TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 23, 2015) -

Editor's Note: There is a video and photo associated with this release.

The smell of rotten eggs is added to natural gas to alert the public of a potential gas leak, yet according to an Ipsos Reid survey* conducted by Enbridge Gas Distribution (Enbridge), only 33 per cent of respondents can accurately describe what natural gas smells like. This is why the company has launched its "Smell Gas? Act Fast!" public awareness campaign to help educate people on natural gas, what it smells like, and what to do if you smell it.

VIDEO - Street Survey: Enbridge Gas took to the street to ask people what they knew about the smell of natural gas. Click here to view the video.

Enbridge believes education is important to improve public safety, especially when it comes to identifying and reporting natural gas leaks. In cases where a gas line has been damaged, people may not recognize or may ignore the smell, especially if the damage is not obvious. In these cases, a gas leak could go unreported.

If someone suspects a natural gas leak, Enbridge advises:

• Act quickly and remain calm, leave the area immediately
• Leave electrical switches, appliances and computers as they are
• Do not smoke or use lighters/matches
• Do not start any vehicles or motors
• Do not use phones or any electronics until you have left the area
• Call the 24-hour Emergency Number: 1-866-763-4527 or call 911
• Make the call. Do not assume that someone else will report it.

Show us your #Smellfie for a chance to win $500**

Enbridge customers received the annual "scratch and sniff" pamphlets in their October bills. This brochure gives people the opportunity to take a whiff of what natural gas actually smells like. In conjunction, Enbridge has launched a contest to raise awareness about natural gas safety. The public can send in their "Smellfie" for a chance to win one of ten $500 prizes. Like a 'selfie', a Smellfie is a picture of a person's face when they sniff the awful smell of natural gas.

Between now and December 31, 2015, residents of Ontario can enter the contest in one of three ways: via Twitter with the hashtag #smellfie; by sending an email to enbridgegasnews@enbridge.com; or in-person at one of several Enbridge #smellfie booths across the province.

The #smellfie gallery, full contest rules, and a list of smellfie booth locations can be found at enbridgegas.com/smellfie.

City of Toronto Ward 40 Councillor Norm Kelly supports the campaign. @norm Tweet: Know what natural gas smells like? Rotten eggs! Share your #smellfie & raise awareness! Click here to view the image.

FACTS

• Natural gas is colourless and odourless in its natural state. For safety, an odourant is added to make it smelly. This helps make even the smallest leak easy to detect.
• While the odour is referred to as having a rotten egg smell, many have never smelt a rotten egg. The smell can also be described as a combination of sulphur, skunk spray and boiled eggs.
• While most natural gas leaks can be detected by smell, it is important not to rely on sense of smell alone. Other ways to detect a potential gas leak include: damaged connections, a hissing sound, and/or dead or dying vegetation around a natural gas meter, appliances or pipes.
• As of November 20, 2015 over 1,000 #smellfie's have been submitted. The gallery is available at enbridgegas.com/smellfie

QUOTE

"Our top priority is safety and we want everyone to know how to protect themselves and their families. If someone were to see a car accident, they would call 911 immediately. We want people to have to have the same reaction when they smell gas. Never assume that someone else has called - we'd rather have several of the same calls than have it go unchecked."

-- Nick Thalassinos, Chief Engineer

About Enbridge Gas Distribution

Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. has a more than 165-year history and is Canada's largest natural gas distribution company. It is owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution and one of the 2014 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. Enbridge Inc. has been selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2014 and is one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. Enbridge Gas Distribution and its affiliates distribute natural gas to more than two million customers in Ontario, Quebec, New York State and New Brunswick. For more information, visit www.enbridgegas.com or follow us on Twitter @EnbridgeGasNews.

*These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between October 30 and November 3, 2015, on behalf of Enbridge Gas Distribution. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Ontarians from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ - 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

**18 years of age or older. No purchase necessary. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.