Terms and conditions

Privacy Notice

The Government of Canada and the Canada Energy Regulator are committed to providing websites that respect the privacy of visitors. This privacy notice summarizes the privacy practices for the Canada Energy Regulator’s online activities.

All personal information collected by this institution is governed by the Privacy Act. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.

Your Privacy and the Internet

The nature of the Internet is such that Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when a visitor requests a Web page such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.

Unless otherwise noted, the Canada Energy Regulator does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. The Canada Energy Regulator would obtain this type of information only if you supply it to us, for example, by email, by participating in a proceeding at a public engagement session, or by filling in a contact form.

Communicating with the Government of Canada

If you choose to send the Canada Energy Regulator an email or complete a feedback form online, your personal information is used by the Canada Energy Regulator in order to respond to your inquiry. Personal information that you provide to the CER via email or online contact form is collected under the authority of the Financial Administration Act, and in accordance with the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and is described in the Standard personal information banks (PSU 914 – Public Communications). The information you provide will only be shared with another government institution if your inquiry relates to that institution. Information you provide may also be used for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Any disclosure of your personal information will be in accordance with the Privacy Act.

The CER is authorized to collect and use personal information in the context of a CER regulatory proceeding to assess applications. The CER will collect, use and disclose that information for the purpose of the proceeding. For example, when you apply to participate in a hearing, you must provide personal contact information and this will be made public along with your documents. If you are a participant in the proceeding, all documents you file will be made public. Your contact information will be used by parties in the proceeding to contact you or serve documents on you. If you submit sensitive information, you may ask the CER to treat the information as confidential. The CER will then decide if the interest in keeping the information confidential outweighs the interest in disclosure.  Generally, the CER has held that there is a public interest in an open and accessible process and that confidentiality orders should be the exception.  

Under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act  (PIPEDA), the Regulations Specifying Publicly Available Information state that personal information in a record of a quasi-judicial body (like the CER) is publicly available without consent, provided that the collection, use and disclosure of that information relates directly to the purpose for which the information appears in the record.

Emails and other electronic methods used to communicate with the Government of Canada are not secure unless it is specifically stated on a Web page. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information, such as your Social Insurance Number or your date of birth, through non-secure electronic means.

Improving your Experience on Government of Canada Websites

Digital Markers (including cookies)

A digital marker is a resource created by the visitors’ browser in order to remember certain pieces of information for the Web server to reference during the same or subsequent visit to the website. Examples of digital markers are “cookies” or HTML5 web storage. Some examples of what digital markers do are as follows:

  • they allow a website to recognize a previous visit each time the visitor accesses the site;
  • they track what information is viewed on a site which helps website administrators ensure visitors find what they are looking for.

The Canada Energy Regulator uses sessional or persistent digital markers on some portions of its website. During your on-line visit, your browser exchanges data with the Canada Energy Regulator’s Web server. The digital markers used do not allow the Canada Energy Regulator to identify individuals.

You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact with the Canada Energy Regulator’s website.

Web Analytics

Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement, and reporting of data about Web traffic and visits for purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage. Information in digital markers may be used for the purpose of web analytics to remember your online interactions with the Canada Energy Regulator’s website.

The Canada Energy Regulator uses Google Analytics to improve its website. When your computer requests a Canada Energy Regulator Web page, our institution collects the following types of information for Web analytics:

  • the originating IP address
  • the date and time of the request
  • the type of browser used
  • the page(s) visited

Web analytics information is collected under the authority of the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and is used by the CER to understand the user experience and optimize our website.  Aggregate information about the CER’s Web analytics may be provided to Government of Canada central agencies such as the Privy Council Office.

The Canada Energy Regulator uses Google Analytics and the information collected is disclosed to Google, an external third party service provider. Your IP address is anonymized prior to being stored on the service provider's servers in order to help safeguard your privacy. The information collected is de-personalized by activating the anonymization feature in Google Analytics.

Data collected for Web analytics purposes goes outside of Canada to the United States of America and may be subject to the governing legislation of that country, such as the USA Patriot Act.

Information used for the purpose of Web analytics is collected pursuant to the Financial Administration Act. Such data may be used for communications and information technology statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting. For more information on how your privacy is safeguarded in relation to web analytics, see the Standard on Privacy and Web Analytics.

Protecting the Security of Government of Canada Websites

The Canada Energy Regulator employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the IP address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

This information is collected pursuant to the Financial Administration Act. The information may be shared with appropriate law enforcement authorities if suspected criminal activities are detected. Such information may be used for network security related statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting and is described in the Standard personal information banks (PSU 939 – Security Incidents).

Inquiring about these Practices

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies regarding the Canada Energy Regulator’s Web presence may be directed to our Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by:

Email: atipoffice-bureauaiprp@cer-rec.gc.ca
Telephone: 403-299-3371
Telephone (toll free): 1-800-899-1265
Mail: Canada Energy Regulator
Suite 210, 517 Tenth Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta
T2R 0A8

If you are not satisfied with the Canada Energy Regulator’s response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.

