The 'call before you dig' messaging appears to be getting through to people in B.C., with a continued decline in the amount of damage to natural gas line infrastructure in Nanaimo and across B.C. (Image Credit: Fortis BC)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

call before you dig

Natural gas line strikes drop in Nanaimo, but still leads Vancouver Island

Apr 15, 2026 | 5:23 AM

NANAIMO — Messaging to ‘call before you dig’ appears to be getting through to local contractors and homeowners.

Data from Fortis BC shows the Harbour City joined Saanich in leading Vancouver Island for the highest number of incidents involving damage to natural gas lines, with 14 in 2025, part of 109 across Vancouver Island and around 760 province-wide.

Ada Nadison, Fortis BC’s manager of the utility’s public safety program, said there’s a mix of frustration and empathy around these preventable incidents, with accurate mapping and use of services like BC 1 Call just part of the solution to stopping them.

“Depending on where you are in the province, those lines could have been installed maybe in the 1950s or 1960s, and as you can imagine, over the years, a lot can change to the ground from when it’s installed, whether it be erosion, flooding, grading changes, or landscaping.”

Parksville and Qualicum Beach registered a combined five strikes through 2025.

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Numbers locally have dropped considerably over recent years, with 20 reported incidents in Nanaimo in 2023 and 17 in 2024.

Similar declines have occurred across B.C. with a reported 26.5 per cent decrease in damage to natural gas lines since 2021.

Nadison said contractors are legally required to call BC 1 Call before digging, to ensure they’re not near any underground infrastructure.

While Fortis BC is regulated to be a member of the nonprofit service, municipal governments and other non-oil and gas sector businesses may only voluntarily join.

Nanaimo is not a member but provides detailed mapping when requested, while Parksville and Qualicum Beach are both listed as member municipalities.

In addition to legal requirements for contractors, homeowners and hobbiests could face steep penalties if they damage infrastructure.

Nadison said Fortis BC is unable to fine directly, however they can recoup costs.

“We look at things like the amount of gas lost, materials required to repair it, the staffing required if someone hits a gas line. Depending on how serious the incident is, there might be several homes and businesses that will lose gas, so after we repair the line we have to go back and relight all the appliances, so that’s man hours as well.”

Fortis BC says 90 per cent of damage to gas line infrastructure is easily preventable via services like BC 1 Call.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Natural gas line strikes drop in Nanaimo, but still leads Vancouver Island

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