Electrical Safety Authority Consumer Advisory Council

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) is seeking representatives to sit on its Consumer Advisory Council (CAC).

The Electrical Safety Authority’s mission is to improve electrical safety for the well-being of the people of Ontario. ESA’s mandate is to promote and undertake activities which enhance public electrical safety including training, inspection, authorization, investigation, registration, enforcement, audit and other regulatory and non-regulatory public electrical safety quality assurance services.

Why Serve on the CAC?

The Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) provides the ESA advice and guidance on the interests of the Ontario public as they relate to ESA’s mandate and activities. Currently, CAC is seeking:

• One (1) Representative with municipal management experience
• One (1) Representative with consumer protection experience

Council Objectives

• Bring forward and provide advice and guidance on emerging issues that may impact consumers of electricity, electrical products, and/or other safety services/issues in keeping with ESA’s corporate goals and objectives.
• Provide recommendations on the development and implementation of ESA's planning documents when there is a consumer or public interest.
• Provide recommendations on approach and channels for communications and other initiatives designed to advance consumer and public awareness.
• Identify electric related public safety areas requiring additional consumer input or research.
• Contribute to a societal perspective to assist with ESA’s decision-making (impact vs.cost-benefit).

Consumer Council Member Expectations

• Active participation and willingness to work on a collaborative council environment.
• Ability to attend up to four (4) meetings per year in-person or via videoconference. Additional time for conference calls, material review, and participation/integration with other ESA Councils may be required.
• Ability to work in a multi-stakeholder environment,
• Ability to leverage constituencies to promote research opportunities or safety messaging.
  Council members will be independent of ESA and will identify any real or potential conflicts to the chair of the Consumer Advisory Council.
• Play an active role in member recruitment.
• Provide specific input on appointed area of expertise (representative group).
• Proactively represent consumer and public interests by bringing forward topics of interest to Council for discussion, suggesting meeting topics, and inviting guest speakers.

ESA Support to Consumer Council Members

• Quarterly summary of Council activities meeting minutes to Executive Leadership Team and Regulatory Affairs Committee.
• ESA Advisory Council Orientation Package.
• Additional staff support and training if needed.
• Financial support for out-of-pocket travel expenses to attend committee meetings if in-person attendance is required.
• Council members are eligible to receive a meeting honourarium of $250 and the Chair is eligible to receive a $500 meeting honourarium. Meeting honourariums are subject to applicable income deductions.
• Basic governance training for the incoming Chair and members.
• Networking support with other members.
• Access to relevant research materials and reports, e.g. Ontario Electrical Safety Report, and stakeholder and consumer research.
  Assistance with new consumer research.

Meetings

CAC meets approximately four (4) times per year. Meetings are held via video conference with one in-person meeting per year (held at the ESA’s Mississauga office). Additional meetings may be called at the request of the ESA or CAC Chair.

Minutes of past meetings are posted on the ESA web site and provide a more detailed picture of the nature of the issues discussed. ESA provides an honourarium and covers travel-related expenses for CAC meetings.

Application

Interested candidates should provide a resume to: stakeholder.esa@electricalsafety.on.ca

About the Electrical Safety Authority:

ESA is a delegated administrative authority, an independent, not-for-profit corporation acting on behalf of the Government of Ontario with a mandate to enhance public electrical safety in the province. ESA administers regulation in four areas: licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians, the Ontario Electrical Safety Code; electricity distribution system safety; and electrical product safety.