Collection, use and disclosure of personal information by the Alberta Utilities Commission

The Alberta Utilities Commission is a quasi-judicial agency of the Alberta government which makes independent decisions in accordance with relevant statutes and regulations.

The AUC is authorized to collect and use certain personal information in compliance with Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which states that "No personal information may be collected by or for a public body unless that information is necessary for an operating program or activity of the public body."

Personal information collected by the AUC will be used only for the purpose for which it was collected or for a use consistent with that purpose.

The AUC does not automatically gather any personal information from you, such as email addresses. This information is only obtained if you supply it voluntarily by initiating contact with us, contributing to our social media site(s), or by registering with us for an AUC proceeding, hearing or consultation using AUC Engage. We do not collect personal information for any general purposes, and we do not collect personal information for commercial marketing. We only share the personal information you give us with government departments or agencies if your inquiry relates to that department and the sharing is permitted by law.

Public availability of personal information in AUC hearings or proceedings

The AUC’s policy is that its hearings and proceedings should be open and transparent. The AUC therefore places all material it receives in the course of a proceeding on the public record so that all affected parties can have access to it. Filings, however, are not generally accessible through internet search engines.

If you submit comments or any other material, in any format (for example, email, fax or regular mail), related to an AUC proceeding, either written or oral, such as a facility hearing or a rate hearing, those comments will be filed in the relevant proceeding and will be available to the public through the AUC’s eFiling System available on our publicly accessible website. 

Due to the nature of AUC proceedings your filing may contain personal information. Personal information may include your name, email address, financial information or health information, for example, or any other personal information you choose to provide.

If you do not want your personal information on the public record, you may contact us to determine how the personal information contained in your filing may be treated in confidence in accordance with Rule 001: Rules of Practice, Section 4. Requests for confidentiality can be made by emailing the AUC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) coordinator at foip@auc.ab.ca or by calling 403-592-4376. However, the AUC will require a confidential, un-redacted, version of your filing for its use and the use of others registered in the proceeding. You should also be aware that parties to an AUC proceeding are able to challenge requests for confidentiality.

Oral public hearings of the AUC are open to the public and any information filed by you as part of the record, including personal information, may be presented, discussed or challenged in public. This information may also be disclosed by those in attendance to other parties or used by the media. Most AUC hearings are broadcast live on the AUC public website and this broadcast is subsequently publicly available for a certain period of time. In certain circumstances a written transcript of the proceeding may also be publicly available.

Additionally, following a hearing or other proceeding the AUC may publish a decision which refers to any evidence on the public record, or to the parties themselves.

Comments and questions submitted to the AUC

When you submit a comment or question to us, if you choose to provide us with your personal information, for example in an email message to us, we use that information to respond to you and to help us get you the information you have requested. When you submit a comment or send us a question, you may be asked for your name, email address, or other information. This information is only used to process and respond to your question or comment. Unless otherwise indicated, this information is not disclosed by the AUC except to its authorized personnel that need the information in order to respond to you. The information you submit via email is secure once it reaches the AUC server. However, it may not be secure in transit between your computer and the AUC server. If you prefer, you may fax, mail or phone us at the contact numbers and addresses provided on our website.

Social media

The AUC is an open and transparent agency and we welcome you to share, like and comment on our social media content. It is important to note, however, that though published comments are welcome, they are not considered official submissions and therefore will not be part of the official record or considered part of an official proceeding, nor will they be considered as a formal request for the AUC to initiate action of any kind. To file an official submission, or to participate in a proceeding you must follow the instructions set out by the AUC on our website under Have your say about a utility project or Have your say about utility rates.

In addition, the AUC respectfully asks that comments made on our on social media platforms be courteous and respectful. The AUC reserves the right to remove inappropriate comments. Inappropriate comments are comments that the AUC considers to contain obscene, indecent or profane language, threats or defamatory statements, or hateful language directed at a person or group based upon race, colour, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion or disability. If you view something on our social media that may be inappropriate please report it to webmaster@auc.ab.ca. Commenters may be notified that their comments have been deleted.

