Personal information is any information about an identifiable individual that EQUS maintains on behalf of its members, employees, and other stakeholders it interacts with. 

The privacy of personal information is an important value and is protected in law. EQUS REA LTD. (EQUS) is committed to respecting people’s personal information – keeping it accurate, confidential and secure. EQUS’ purpose is to provide safe and efficient electric distribution service to its members. To achieve that purpose, it must collect, use and disclose certain personal information. This Privacy Code provides an overview of how EQUS treats personal information and complies with the law.

EQUS is committed to the 10 principles for privacy protection set by Canadian and world organizations and meeting its obligations under Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act. A copy of the Act is available at the EQUS Corporate Office, and copies can be obtained from the King’s Printer (telephone 780.427.4952, internet www.qp.alberta.ca).

EQUS has a Privacy Officer, who is responsible for providing information and support about privacy to members, employees, and the public, and to ensure compliance with the law. Any questions about this Privacy Code or our privacy practices can be directed to our Privacy Officer:

Brian Hennings
General Counsel
bhennings@equs.ca
403.227.7562

Our employees play an important role in protecting personal information. They are required to adhere to this Privacy Code and take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is protected from unauthorized collection, use or disclosure.

Why Do We Collect Personal Information?

EQUS operates as a membership organization and provides safe and efficient electric distribution service to its members. To do that, it collects personal information for the following purposes:

• To maintain its membership list;
• To keep its members in good standing;
• To communicate with its members, including via EQUS’ Member Web App or member newsletters;
• To elect the Board of Directors;
• To provide electric distribution services including installations, responding to incidents and emergencies, monitoring and billing consumption, maintaining and upgrading its electric distribution system, reporting as required by law to government and its agencies, working with other electric distribution companies who operate in the same service area as EQUS, obtaining services from contractors, detecting and preventing illegal activity, and planning for future electric distribution services; 
• To collect outstanding accounts; and
• To allow EQUS to comply with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements.

EQUS uses the personal information it collects for those purposes only, It does not sell, share, or disclose personal information for other reasons without your consent unless required or authorized by law.

Consent

EQUS will obtain clear consent to collect, use and disclose personal information. EQUS application forms, contracts, and other documents include consent to obtain personal information where required. Where it is reasonable to do so, consent either or also may be accepted by telephone, verbally in the field or office, or through a third party.

Sometimes the law allows consent to be implied or does not require consent. Personal Information collected by EQUS prior to January 1, 2004 has consent implied by law.

What Personal Information Is Collected?

EQUS collects only the personal information that it needs to achieve its purposes. This includes the following:

• Identification and contact information for prospective members, current members, co-owners of land, or tenants on properties EQUS serves or is eligible to serve; 
• Online Member Web App account information;
• Land locations and addresses;
• Installation and repair information, consumption records, and distribution access information;
• Financial and credit information about prospective members, current members and tenants for service inquiries, billing, payment and collection purposes;
• Medical and business information – requests for service, needs, feedback and preferences;
• Digitally recorded telephone communications for quality assurance and regulatory compliance purposes; and
• Employee information, to ensure strong and effective relationships with employees and respect of their privacy rights.

EQUS only collects personal information directly from individuals except when it has your consent to collect information from elsewhere or when permitted by law to collect it from a third party with or without consent.

Sharing or Disclosing Information

EQUS only discloses personal information for the purposes set out above, unless required or allowed by law. EQUS may disclose personal information to the following third parties:

• To our third party service providers;
• To a retailer operating within EQUS’ service area;
• To a collection agency;
• To a law enforcement agency to assist in an investigation;
• To emergency service providers; and
• To the Director or Minister pursuant to the Rural Utilities Act.

If you want someone else to get personal information about you from EQUS, they may be asked to provide your consent. The law allows EQUS to disclose personal information in certain emergencies or to collect an outstanding account. The law sometimes requires EQUS to disclose personal information, for example, when required by Court order.

Accuracy

EQUS makes reasonable efforts to ensure the personal information it holds is accurate. Individuals have the right to inquire about their personal information and ensure it is accurate. EQUS encourages its members to keep their personal information up to date – please notify us of any changes to your name, address, telephone, or other personal information we maintain on your behalf.

Access and Correction

If individuals have questions about the personal information EQUS maintains on their behalf or how it has been used, they can make a request for access to the Privacy Officer. They can also request corrections to their personal information. EQUS will meet the legal requirements to provide access and correction in a timely way while protecting the privacy of others.

EQUS may charge individuals for out-of-pocket expenses for responding to a personal information access request. If EQUS decides that a charge is appropriate, it will provide the individual with a written estimate prior to providing access.

Security

To keep personal information secure, EQUS uses physical measures such as locked cabinets and doors, and extensive computer security measures. It requires employees, contractors and third-party service providers to protect confidentiality. Any personal information EQUS maintains will only be accessed on a need-to-know basis by those who require that personal information for an identified purpose consistent with this Privacy Code, or as required by law. We only keep personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes outlined above, or as long as required by law. When your personal information is no longer required, EQUS will destroy or dispose of that personal information in a secure manner. 

In some instances, our third-party service providers or their data centres where personal information may reside are based in the United States or elsewhere outside of Canada. The personal information which is disclosed to these service providers could be stored in the United States or elsewhere and is subject to the legal requirements in those countries, including circumstances where that personal information may be accessible by that country’s courts or its government authorities for lawful purposes.

All of EQUS’ service providers are legally obligated to keep the personal information it stores confidential and to store that personal information to the same standard set out in this Privacy Code. 

Openness

EQUS will make information about its Privacy Code and procedures available to its members and employees. It will be responsive to questions and concerns.