RECOGNIZING the growing importance of safe excavation across British Columbia, BC One Call Limited (BC 1 Call) and the BC Landscape and Nursery Association (BCLNA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen collaboration on industry education, excavation safety, damage prevention, and underground infrastructure protection.
Landscape professionals and nurseries routinely undertake ground disturbance as part of installing and maintaining landscapes, irrigation systems, trees, lighting, fencing, and other outdoor infrastructure. This collaboration will help ensure they have access to current information and educational resources that support safe excavation practices.
Through this collaboration, BC 1 Call and BCLNA will work together to advance education, promote responsible excavation practices, and encourage informed planning before ground is broken. The organizations will explore opportunities to collaborate on industry education, professional development, public awareness initiatives, educational resources, and other activities that promote safe excavation practices across the province.
“Safe excavation doesn’t begin with a shovel. It begins with planning,” said Donna Grant, President of BC 1 Call. ” By combining BC 1 Call’s expertise in damage prevention with BCLNA’s leadership in professional education and industry excellence, we can help ensure the people performing this essential work have the knowledge and resources they need to excavate safely and protect the critical underground infrastructure that serves us all.”
Coreen Rodger Berrisford, Executive Director of BCLNA, said, “Our members are committed to delivering quality work safely and professionally. By partnering with BC 1 Call, we can strengthen industry education and help ensure landscape and nursery professionals have the knowledge and resources to plan excavation responsibly and protect the underground infrastructure that serves our communities.”
The MOU establishes a framework for future collaboration in areas where the mandates of both organizations intersect, creating opportunities to strengthen education, raise awareness, share knowledge, and promote industry best practices that contribute to safer excavation throughout British Columbia. Together, the organizations will encourage everyone undertaking ground disturbance to contact BC 1 Call before digging to help prevent damage to underground infrastructure and support safe excavation practices.
BC One Call Limited (BC 1 Call) is a member-based, not-for-profit organization that helps protect British Columbia’s underground infrastructure through collaboration, coordination, and damage prevention. By connecting excavators, contractors, homeowners, and businesses with participating infrastructure owners before digging begins, BC 1 Call supports worker and public safety, environmental protection, reliable service delivery, and informed excavation practices across the province. Available for free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, BC 1 Call serves as British Columbia’s trusted notification service for participating owners of underground infrastructure. BC1C.ca
