Giving Effect to the OEB's Report on the Effectiveness of the Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010 (ECPA)

The OEB has prepared additional versions of the online verification forms.

• Letter
• Contracts entered into over the internet
• Contracts entered into in person
• Contracts entered into by mail

The OEB has issued final amendments to the Electricity Retailer Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Gas Marketers. The amendments enable online verification of energy contracts with low volume consumers as an alternative to verification by telephone.

• Notice (including Attachments A to E)

The OEB has issued final OEB-approved versions of disclosure statements, price comparisons and a consumer tip sheet that electricity retailers and gas marketers are required to use. The OEB has also given notice of adoption of amendments to the Electricity Retailer Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Gas Marketers relating to the availability of translations of certain consumer facing materials and standard contract terms and conditions. 

Electricity retailers and gas marketers are required to use the Consumer Facing Materials as approved by the OEB on the following dates:

• May 1, 2017 for the new Tip Sheet;
• May 1, 2017 for the electricity versions of the revised Disclosure Statements and Price Comparison templates and for the dual fuel versions of the revised Disclosure Statements; and
• July 1, 2017 for the natural gas versions of the revised Disclosure Statements and Price Comparison templates.

Cover letter (including Attachment D)

• Attachment A - Disclosure Statements
• Attachment B - Price Comparison Templates
• Attachment C - Tip Sheet

The following written comments were received on the OEB’s proposed amendments to enable online verification of energy contracts.

• Canadian RiteRate Energy Corporation
• Just Energy Ontario L.P.
• Planet Energy (Ontario) Corp.

The OEB has issued, for comment, proposed amendments to the Electricity Retailer Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Gas Marketers. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to enable online verification of energy contracts with low volume consumers as an alternative to verification by telephone.

• Notice of Proposal

The OEB has posted updated Disclosure Statements, effective January 1, 2017.

• Energy Contracts - Disclosure Statements

The OEB has issued additional and updated versions of the verification and renewal scripts and provided an update regarding consumer-facing materials. 

• Letter
• Attachment A - Renewal / Extension Scripts
• Attachment B - Verification Scripts:
  • Contracts entered into over the internet
  • Contracts entered into in person
  • Contracts entered into by mail

The following written comments were received on the OEB’s proposed revised consumer-facing materials that were issued for comment on November 29, 2016:

• Canadian RiteRate Energy Corporation
• Just Energy Ontario L.P.
• Onit Energy Ltd.
• Summitt Energy Management Inc.

The OEB has issued final amendments to the Electricity Retailer Code of Conduct, the Code of Conduct for Gas Marketers, the Retail Settlement Code, and the Gas Distribution Access Rule, together with approved standard contract terms and conditions, notice of switch letters, verification call scripts, and renewal/extension call scripts.

• Notice (including Attachments C, D and F)
  • Attachment A – Amendments to the Retailer Code
  • Attachment B – Amendments to the Marketer Code
  • Attachment E – Approved standard contract terms and conditions
  • Attachment G – Approved verification call scripts
  • Attachment H – Approved renewal call scripts
  • Attachment I –  Comparison versions of the standard contract terms and conditions (for convenience of reference only)
  • Attachment J –  Comparison versions of the notice of switch letters (for convenience of reference only)
  • Attachment K –  Comparison versions of the verification and renewal call scripts (for convenience of reference only)

Proposals filed by energy retailers for an online verification process.

• Canadian RiteRate Energy Corporation
• Just Energy Ontario L.P. (filed Oct 5, 2016)
• Ontario Wholesale Energy Gas & Electric
• Planet Energy (Ontario) Corp. (filed Oct 5, 2016)
• XOOM Energy (filed Dec 2, 2016)

The following written comments were received on the OEB’s proposed standard contract terms and conditions for renewals and proposed scripts for telephone renewals.

• Just Energy Ontario L.P.
• Kitchener Utilities

The following written comments were received on the OEB’s revised proposed code amendments.

• Active Energy
• Canadian RiteRate Energy Corporation
• Coalition of Large Distributors
• Electricity Distributors Association
• Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc.
• Hydro One Networks Inc.
• Just Energy Ontario L.P.
• Ontario Wholesale Energy Gas & Electric
• Planet Energy (Ontario) Corp.
• Shell Energy North America (Canada) Inc.
• Union Gas Limited

The following written comments were received on the OEB’s proposed consumer-facing materials that were issued for comment on October 30, 2015

• Active Energy
• Canadian RiteRate Energy Corporation
• Just Energy Ontario L.P.
• Onit Energy Ltd.
• Planet Energy (Ontario) Corp.
• Summitt Energy Management Inc.

The OEB is inviting comments on proposed revisions to the disclosure statement, price comparison and contract verification scripts that electricity retailers and gas marketers are required to use, as well as two newly proposed documents: a cover sheet for electricity and gas contracts, and a consumer “tip sheet”.

• Cover letter
  • Attachment A – Proposed Revised Disclosure Statement
  • Attachment B – Proposed Revised Price Comparisons (Electricity)
  • Attachment B – Proposed Revised Price Comparisons (Natural Gas)
  • Attachment C – Proposed Revised Verification Call Scripts (Residential)
  • Attachment C – Proposed Revised Verification Call Scripts (Non-residential)
  • Attachment D – Proposed Contract Cover Sheet
  • Attachment E – Proposed Consumer “Tip Sheet”

The OEB has issued a letter to the Ontario EBT Standards Working Group for Retail Settlement and the GDAR EBT Standards Working Group to request that the EBT Standards Working Groups identify any issues related to the current EBT processes arising from the proposed revisions to the OEB’s regulatory instruments.

• Letter