b'UTILITY LOCATESUPHOLDING THE RULESA critical part of the Ontario One Call initiative was the promise that it would hold locate service providers accountable for holding up their end of the process. In the real world, however, enforcement is lacking.There need to be penalties to locate providers for late locates, insists Rankin Constructions Tamas. Without real enforcement, theres nothing really incentivizing LSPs to keep the process moving along at the speed contractors need.Granted, there are penalties in place for LSPs who do late locates, but as DiPede notes, they are rarely enacted: If there is no consequence to your action, you will continue to do whatever, whenever you want. By enforcing compliance with monetary fines, locators will need to complete locates on time.builder who is redoing a road. They might need toAfter all, adds DiPede, its only fair: The construction call for a locate, but so does their sewer and water- industry is based on schedules. If we do not complete a main guy, their foundation guy, the crews workingproject in time, we are fined. on the retaining wall, and so on. You might haveThe system for locates in Ontario has potential. Never-six different subcontractors on the same job alltheless, many of those who rely on that system to keep submitting the same locate requests because Onetheir projects on course believe it has yet to reach its Call only lets you put in one name on the form. full potential. Allowing multiple companies on the form wouldWith more support, changes to the submission process, cut down on duplicated efforts. The way it isand stronger incentives for LSPs, there is an opportu-now, you can have a locator come out up to fivenity for all parties to unearth better outcomes. or six times for the same location to find the same spots, and it drives them crazy. Then, they dont come out as quickly for your next request, explains Smith.ENHANCING PROCESSESWhile Ontario One Calls online platform does a good job of facilitating locates, some argue that more can be done to enhance the accuracy of those requests to avoid delays.When a locate request is not complete or incor-rect, it is put into hold until the information is corrected. At that point, the locate cannot be completed, explains Tony DiPede, General Manager for North Rock Group. Were for having better forms and a more accurate submission process so the request can be completed before the requester pushes send.In the same vein, some contractors suggest theExperienced. Trusted. Local. Canadian.locates process can be streamlined by eliminating the need for locates in situations where theyAs the largest provider of surety bonds in Canada, you dont apply. Specifically, deep excavation projectscan depend on our financial strength and experience. require locates to be refreshed every 30 days, but there comes a point where doing so makesContact your broker today or visit intact.ca/suretylittle sense.If youve excavated deeper than six or sevenSPECIALTY SURETYmetres, theres nothing down there, says Smith.SOLUTIONSYou might be on that site for eight or nine months before you get to the bottom, but every 30 days Red Square Brackets Design and Intact Insurance Design are trademarks of Intact Financial you have to get a guy to come out and say theresCorporation used under license. 2018 Intact Insurance Company. All rights reserved.nothing there. That just cuts into everyones time.H 2 OSWCAWinter/Spring 2020 35'