ProACTIVE launches new project with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association

ProACTIVE Planning is thrilled to announce a new project with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) – ProACTIVE will be delivering education sessions for municipalities and planning institutions across Canada for effective land use planning in the vicinity of pipelines.

Based on the guidelines from CSA Z663-18: Land Use Planning in the Vicinity of Pipeline Systems, ProACTIVE will be providing online sessions to select municipalities and institutional audiences with CEPA member infrastructure within their boundaries. The goal of these sessions is to tell the story of development from the perspective of pipeline operators, and to provide municipalities and development stakeholders with a toolkit for addressing issues related to land use planning in the vicinity of pipeline systems.

“The issue of land use planning around pipelines is a topic that has been discussed by CEPA’s Damage Prevention Community of Practice for several years. Addressing the risks of land use planning around pipelines lead to CEPA being instrumental in the development of this standard. Since 2018, CEPA members have been exploring ways to increase awareness of the standard and educate municipalities on the shared responsibility of preventing damage to this critical infrastructure. CEPA is looking forward to working with ProACTIVE in engaging municipalities to promote an increased awareness of the standard and how it can be used to proactively reduce the risk of pipeline damage, which can have significant impacts on the public and environment.” Patrick Smyth, Vice President, Performance, CEPA. 

Looking at the year ahead, this strategic partnership with CEPA and CSA will enable ProACTIVE to reach municipalities across Canada to share the issues that currently exist in land use planning and development in the vicinity of pipeline systems and the key messaging and guidelines released in 2018 by the Canadian Standards Association. Ed Plant, ProACTIVE’s Municipal Relations and ROW Advisor states: “We feel highly equipped to do this work – we have three team members including myself who served on the CSA Z663-18 Technical Committee, we have an impeccable engagement record, and strong relationships with municipalities, as well as municipal and industry associations across the country. Municipalities and pipeline operators have long needed guidance for working together, and when CSA Z663-18 was released we knew there was huge potential, and now we need planners to implement it.”