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The cost of finding privately owned underground infrastructure may soon disappear.

The province is proposing legislation prohibiting such fees to locate things like gas, water and telecommunication lines.

The location of public utilities is currently free of charge through Ontario One Call.

“We need to build critical infrastructure faster and smarter to support our growing communities,” says Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, in a release. “Banning locate fees would stem the possibility of spiralling costs that delay construction projects and increase costs.”

McCarthy says eliminating the fees would mirror similar practices elsewhere in Canada and the United States.

McCarthy is also looking to streamline the process to reduce the number of times a locate is repeated.

In 2022, Ontario One Call coordinated approximately 1.2 million requests for locate services.