Overlea Station Relocation Project

Project updates

July 27, 2023: The project kicked off with the start of the environmental assessment.

Enbridge Gas has retained Stantec Consulting Ltd. to undertake an Environmental Study for the project as part of the planning process. The Environmental Study will fulfill the requirements of the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) “Environmental Guidelines for the Location, Construction, and Operation of Hydrocarbon Projects and Facilities in Ontario, 8th Edition (2023)”.

The Environmental Report based on the study is scheduled to be completed in December 2023. Once complete, Enbridge Gas plans to file a Leave-to-Construct application for the project with the OEB. The OEB’s review and approval are required before the proposed project can proceed. If approved, construction could begin in 2024.

Project calendar

The tasks and timelines for the project are presented below:

Project consultation

For new construction projects, the collective input from Indigenous communities and Métis, government agencies, municipalities, stakeholders, the public and landowners play an integral role in the route and site selection process.

Prior to construction, public input is obtained to ensure that the community is advised of the proposed project, and to involve the public in the decision-making process. Public consultation is a key component of the Environmental Report.

By providing the public with an opportunity to receive information about the project, the consultation program helps identify and address stakeholder concerns, and have meaningful participation into the project review and development process. Please see below for additional information.

Public input from consultation will used to help finalize the project and mitigation plans to be implemented during construction.

After a Leave to Construct application has been made to the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), any party with an interest in the project, including members of the public, can participate in the process.

Public notification

Virtual information session

Stakeholder consultation is an important part of this study. Members of the public, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the virtual information session to review the project and to provide comments.

Date: Materials were available from Nov. 6 to 20, 2023 at https://www.solutions.ca/OverleaEA/.

Now that the virtual information session is complete, the materials from the presentation are available to view here.

Project commencement letters

Notice of Project Commencement letters were mailed out to the Ontario Pipeline Coordinating Committee, agencies, local municipalities, directly and indirectly affected landowners, and Indigenous communities in October 2023.

You can view the Notice of Commencement by clicking here.

Regulatory information

The Overlea Station Relocation Project is regulated by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), an independent government agency that regulates the electricity and natural gas sectors. After a public review and hearing, the OEB will issue its Decision and Order regarding the application. In this section, you will be able to review all regulatory files about the project when they become available.

Environmental report

In accordance with the OEB's “Environmental Guidelines for the Location, Construction, and Operation of Hydrocarbon Projects and Facilities in Ontario, 8th Edition (2023)”, Enbridge Gas has retained the services of Stantec Consulting Ltd., an independent environmental consultant, to complete an environmental assessment for the proposed project.

The purpose of the environmental assessment is to:

• Identify any potential impacts of the proposed project on the social, economic and natural environments.
• Identify local or provincial concerns regarding the proposed project.
• Determine preferred routing of the pipeline segments.
• Gather input from agencies, stakeholders, First Nations and Métis, affected landowners, and the public.

In addition, it will recommend mitigation measures to limit impacts on the social, economic and natural environments. It is important to minimize potential negative impacts of the proposed natural gas distribution pipelines and associated facilities on the environment. The data, analysis and results of the environmental assessment will be detailed in an environmental report.

A copy of the environmental report will be available here after it is finalized.

Leave to Construct application

Enbridge Gas plans to file a Leave to Construct application with the Ontario Energy Board. This filing is tentatively scheduled for early 2024.

A copy of the application will be available here after it is finalized.

Contact information

If you have questions or concerns regarding the Overlea Station Relocation Project, please contact the project team at OverleaER@stantec.com.