Using Files Located on Non-Government of Canada Servers

To improve the functionality of Government of Canada websites, certain files (such as open source libraries, images and scripts) may be delivered automatically to your browser via a trusted third-party server or content delivery network. The delivery of these files is intended to provide a seamless user experience by speeding response times and avoiding the need for each visitor to download these files. Where applicable, specific privacy statements covering these files are included in our Privacy Notice.

Providing Content in Canada's Official Languages

The Official Languages Act, the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations and Treasury Board policy requirements establish when the Canada Energy Regulator uses both English and French to provide services to or communicate with members of the public. When there is no obligation to provide information in both official languages, content may be available in one official language only. Information provided by organizations not subject to the Official Languages Act is in the language(s) provided. Information provided in a language other than English or French is only for the convenience of our visitors.

Linking to Non-Government of Canada Websites

Links to websites not under the control of the Government of Canada, are provided solely for the convenience of our website visitors. It is not an endorsement by the CER.  The CER is not responsible for, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content of such websites.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites to which this website links is not subject to the Privacy Act or the Official Languages Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question.  Your use and access to these non-Government of Canada websites will be governed by the service provider’s own terms of service and policies, such as privacy.

Ownership and Usage of Content Provided on This Site

Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by the Canada Energy Regulator for the purpose of providing Canadians with access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada. You may use and reproduce the materials as follows:

Non-Commercial Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified you may reproduce the materials in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission, provided you do the following:

  • Exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
  • Indicate both the complete title of the materials reproduced, as well as the author (where available); and
  • Indicate that the reproduction is a copy of the version available at the CER Website and that the reproduction has not been produced in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the CER.

If you are unsure whether the material may be copyright protected or have any questions regarding Canada Energy Regulator publications please contact the Canada Energy Regulator’s copyright administrator.

Commercial Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from the Canada Energy Regulator’s copyright administrator.

Some of the content on this site may be subject to the copyright of another party. Where information has been produced or copyright is not held by Government of Canada, the materials are protected under the Copyright Act, and international agreements. Details concerning copyright ownership are indicated on the relevant page(s).

To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials on this site for commercial purposes or to obtain additional information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions, please contact:

Canada Energy Regulator Library
Canada Energy Regulator
210-517 10 Ave SW
Calgary AB  T2R 0A8
Email: info@cer-rec.gc.ca
Telephone: 403-299-3561
Telephone (toll free): 1-800-899-1265
Facsimile: 403-292-5503
Facsimile (toll free): 1-877-288-8803

Trademark Notice

The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the Canada Wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without prior written authorization.

Our Commitment to Accessibility

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility as defined in the Standard on Web Accessibility and the Standard on Optimizing Websites and Applications for Mobile Devices. In the event of difficulty using our Web pages, applications or device-based mobile applications, please contact us for assistance or to obtain alternative formats such as regular print, Braille or another appropriate format.

Interacting With Us on Social Media

This notice has been written to explain how the Canada Energy Regulator interacts with the public on social media platforms.

Content

The Communications Team manages the Canada Energy Regulator’s social media accounts with input from various subject matter experts.

Following

Our following does not imply endorsement of any kind, and we reserve the right to unfollow any individual or organization that posts inappropriate content.

Availability

The social media accounts are normally updated and monitored during regular business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time), Monday through Friday, excluding statutory holidays. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and responded to as early as possible. We accept no responsibility for service outages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

For media inquiries, please refrain from submitting questions on social media and instead contact CER Media Relations at media@cer-rec.gc.ca.

Comments, Replies and Direct Messages

Feedback and ideas are welcome. While we are not able to reply individually to all direct messages received through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, all comments, replies, and direct messages will be read.

We will participate in discussions when appropriate. We cannot engage on issues or answer questions that violate the principles of our Participation Guidelines. Comments in violation of those guidelines may be removed and/or result in blocking the user in question to prevent further inappropriate comments.

If you have questions about the Protocol or how we apply them, please contact us at socialmedia-mediassociaux@cer-rec.gc.ca.

Participation Guidelines

We ask that your comments be relevant and respectful. We reserve the right to delete comments that violate this notice, and the user may be blocked and reported to prevent further inappropriate comments.

We cannot engage in issues of party politics or answer questions that break the rules of this notice.

We reserve the right to remove comments that:

  • Contain personal information;
  • Are contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
  • Express racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, insulting or life-threatening messages;
  • Put forward serious, unproven or inaccurate accusations against individuals or organizations;
  • Are aggressive, coarse, violent, obscene or pornographic;
  • Are offensive, rude or abusive to an individual or an organization;
  • Are not sent by the author or are put forward for advertising purposes;
  • Encourage illegal activity;
  • Contain announcements from labour or political organizations;
  • Are unintelligible or irrelevant;
  • Are repetitive or spam; and
  • Do not, in our opinion, add to the normal flow of the discussion.

In short, please be respectful and make sure that your comments are relevant to where they are posted. The views of users commenting on our social media accounts do not necessarily represent the views of Canada Energy Regulator or the Government of Canada.

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