When Sonia Hartwell landed in Halifax last week, it was her first time visiting the East Coast. Coming from British Columbia, the coastal landscape felt both familiar and entirely new. The air felt lighter, the harbour stretched farther than she expected and the people she met offered an immediate sense of welcome. Before the symposium even began, she wandered through the Citadel, explored the Maritime Museum and found herself drawn into the rhythm of a city shaped by water, history and tradition.
Sonia attended the symposium in her role as President of Berto Contractors, a BC-based civil underground construction firm, and as the recently appointed Vice-Chair of the BC Common Ground Alliance. It was her first opportunity to meet many of her national peers, and she approached it with curiosity and openness. “I really just wanted to listen,” she said. “There’s so much experience across this country and I felt lucky to be in the room.”
What she learned during the conference in Halifax was the importance of improving safety, strengthening coordination and supporting one another across provincial boundaries. The conversations sparked new ideas, broadened her perspective and confirmed how collaborative this industry truly is.
Learning from Colleagues Across Canada
One of the most meaningful parts of the symposium for Sonia was hearing how other provinces approach damage prevention. Leaders were generous in sharing what has worked for them and candid about the challenges they continue to face.
“As I listened, I kept thinking about how much more my colleagues and I in BC could explore,” Sonia explained. “Not because we’re behind, but because there are always new ways to evolve.”
Hearing how each province adapts its practices to its own terrain and regulatory environment helped her see what might be possible back home. She left those sessions feeling energized by the exchange of ideas.
Ontario offered a window into how clear legislative frameworks can support safer excavation. Alberta demonstrated the power of alignment across industry partners. Saskatchewan and Manitoba spoke about the value of municipal participation and strong asset registration practices.
Each shared insight helped Sonia better understand the diverse approaches across Canada. “It reminded me that there’s no single right answer,” she said. “What matters most is that we keep learning from one another.”
A Renewed Appreciation for Utility Coordination
The theme that surfaced again and again throughout the symposium was utility coordination. Sonia found this especially valuable. Discussions highlighted how communication between municipalities, utilities and excavators often determines whether projects unfold smoothly or run into avoidable issues.
“Every province talked about coordination in some way,” she noted. “It’s the foundation of prevention.”
Hearing how other regions have strengthened their asset records, reporting structures and mapping systems reminded her that coordination is as much about people as it is about process. Strong relationships often make the biggest difference.
This left her reflecting on how BC’s own coordination practices might continue to grow in ways that support crews, municipalities and industry partners alike.
Early Days for AI in Damage Prevention
Sonia was curious to hear how artificial intelligence is beginning to influence the construction and engineering sectors. The sessions confirmed that AI remains in its early phases for damage prevention, with concepts and prototypes still taking shape.
“I expected more advanced tools,” she admitted, “but what I heard instead was that we’re still at the beginning. And honestly, that’s exciting. It means we get to shape what comes next.”
BC’s growing technology sector, especially in Vancouver, may eventually play a larger role in developing tools that improve detection, planning and reporting. For now, AI remains an exploration, not an immediate solution.
The symposium reaffirmed that human skill and judgment will always be central, with technology serving to enhance rather than replace frontline experience.
A Humble Set of Takeaways
Sonia returned home feeling grateful for the openness of her peers and the clarity of the conversations. “It was one of those rare events where you leave with notes you actually want to revisit,” she laughed.
Her key takeaways included:
- Every province brings valuable perspectives shaped by local realities
- Education and awareness remain essential tools for reducing utility strikes
- Strong coordination across stakeholders drives consistent safety outcomes
- Asset visibility is a shared challenge across Canada
- AI has potential but is not yet practical at scale
- Coastal and underwater pipeline safety needs more national discussion
- Sustainability could play a larger role in future prevention strategies
These takeaways will help guide her work in the months ahead.
Looking Ahead with Respect and Curiosity
Stepping into her role as Vice-Chair of the BCCGA, Sonia sees the year ahead as an opportunity to listen, learn and build meaningful relationships with her national peers. The conversations she had with fellow committee members reinforced how much value each province brings to the damage prevention community, and she hopes the BCCGA will become an increasingly useful partner at the national table.
“My hope is that BC becomes a steady voice — someone people can count on when they need a different angle or a west coast perspective,” she said.
She’s approaching her role with three grounded priorities.
1. Help BC contribute thoughtful insights to national conversations
Sonia wants BC to show up constructively, sharing experience when relevant and supporting the broader CCGA community. “It’s not about leading,” she said. “It’s about being a helpful and consistent presence.”
2. Bring sustainability into conversations where it fits naturally
As someone who lives and works in a region defined by forests, mountains and coastline, environmental stewardship is central to how Sonia thinks about long-term planning. She hopes to introduce sustainability into discussions where it supports and strengthens existing safety efforts.
3. Explore opportunities to connect BC’s technology community with emerging needs
BC’s growing tech and AI sector may become a future asset for the damage prevention field. Sonia hopes to explore practical, field-aligned opportunities and, if useful, share those learnings nationally. “If anything we discover can help others, I want to bring that forward,” she said.
Leaving the East Coast with Warm Appreciation
On her last morning in Halifax, Sonia took one more walk along the waterfront. Fishing boats rocked gently in the harbour, gulls drifted above and morning light settled quietly on the water. It was a different coastline from the one she calls home, but it felt just as grounding.
She returned to British Columbia with a notebook full of ideas and a genuine appreciation for the people she met. As she put it, “A west coaster can fall for the east pretty easily when the ocean is still part of the view.”
