Hydro denies fault for Brandon building explosion

BRANDON — An explosion at a City of Brandon building three years ago was the fault of the municipality, Manitoba Hydro said in a statement of defence filed Dec. 31.

The Crown corporation also insists it did its job properly during prior repairs.

The city sued Manitoba Hydro and its subsidiary, Centra Gas, for negligence over the Sept. 7, 2023, explosion at the Civic Services Complex that sent one city employee to hospital.

In an August 2025 statement of claim, the city said “overpressure” in the building’s natural gas system was the reason for the explosion.

Two days before the explosion, Manitoba Hydro replaced a natural gas meter and told the city to remove a gas regulator as it wasn’t needed, the city said in its claim.

It said that the meter released five pounds per square inch of natural gas directly to the building’s appliances, which was too much, and should have instead been between 0.25 and 0.5 psi.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

In its response, Manitoba Hydro said it acted “in a matter reasonably expected” and denies “each and every allegation of negligence” put forward by the city, while also filing a counterclaim.

Hydro’s statement of defence said the city was responsible for gas regulation and reconnection of the gas supply.

Work done by Hydro, which included replacing a natural gas meter with gas being delivered at five psi, was carried out in the presence and with confirmation of a city gasfitter, the statement said.

It said the gasfitter was responsible for reconnecting and relighting gas appliances.

Hydro also denies that work done by the city was under the instruction of Hydro. Its statement of defence said Hydro was not required to complete inspections for city piping, and it didn’t do so.

Hydro said the city gasfitter knew, or should have known, that appropriate gas regulators would be required to reduce gas pressure.

“The city gasfitter represented before and during the replacement process that he was fully competent to perform the city work and … refused (voluntary) assistance from Hydro when gas was reintroduced into the building,” the statement of defence said.

The city knew, or should have known, “its employees did not have the requisite competency, skill, or knowledge to perform the city work,” the statement said. Attempting to relight the hot water tank over the course of a day, it said, was the city’s own negligence, including when “the smell of natural gas filled the building.”

The statement said the city failed to mitigate its loss at the complex and “exaggerated” the extent of the explosion’s damage.

The statement also denied that the service lines were too small and said the size of the lines hadn’t contributed to the explosion, which the city had also alleged.

Hydro’s counterclaim, filed alongside the statement of defence, asks for $2,596 for the cost of the damaged meter, natural gas that was lost and labour following the explosion. It also asks for court costs with interest.

Last May, the city said the cost of repairs to the building would be about $1 million, and the lawsuit against Hydro asked for the costs of the repairs to the building, its contents, Manitoba Hydro services, engineer services, and insurance adjuster and investigative services.

A request to the city for an updated cost estimate on repairs wasn’t answered on Monday.

City spokesperson Merrilea Metcalf declined to comment on the matter, as the case is before the courts. She deferred comment to one of the city’s lawyers.

Lawyer Josh Lieberman also declined to comment on Monday for the same reason.

In a news release Monday announcing the reopening of the Civic Services Complex, the city said the explosion caused major structural damage to the facility.

The 900 Richmond Ave. East building is set to reopen Thursday. It serves as a hub for departments and operations.

— Brandon Sun