As an independent quasi-judicial agency we also ask that you refrain from publishing comments on our social media outlets which promote or endorse products, services or partisan political activity.

Comments published on our social media sites do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission members, its staff or the government and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or completeness. All comments made are voluntary and the information is publicly available. By publishing material on this site you therefore agree to disclose the information you provide.

Utility related concerns cannot be resolved through social media due to privacy concerns and requirements for us to investigate your account. If you are dissatisfied with your utility service provider please consult our resources under Have your say questions concerns or billing disputes. 

Participation in AUC Engage consultations

AUC Engage, available through the Engage link on the AUC’s website, facilitates consultations by allowing registered users who have created an AUC Engage account to provide submissions on a variety of topics. Submissions provided through AUC Engage are collected on behalf of the AUC by Bang the Table Canada Ltd. The AUC’s use of personal information included in these submissions is in accordance with this privacy policy. Bang the Table’s collection and use of personal information included in these submissions is in accordance with its privacy policy.

AUC Engage consultations may be public, by invitation only, or private. A public consultation allows any person to view submissions provided by any registered user, including any personal information contained in the submission. Consultations by invitation only allow registered users that have been invited to participate to provide submissions, which can be viewed by any person, whether invited or not, through the AUC Engage website. Private consultations are closed to the public and submissions may only be provided, and viewed by, registered users that are taking part in the private consultation. Following any consultation (public, invitation only, or private) the AUC may prepare a public report containing personal information collected through a consultation.

If you do not want your personal information publicly available, you may contact us to determine how the personal information contained in your submission may be treated in confidence in accordance with Rule 001, Section 4, as described above. Alternatively, you may create an anonymous AUC Engage account so information that would otherwise constitute personal information is no longer identifiable to an individual.

Security

The AUC computer system employs software programs that monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or to otherwise cause damage. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their internet usage habits.

Information you may be providing when using the internet

When you visit the AUC public website, our server automatically collects a limited amount of information essential for the operation and security of our website and the other sites that reside on the server. Some of this information, browser type for example, does not identify who you are, whereas other information, such as your internet domain name or IP address, may identify you. The extent of personal identification depends, in large part, on the naming standards followed by your internet service provider. You may wish to check with them to inquire about their policies and practices in this regard.

Also, please note that the AUC uses temporary cookies on our website and certain features of our website may not be available to you if your browser does not allow cookies. A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and is stored on your computer's hard drive. This information is collected so that the user has a faster and easier internet browsing experience. For example, when you type a URL your computer remembers it and the next time you begin typing that URL it will automatically pop up. Preference and option configurations in your browser determine if and how a cookie will be accepted. You can change those configurations on your computer if you desire. By changing your preferences you can accept all cookies, you can be notified when a cookie is set, or you can reject all cookies. If you reject all cookies and cookies are disabled, you may be required to re-enter your information more often.

Employment search related information

Whether on our website or through other means of contact, those people seeking employment with the AUC who post a resume or submit other information are required to provide a name, address, phone number, email address and other personal information necessary for the AUC to assess the user's suitability for employment and to contact the user about employment opportunities. The AUC does not sell or otherwise make any of this personal information available for other purposes. Your personal information is not accessible by other users seeking employment. Only AUC personnel involved in the employment selection process will be permitted access to an employment applicant’s personal information. 

The AUC’s internal policy with regard to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

The AUC’s policy is to fully comply with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) and any related legislation. The AUC is committed to proper disclosure in accordance with the Act to ensure transparency of its operations. It is also committed to having an effective system for responding to related requests and is accountable for its administration of the Act. The AUC will, where necessary, provide guidance and training to help employees understand their duties and responsibilities to ensure compliance with any legislation that deals with the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, and with the AUC’s FOIP policy. The AUC expects employees to comply responsibly with its FOIP policy.

If you have questions or want more information about the AUC’s privacy policy please contact the AUC FOIP coordinator by email at foip@auc.ab.ca or by telephone at 403-592-4376.