Protecting our customer’s privacy and the confidentiality of personal information is of high importance and fundamental to the way GrandBridge Energy (formerly Energy+) does business. About your privacy at GrandBridge Energy (formerly Energy+)

Our Privacy Policy describes the principles our utility follows to protect the privacy of the personal information of customers and other individuals in its possession or control.  This policy applies to any person who has accepted services from Energy+, visited our website, or provided us with personal information.  The terms in the Privacy Policy may get updated, so please review it from time to time. The Privacy Policy aligns to the ten (10) principles for the protection of Personal Information, as established by the Canadian Standard Association (CSA), Privacy Code.

Our Commitment to You

We are committed to keeping Personal Information it collects, in accordance with our responsibilities to meet the terms of privacy laws, including the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Ontario (MFIPPA) and conditions outlined in our Electricity Distribution License issued by the Ontario Energy Board.

In this Privacy Policy, “Energy+”, “we”, “us”, or ”our” means GrandBridge Energy (formerly Energy+). and its wholly-owned-affiliates,  and “customer”, “you”, and “your” means the individual who is a customer, prospective customer, Vendor or other individual member of the public whose Personal Information is in our possession or control.  This Privacy Policy does not apply to information about business customers who carry on business as corporations, partnerships or other forms of association.  We do however, protect the confidentiality of such business customer information in accordance with the law, including regulatory codes of conduct issued by our regulator the Ontario Energy Board, and contractual agreements.

What Is Personal Information?

Personal information is information about an identified or identifiable individual.  Personal information may include such information as your name, email address, mailing address, financial information, birth date and other information about you collected through correspondence, electronically, in person, or by telephone.

Personal information does not include the name, title, business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.  Personal information does not include information that has been aggregated such that an individual’s information cannot be identified.

10 Principles for Protection of Your Personal Information

Our utility must meet the requirements outlined in MFIPPA.  As an organization, we collect, record and disseminate information.  Under the Act, guidelines for the collection, safeguarding and sharing of information is both limited and specific.  

We also follow the 10 fair principles outlined in CSA, Privacy Act for the protection of Personal Information:

 Accountability

We are accountable for all Personal Information in its possession or under its control, including all Personal Information transferred to a third party who may perform service on our behalf. 

The President and CEO of GrandBridge Energy (formerly Energy+ and Brantford Power) has ultimate responsibility for the protection of your personal information.  All Directors, Employees, Contractors, Agents and Third Party’s share responsibility for adhering to the privacy policies and procedures.  Our Chief Privacy Officer is accountable for the compliance with this privacy policy. 

If you have questions or concerns regarding your Personal Information or this Privacy Policy, please address them to: 

GrandBridge Energy+ Inc., 1500 Bishop Street, P.O. Box 1060, Cambridge ON   N1R 5X6

Attention: Chief Privacy Officer

Email: Privacy Office

Telephone: 519-621-3530 Ext 2440

 
 Identifying Purpose
We shall identify the reason(s) for collecting Personal Information before or at the time of collection.  Upon request, persons collecting Personal Information shall explain these identified purposes or refer the individual to a designated person within our utility who shall explain the purposes. Unless required by law, we shall not use or disclose, for any new purpose, Personal Information that has been collected without first identifying and documenting the new purpose and obtaining the consent of the customer.  

All Personal Information that GrandBridge Energy collects, is collected for the following purpose(s): 

  • To establish, deliver and maintain electricity services;
  • To verify our customer’s identity, respond to customer inquiries and otherwise maintain a business relationship with customers;
  • To bill and collect payment;
  • To accept and process pre-authorized payments;
  • To perform credit reviews to assess and update credit worthiness, as required;
  • To determine eligibility for products or services;
  • To process requests and/or applications for products or services;
  • To recommend products or services to meet the customer’s needs;
  • To request your participation in surveys or contests;
  • To notify you about events or causes sponsored by Energy+;
  • To develop, enhance, promote or provide GrandBridge Energy products and services;
  • To provide customers with information about the electricity industry, outages, rates and energy saving programs such as programs that allow you to review your energy consumption online;
  • To manage and develop GrandBridge Energy's business and operations; 
  • To protect all parties from error and fraud; and
  • To meet legal and regulatory requirements. 

GrandBridge Energy may: 

Monitor and/or record any telephone conversation with you for quality assurance, training purposes, or as our authorization from a customer relating to their account. 

