/ C O R R E C T I O N from Source -- Union Gas Limited/

In c5730 transmitted on December 15th, 2010 an error occurred. The 2nd paragraph of the corrected copy was omitted in the original dissemination. Corrected copy follows:

UNION GAS BEGINS RESTORING NATURAL GAS SERVICE TO IMPACTED MILTON CUSTOMERS

Estimates majority of customers will have gas service by mid-day tomorrow

MILTON, ON, Dec. 15 /CNW/ - At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, a natural gas leak occurred while a Union Gas crew was performing maintenance on a pipeline on Bennett Street in Milton. The line had been safely excavated and maintenance work was underway when a gas leak occurred. The escaping gas then caught fire. Three townhomes at the intersection of Clark and Bennett were damaged by the fire. No local residents were injured. Union Gas is working closely and cooperating fully with the Fire Marshal and other regulatory agencies in the effort to identify why the leak occurred and then caught fire.

One Union Gas employee was injured and taken to hospital. He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation and is expected to be released tomorrow.

"Nothing is more important than both the safety of the citizens in the communities we serve and the safety of our employees," said Paul Rietdyk, Vice President of Union Gas. "This type of incident is a rare event.  We're anxious to complete the investigation so we can understand what happened and make sure it never happens again. Our thoughts are with the three families whose homes were damaged and all residents who have been impacted by this incident."    

To ensure our customers are safe and as comfortable as possible under the circumstances Union Gas will compensate them for costs to obtain local accommodations. In addition, the Halton Region has opened a warming centre in the auditorium of E.C. Drury High School at 215 Ontario Street South in Milton.

As part of the pipeline repair process, natural gas service was interrupted to approximately 500 customers in the residential area of Yates Blvd to the north, Thompson Road to the west, Clark Blvd. to the south and Bennett and McDowell Avenues to the east.

At 9 p.m. this evening, Union Gas crews began restoring natural gas service to impacted customers and it is estimated that the majority of customers will have gas service by mid-day tomorrow, provided Union Gas is able to gain access to the home.

"We want to express our sincere appreciation to the first responders and emergency services personnel who assisted to ensure the safety of local residents," added Rietdyk.

Any customers needing assistance can call Union Gas at 1-877-969-0999.

About Union Gas
Union Gas Limited is a major Canadian natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with nearly 100 years of experience and service to customers. The distribution business serves 1.3 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in more than 400 communities across northern, southwestern and eastern Ontario. Union Gas's growing storage and transmission business offers premium storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America. It offers customers an important link in the movement of natural gas from Western Canadian and U.S. supply basins to markets in central Canada and the northeast U.S. Union Gas, one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2011, is a Spectra Energy (NYSE: SE) company with assets of $5 billion and approximately 2,200 employees. For more information, visit uniongas.com.

For further information:

Andrea Stass
Manager, Public Affairs and Media Relations
Union Gas Limited
Ph: 519 436-5490 or 1-800-571-8446 ext. 5490
Cell: 519 365-1010
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]