Legal Statement
The information contained on this website is provided for reference purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal opinions or advice. The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) makes no representation or warranty of any kind in relation to the information contained on this website including, without limitation, the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of the information or its fitness for any particular purpose. The OEB assumes no responsibility or liability to you or any third party in relation to the information contained on this website. Any reproduction or redistribution of the materials on this website must be credited to the OEB.
There may be websites linked to and from this site that are operated or created by or for organizations outside of the OEB. Those organizations are solely responsible for the operation and information (including the right to display such information) found on their respective websites. These linked websites may or may not be available in French. The linking to or from this site does not imply on the part of the OEB any endorsement or guarantee of any of the organizations or information (including the right to display such information) found on their respective websites.
The OEB does not assume and is not responsible for any liability whatsoever for the linking of any of these linked websites, the operation or content (including the right to display such information) of any of the linked websites, nor for any of the information, interpretation, comments or opinions expressed in any of the linked websites. Any comments or inquiries regarding the linked websites are to be directed to the particular organization for whom the particular website is being operated.
Privacy Statement
The OEB is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information when you visit the OEB’s website in order to browse for information or interact with us.
Personal Information
The OEB is authorized to collect personal information under section 4.14 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998. The OEB will collect, use, and disclose personal information in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Collection of Your Personal Information
Personal information that the OEB may collect from you includes:
- contact details, such as your name, address, email address and telephone number;
- information required to deal with your complaint or enquiry such as your account number with an energy provider and other details of your complaint or enquiry;
- information you submit as part of an application, proceeding, or consultation process;
- feedback from you about our website and our services generally; and
- other information that we collect with your consent or as permitted or required by law.
We will collect personal information directly from you unless you consent to another manner of collection or another manner of collection is permitted or required by law.
Use of Your Personal Information
The OEB may use your personal information:
- to deal with your application, complaint or enquiry;
- to send you newsletters and other electronic communications that you have requested or subscribed to;
- to process or provide you with information about OEB applications, proceedings, or consultation processes;
- to conduct and administer surveys; and
- for other purposes that you consent to or that are otherwise permitted or required by law.
Disclosure of Your Personal Information
The OEB may disclose your personal information either with your consent or as permitted or required by law.
Some examples of persons to whom the OEB may disclose your personal information in accordance with the previous statement are:
- regulated entities that may be involved in your complaint or enquiry;
- the office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario; and
- the office of the Auditor General of Ontario.
The OEB may also provide your personal information to third party service providers in connection with the exercise of the OEB’s powers and the performance of the OEB’s duties. If the OEB discloses your personal information to a third party service provider, that provider is not authorized by the OEB to use or disclose your information except as necessary to perform services on the OEB’s behalf or to comply with legal requirements. In some cases, the third party service provider may be located outside of Ontario or outside of Canada; therefore, your personal information may be transferred outside of Ontario or Canada for processing and storage, and would be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction to which it is transferred.
Your Consent
Your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information may be given in various ways. Generally, by providing us with personal information, we will assume that you consent to the OEB’s collection, use and disclosure of such information for the purposes identified or described in this Privacy Statement, if applicable, or otherwise described at the time of collection.
Cookies and Data Analytics
When you visit our website, we collect a limited amount of statistical information which does not personally identify you. This is called a cookie—a tiny element of data that our website can send to your browser, which may then be stored on your hard drive so we can recognize you when you return. We may use both session and persistent cookies. A session cookie expires after you leave the website whereas a persistent cookie remains until it expires.
In order to improve our services, the OEB uses web analytics services to help analyze the use of our website. These tools use cookies to collect and generate information about your visits to the OEB’s website that is transmitted to our server in an anonymous form for processing. We study patterns of website activity so we can improve the experience of visitors to our website.
The use of these tools does not allow the OEB or our analytics service providers to identify individuals.
You can opt out of cookies and analytics activity by setting your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent and block cookies if desired. Please consult your browser’s help menu for instructions. Visiting the OEB’s website with cookies disabled will have no significant impact on your browsing experience.
Security
The OEB’s security practices are continually evolving to ensure that the integrity and confidentiality of information and systems are maintained. The OEB uses up-to-date security safeguards, including IP address and network traffic monitoring, to protect our networks and websites from misuse, alteration, copying, disclosure, destruction, monitoring or unauthorized sharing of information and damage. The OEB’s safeguards include the use of security software and encryption protocols and involve physical, technical and procedural controls to protect information behind the OEB’s firewall.
Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information
You may request access to your own personal information that is held by the OEB by making a written request to the OEB. For more information on how to make a freedom of information request, please see the Accessing OEB Records webpage. If you need to update or correct your personal information, you may do so by using the online FOI Request Form.
Accountability
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Statement, you may contact the Registrar at:
Registrar
Ontario Energy Board
2300 Yonge Street, 27th floor
P.O. Box 2319
Toronto, ON M4P 1E4
416-481-1967 or 1-888-632-6273
416-440-7656 (fax)
External Sites and Privacy
The OEB website may contain links to other websites that are created by other organizations. The OEB is not responsible for the security or privacy practices of any website other than our own. We recommend that you review the privacy policy or privacy statement that may be contained on such a website.