Watford Pipeline Project

Project calendar

Project consultation

Indigenous and community engagement

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

Prior to construction, public input is sought to ensure that the community is advised of the proposed project and involved in the decision-making process. Public consultation is a key component of the environmental report.

The consultation program also helps to identify and address stakeholder concerns and provide the opportunity for meaningful public participation in the project review and development process. Input received from the public information sessions is used to help finalize the project and mitigation plans which are implemented during construction.

Once the Leave to Construct (LTC) application was made to the Ontario Energy Board, any party with an interest in the project, including members of the public, was able to participate in this process.

Public notification

Project commencement letters

Notice of project commencement letters were mailed to the Ontario Pipeline Coordinating Committee (OPCC), agencies, local municipalities, directly and indirectly affected landowners, and Indigenous communities the week of Nov. 21, 2022.

Notice of project change letters

Notice of project change letters were mailed to the OPCC, agencies, local municipalities, directly and indirectly affected landowners, and Indigenous communities the week of Feb. 20, 2023.

Newspaper advertisements

The original notice of project commencement was published in the Sarnia Observer during the week of Nov. 21, 2022. The same notice was also published in the Sarnia Observer during the week of Nov. 28, 2022.

A notice of project change was published in the Sarnia Observer during the week of Feb. 21, 2023 and the week of Feb. 28, 2023.

You can view the notice of project change.

Initial public Information session

An initial virtual public information session was held from Dec. 6 to Dec. 19, 2022. An initial in-person public information session was also held in conjunction with the virtual session, on Dec. 6, 2022, at the Warwick Arena in Watford, Ontario.

Public Information Session #2 – Virtual

A second virtual public information was held from March 6 to March 19, 2022.

Public Information Session #2 – In-Person

A second in-person session was also held in conjunction with the virtual session. Full details are below:

Location: Warwick Arena, Upper Arena Hall
Address: 61 Centennial Avenue, Watford, Ont.
Date and Time: Mar. 7, 2023, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m

You can view the slides from the presentation, which was provided to visitors to the in-person and virtual sessions. You can also view the video presentation from the virtual session.

Regulatory information

The Watford Pipeline 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 has issued its Decision and Order, approving the Enbridge Gas Leave to Construct application.

In this section, you may review all regulatory files about the project.

Environment assessment

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 and Métis communities, 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.

The environmental report was completed in July 2023.  Read the environmental report.

Leave to construct application

Enbridge Gas filed a leave to construct application with the OEB on Aug.1, 2023. View the application.

The OEB has issued the notice of application. View the notice in English. View the notice in French.

The OEB issued its Decision and Order, approving the Enbridge Gas Leave to Construct application, on March 7, 2024. View the Decision and Order.

Interrogatory Responses

We want to hear from you!

We encourage you to contact us, should you have any questions about the proposed project. To be in touch, please choose from one of the options below.