Bringing natural gas to your community

Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas) is proposing to construct facilities to provide natural gas distribution service to the community of St. Charles (the Project). The proposed facilities are located primarily within the community of St. Charles in the Municipality of St. Charles, located in the Sudbury East area, with some facilities also located within the community of Warren in the Municipality of Markstay-Warren. The purpose of the Project is to provide residents, businesses, and industries located within the community of St. Charles with access to safe, reliable, and affordable natural gas distribution services.

The Project is planned to be mainly within the existing municipal Right-of-Way (ROW) with additional Temporary Working Space (TWS) potentially required for lay-down, storage and excess soils management.

The Project is considering the following Preliminary Preferred Route and Alternative Route:

Preliminary Preferred Route

A tie-in into the existing Enbridge Gas system at Nipissing Road and Seguin Road and run south along Nipissing Road to Dupuis Road. From Dupuis Road and Nipissing Road intersection, run west along Dupuis Road to Highway 535. From Highway 535 and Dupuis Road intersection, run south along Highway 535 to the community of St. Charles; and
A proposed station, near the intersection of Nipissing Road and Seguin Road, to accommodate additional customers onto the distribution system.

Alternative Route

A tie-in into the existing Enbridge Gas system at Highway 535 and Northern Central Road and run south along Highway 535 to the community of St. Charles; and
A proposed station, near the intersection of Highway 535 and Northern Central Road, to accommodate additional customers onto the distribution system.

Where will gas be available?

Check the map below to see if natural gas is coming to your street.

*Natural gas project scope subject to change during the design and construction phases of the project.

Feasibility
Environmental studies
Regulatory review
Regulatory approval
Under construction
In-service

Feasibility
Environmental studies
Regulatory review
Regulatory approval
Under construction
In-service

Project information

Project calendar

The tasks and timelines for this project are presented below:

Task	Undertakings	Dates
Selection of the New Location for the Pipeline	Enbridge Gas assessment of current and future network demand. System analysis and network design confirm. Consultation with the Region of Waterloo.	Ongoing
Public consultation	Meetings and / or correspondence with provincial and municipal representatives and agencies, and other key stakeholders	May 2024
Public consultation	Receive input from stakeholders to influence the Environmental Report	Ongoing
Preparation of the environmental report	Prepare the Environmental Report based on collected data. Report includes impact assessment, and mitigation recommendations.	Ongoing
Circulation to Ontario Pipelines Coordinating Committee (OPCC)	Enbridge Gas to file the Environmental Report with the OPCC. The purpose of the OPCC is to coordinate the Ontario government review of facilities projects in Ontario requiring approval from the OEB.	Ongoing
OEB Leave to Construct Application	Enbridge Gas to file a Leave to Construct Application with the OEB.	November 2024
Notice of Application	OEB issues the Notice of Application.	Q2 2025
Potential Construction Start	Begin construction activities pending receipt of all permit and approvals.	Q3/Q4 2025
Potential Construction Finish	Construction completion including remediation activities.	TBD

Indigenous and community engagement

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.

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

Once the Leave-to-Construct (LTC) application is made to the OEB, any party with an interest in the Project, including members of the public, can participate in the process.

Public notification

Project commencement letters

Notice of project commencement letters, which included the public information session dates, were delivered by Canada Post to residents in the area near the project in June 2024.

Newspaper advertisements

The Notice of Upcoming Project for St. Charles appeared in the West Nipissing Tribune and the Sudbury Star on April 24 and 25, 2024.

The Notice of Commencement of Open Houses (in-person and virtual) was published in the Sudbury Star and the West Nipissing Tribune on June 6, 2024.

Open House

Stakeholder consultation is an important part of this study. Members of the public, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the Open House to review the project and provide comments. Details about the open houses are provided below:

A public in-person open house was held on June 25, 2024 at St. Charles Arena Hall - 99 King St. E., St. Charles, ON P0M 2W0. View the slides from the presentation and the accompanying transcript.

The virtual open house will run from June 24, 2024 to July 12, 2024.

Regulatory information

The St. Charles 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 is able to approve our application. In this section, you can review all regulatory files about the project.

Environment report

In accordance with the OEB's “Environmental Guidelines for the Location, Construction and Operation of Hydrocarbon Pipeline and Facilities in Ontario, 7th Edition 2016”, Enbridge Gas retained the services of Dillon Consulting, 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 (and if alternate routing is practical); gather input from agencies, stakeholders, Indigenous communities and Métis, affected landowners, and the public. As well, mitigation measures are recommended to limit impacts on the social, economic and natural environments. It is important to minimize potential impacts of the proposed natural gas distribution pipelines and associated facilities on the environment. The data, analysis and results of the environmental assessment are detailed in the environmental report.

Contact information

We encourage you to contact us, should you have any questions about the proposed project. To be in touch, please email our team at CEApplications@enbridge.com.

Project calendar

The tasks and timelines for this project are presented below:

Task	Undertakings	Dates
Selection of the New Location for the Pipeline	Enbridge Gas assessment of current and future network demand. System analysis and network design confirm. Consultation with the Region of Waterloo.	Ongoing
Public consultation	Meetings and / or correspondence with provincial and municipal representatives and agencies, and other key stakeholders	May 2024
Public consultation	Receive input from stakeholders to influence the Environmental Report	Ongoing
Preparation of the environmental report	Prepare the Environmental Report based on collected data. Report includes impact assessment, and mitigation recommendations.	Ongoing
Circulation to Ontario Pipelines Coordinating Committee (OPCC)	Enbridge Gas to file the Environmental Report with the OPCC. The purpose of the OPCC is to coordinate the Ontario government review of facilities projects in Ontario requiring approval from the OEB.	Ongoing
OEB Leave to Construct Application	Enbridge Gas to file a Leave to Construct Application with the OEB.	November 2024
Notice of Application	OEB issues the Notice of Application.	Q2 2025
Potential Construction Start	Begin construction activities pending receipt of all permit and approvals.	Q3/Q4 2025
Potential Construction Finish	Construction completion including remediation activities.	TBD

Project consultation

Indigenous and community engagement

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.

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

Once the Leave-to-Construct (LTC) application is made to the OEB, any party with an interest in the Project, including members of the public, can participate in the process.

Public notification

Project commencement letters

Notice of project commencement letters, which included the public information session dates, were delivered by Canada Post to residents in the area near the project in June 2024.

Newspaper advertisements

The Notice of Upcoming Project for St. Charles appeared in the West Nipissing Tribune and the Sudbury Star on April 24 and 25, 2024.

The Notice of Commencement of Open Houses (in-person and virtual) was published in the Sudbury Star and the West Nipissing Tribune on June 6, 2024.

Open House

Stakeholder consultation is an important part of this study. Members of the public, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the Open House to review the project and provide comments. Details about the open houses are provided below:

A public in-person open house was held on June 25, 2024 at St. Charles Arena Hall - 99 King St. E., St. Charles, ON P0M 2W0. View the slides from the presentation and the accompanying transcript.

The virtual open house will run from June 24, 2024 to July 12, 2024.

Regulatory information

The St. Charles 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 is able to approve our application. In this section, you can review all regulatory files about the project.

Environment report

In accordance with the OEB's “Environmental Guidelines for the Location, Construction and Operation of Hydrocarbon Pipeline and Facilities in Ontario, 7th Edition 2016”, Enbridge Gas retained the services of Dillon Consulting, 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 (and if alternate routing is practical); gather input from agencies, stakeholders, Indigenous communities and Métis, affected landowners, and the public. As well, mitigation measures are recommended to limit impacts on the social, economic and natural environments. It is important to minimize potential impacts of the proposed natural gas distribution pipelines and associated facilities on the environment. The data, analysis and results of the environmental assessment are detailed in the environmental report.