Hidden Valley Community Expansion Project

Project updates

On Dec. 20, 2022, the Ontario Energy Board approved the Leave to Construct (LTC) application for the Hidden Valley Community Expansion Project.

On Sept. 21, 2023, the OEB approved the Notice of Application.

On Sept. 27, 2023, Environmental Defence filed a notice of motion to request that construction be ceased on the Hidden Valley project, as well as two other natural gas expansion projects.

On Nov. 28, 2023, Enbridge Gas had to stop construction on the Hidden Valley Community Expansion project due to regulatory uncertainty and risk to our LTC approval while the OEB reviewed the motion filed by Environmental Defence.

On Dec. 13, 2023, the OEB denied Environmental Defence’s motion.

Construction resumed on the project on Dec. 18, 2023. Construction of the main pipeline has been completed and service installations are underway.

The Environmental Report, LTC application and evidence for this project can be found in the “Regulatory Information” section

Project calendar

Project consultation

For new construction projects, collective input from Indigenous communities and Métis, government agencies, municipalities, stakeholders, the public and landowners plays 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 in the project review and development process.

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

Once 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

Newspaper advertisements

The Notice of Study Commencement and Public Open House for the Hidden Valley Community Expansion Project appeared in the Bracebridge Examiner, Huntsville Forester, and Gravenhurst Banner on June 9, 2022.

Virtual 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 are provided below:

The Virtual Open House was held between June 20, 2022 and July 4, 2022 and is available at https://solutions.ca/HiddenValleyEA/.

Regulatory information

The Hidden Valley (Huntsville) Project is regulated by the OEB, an independent government agency that regulates the electricity and natural gas sectors. After a public review and hearing, the OEB will have the information required to consider our application. In this section, you can review all regulatory files about the project.

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 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. As well, 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.

The Environmental Report is now available for review.

Leave-to-Construct application

The LTC application will be posted to this site once the application has been submitted.

• Notice of Hearing
• Application and Evidence
• Interrogatory Responses

Contact information

If you have questions about the Hidden Valley Community Expansion Project, see below: