Province calls for stricter pipeline safety policies

Manitoba's transportation minister says existing federal safety procedures don't do enough to prevent explosions like the one Sunday night near Brookdale, Man.

No one was hurt when part of the TransCanada Pipeline exploded, but 100 people in the area were forced from their homes.

Transportation Minister Steve Ashton wants the federal government to review all policies and procedures on the operation of natural gas pipelines.

"I'm not trying to pre-judge what they may or may not do, but a comprehensive audit means you question everything and you start from the premise that one explosion is too many and we've had not just one, we've had three."

Similar explosions occurred in Rapid City in 1995 and St. Norbert in 1996. The company says there was another rupture nearby two years ago, but it happened in the winter and there was no explosion. Ashton says 100 pipeline incidents happen across the country every year.

Officials with TransCanada PipeLines say the company takes its safety very seriously. "The line was last inspected in May of 1998 and that was with what we call a smart pig an in-line inspection tool," says TransCanada PipeLines spokesperson Perry Kocis. "We analyzed those results and there were no concerns with the pipeline at that time."

The cause of Sunday night's explosion is not yet known. The company says the destroyed pipes will be taken to a lab for testing, but it will be several weeks before any conclusions can be drawn.

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