(Image Credit: File Photo/CHAT News)

By Jesse Gill

Interactive Map

City of Medicine Hat launches new online map displaying overhead powerlines and safety resources

Feb 12, 2026 | 8:49 AM

The City of Medicine Hat has launched a new online tool aimed at improving safety around overhead powerlines.

The “Look Up and Live!” webmap builds on the joint Utility Safety Partners initiative of the same name and provides an interactive way for residents to identify the location of overhead lines throughout the city.

Available at medicinehat.ca/lookupandlive, the map allows users to zoom in on their current location or search a specific address to see nearby overhead wires.

By clicking on a line segment, users can access simplified mapping details and direct links to safety resources.

Those resources include the city’s Guidelines for Working in Proximity to Powerlines and a form to request an Electric Proximity Safety Plan.

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City officials say the tool is intended to help residents, contractors and businesses better understand potential hazards and take appropriate precautions when working near electrical infrastructure.

“With over 350 km of overhead primary lines, there’s a good chance you might encounter them on your next project – whether trimming trees in your back yard, moving equipment or starting a new construction job,” said Josh Reimer, Superintendent of Field Services with the City’s Utility Distribution Systems department.

“This tool lets you know if there’s dangerous wires nearby and what steps you should take next.”

Residents can locate the map on any of the utility safety pages on the City’s website or at medicinehat.ca/maps. 

The City states that the webmap aligns with its intent to share more, not less.

“Particularly with maps and geospatial data, we’re opening up access to as much content as we can, and we’re continuing to build more,” said Mike Tulis, Senior GIS Analyst with the City of Medicine Hat.

The City’s Maps and GIS webpage includes the Capital Projects Map, Construction and Closures Map, Alberta Flood Maps, Crime Map, and story maps that showcase cultural or historic points of interest.

The City’s iMap shows parks and trails, garbage zones, schools, neighbourhood boundaries, and even the location of park benches, sidewalk sand boxes and water bottle fill stations.

Reimer said The Look Up and Live! map is not meant to replace established safety measures when working around electrical infrastructure. 

“If you are going to be working within seven metres of a powerline, you still need to apply for an Electrical Proximity Safety Plan,” Reimer said.

“We’re just making it easier to access those tools when you’re reviewing the location of lines on the map. Our entire goal is to keep you, and those around you, safe.”

The interactive map only identifies overhead lines. In the City of Medicine Hat, there are approximately 350 km of buried electrical wires.

The City said that anyone performing a ground disturbance for underground work must still submit a locate request at clickbeforeyoudig.com at least five working days in advance of the project.