 

Share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf.  These service providers are given only the information necessary to perform those services that we have contracted them to provide. 
 Obtaining Consent
  • In obtaining consent, GrandBridge Energy shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that a customer is advised of the identified purposes for which Personal Information will be used or disclosed. Purposes shall be stated in a manner that can be reasonably understood by the customer. 
  • We generally shall seek consent to use or disclose Personal information at the same time it collects the information.  From time to time, we may seek consent to use and disclose Personal Information after it has been collected but before it is used or disclosed for a new purpose. 
  • We will require customers to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, as a condition of the supply of a product or service, only if such collection, use or disclosure is required to fulfill the identified purposes. 
  • The form of the consent sought by GrandBridge Energy may vary, depending upon the circumstances and the type of information.  In determining the form of consent, the sensitivity of the information being collected is considered and the reasonable expectations of the individual. 
  • In general, the use of products and services delivered by GrandBridge Energy to a customer constitutes implied consent for the utility to collect, use and disclose Personal Information for all identified purposes. 
  • A customer may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.  Customers may contact GrandBridge Energy for more information regarding the implications of withdrawing consent.
 Limited Collection
GrandBridge Energy's collection of a customer’s Personal Information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified.  Both the type and the amount of information collected shall be limited to that which is necessary to fulfill the purposes identified. Information shall be collected by fair and lawful means
 Limited Use, Disclosure and Retention
  • Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual.  We may also use or disclose Personal information without knowledge or consent in the case of an emergency where life, health or security of an individual is threatened, or as required by law. 
  • Only those employees of GrandBridge Energy who require access for business reasons, or whose duties reasonably so require, are granted access to Personal Information about customers. 
  • We will only use or disclose Personal Information to other parties, for the purposes that we identify when we collect the information. We will not sell, trade or rent your personal information. 
  • Only third party contractors that require information to help our utility deliver its services are granted access to Personal Information. In these circumstances, the Personal Information that the non-related organization receives is limited to only the Personal Information held by our utility that they need in order to render their service to us. The companies that are provided with personal information are first required to sign an agreement that obligates them to keep the information confidential, secure, and prohibits them from using it for unauthorized purposes. 
  • From time to time, GrandBridge Energy may use third party service providers located in the United States of America (USA). As with other third-party service providers, USA-based service providers are obliged to keep Personal Information confidential and secure, and to use it only for the authorized purpose. Where USA-based service providers are retained, customer information may be available to the government of the USA, or its agencies under a lawful order made in that country. 
  • We are required by legislation to retain certain records for a specific time frame. Personal information shall be retained in accordance with legislative requirements and/or for as long as necessary for the fulfilment of the original purposes.  Personal information that is no longer required to fulfil the identified purposes shall be destroyed, erased or made anonymous.
 Accuracy
Personal Information shall be as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.  GrandBridge Energy shall update Personal Information about customers as and when necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or upon notification by the customer.  We rely on our customers to help us maintain accurate records by telling us about any changes to their information.
 Safeguards
  • GrandBridge Energy shall protect Personal Information with security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. The security safeguards shall protect Personal Information against loss or theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, modification or destruction. Our utility has methods in place to protect Personal Information regardless of the format in which it is held. 
  • Employees with access to Personal Information are required, as a condition of employment to respect the confidentiality of Personal Information. All employees are aware of the importance of maintaining confidentiality of personal information.
 Openness
GrandBridge Energy  is committed to making information about this policy easy to understand, accessible and updated.  Changes and updates to the policy will be shared on the corporate website or relayed to customers through a bill insert or bill message, if appropriate.
 Individual Access
  • MFIPPA provides you with the right to request information regarding the type, use and disclosure of your personal information that GrandBridge Energy has in its possession and control.  You can also provide details to improve the accuracy and completeness of your personal information and have it corrected where necessary. 
  • Depending on the scope and effort of information requested, a nominal fee may apply depending upon the scope and effort of retrieving the information requested. 
  • GrandBridge Energy is committed to respond to access requests within a reasonable time (30 days). 
 Challenging Compliance

An individual shall be able to address a challenge concerning compliance with this Privacy Policy by contacting the Chief Privacy Officer by mail or email, as follows: 

GrandBridge Energy, 1500 Bishop Street, P.O. Box 1060, Cambridge ON  N1R 5X6

Attention: Chief Privacy Officer

Email: Privacy Office 

Telephone: 510-621-3530 Ext 2440

  • Upon receipt of a request, GrandBridge Energy will make every effort to respond within 30 days. In cases where the request is made under MFIPPA, and responding to the request may result in a significant effort, GrandBridge Energy will contact the requester to discuss the costs in advance. 
  • If an individual is not satisfied with our response to their submission, they can elevate their issue to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, as a final mechanism for resolution.