipeline incidents. If you‘re planning to dig or disturb the ground — for any reason — call your provincial locate provider first. The provincial locate operator will ask where you plan to excavate and then will notify all utilities — including power, phone, gas, cable and pipeline companies — who will mark the location of their underground utilities, free of charge.
If you plan on working near our pipeline we will contact you to arrange the locate within a minimum of three working days, and will verify that the work can be done safely. If a permit/crossing, proximity or encroachment agreement is required, we will respond to your application within 10 working days and issue the permit as soon as practical. Depending on the type of work, our inspector will be there to confirm safety issues are addressed during construction.
Click Before You Dig
Alberta
Ontario
Quebec