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Strategic Plan - Questions and Answers

1. Does a new Strategic Plan signal any changes in the NEB's strategic direction?

The short answer is no. We review our Strategic Plan every year to be responsive to our operating environment and Canadians' evolving needs and preferences. We will continue to regulate Canada's energy transportation infrastructure in the way that will most effectively protect our safety, our environment and our economy.

We will continue to make decisions in the public interest. In doing so, we will also continue to consider and integrate economic, social and environmental factors in our decisions.

2. Why did the NEB drop the second sentence of the footnote defining "public interest"?

In keeping with the NEB's commitment to plain language writing we made this definition as concise as possible.

3. Why has the NEB dropped two of its Strategies and added a new one?

We adjust our strategies in response to the evolving needs and interests of Canadians. The public appetite for transparency and accountability in the energy sector has never been greater. We have retained the first strategy, "We Engage Canadians" as it is, because this is fundamental to what we do and how we do it.

We replaced the second and third strategies, which described how we approach our role as a regulator, with a new, single strategy: "We hold those we regulate accountable for outcomes in the public interest".  We felt that this was the clearest, most precise expression of the way we do business.

4. What does the term "sustainable energy future" mean to the NEB?

The Board recognizes that there is no universally agreed-upon definition of sustainability. For the Board it means that, within the context of our mandate, we will integrate the environmental, social and economic considerations relevant to choosing a course of action. In so doing, the Board must ask itself: to what extent is Canada better off, or worse off, overall, by choosing this course of action? By integrating the relevant considerations, the Board assesses the overall public interest of its decisions.

5. When will this Strategic Plan be in effect?

This new plan is in effect as of today, 1 April 2011.

 

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Date Modified:
2011-10-28