In January 1980, it was announced that Consumers' Gas intended a friendly takeover of the distiller Hiram Walker-Gooderham & Worts Limited.

In February 1981, shareholders approved that the holding company be renamed Hiram Walker Resources Limited.

For the foreign takeover to proceed, Investment Canada ruled that by the end of 1992, British Gas would have to sell off 15 per cent of the company to Canadians.

In November 1993, the Interprovincial Pipe Line Company struck a tentative deal to purchase for C$1.2 billion the 85 per cent stake in Consumers' held by British Gas.

[5] In January 1996, Interprovincial applied to the Ontario government to remove the requirement for a 15 per cent public float of common shares in Consumers'.