Issue 57 • September 2017
Fun for the Whole Family Join us for BBQs, corn mazes and more! To thank our members for their continued support over the last 70 years, EQUS will be holding Family Fun Day events in addition to our Annual Member Appreciation BBQs this month!
All members and their families are invited to our Family Join us for burgers, smokies and giveaways at our Annual Member Fun Day events being held at corn mazes and farms within Appreciation BBQs this month. each of our Service Areas. Each member and their family Energy Efficiency Alberta will be onsite to talk about will receive free admission into the corn maze or farm Business, Non-Profit and Institutional Energy Savings and a free BBQ lunch, in addition to the fun activities programs, in addition to SkyFire Energy, our preferred each venue has to offer, including bouncy castles, farm solar supplier, who will be present to answer questions animals, mini golf and corn mazes! about micro-generation.
All Family Fun Days will take place from 10 a.m. until All BBQs will be hosted from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on 3 p.m. on the following dates: the following dates: • Saturday, September 16 at the Kraay Family Farm, • Wednesday, September 13 at the Central Area Office home of the Lacombe Corn Maze; (5803 42 Street, Innisfail) • Saturday, September 23 at the Edmonton Corn Maze • Thursday, September 14 at the Bow Island Facility in in Spruce Grove; and Bow Island (709 7 Avenue East, Bow Island) • Saturday, September 30 at Molnar’s Taber Corn & • Friday, September 15 at the South Area Office (#3 Pumpkin Farm in Barnwell. Alberta Road, Claresholm) • Tuesday, September 19 at the North Area Office in Onoway (4804 41 Street (Range Road 21), Onoway). Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for our Annual Member Appreciation BBQs! Members in attendance can For information on EQUS events, enter to win a $150 power bill credit, in celebration of visit equs.ca/members/events. Canada's 150th birthday.
You're Invited to Enjoy These A-maze-ing Family Events
EQUS.CA EQUS' Charity Golf Tournament Our 11th Annual EQUS Charity Golf Tournament raised over $20,000 in support of local food banks within our Service Area. The event would not have been possible without the support of these generous sponsors:
Title Sponsor
Lunch Sponsors First Tee Bag Sponsors Hole-in-One Sponsors Sign Sponsors
MG STRATEGIES Marketing | Communications | Public A airs
Smith Assessment Services
Hole and Contest Sponsors Aable Directional Boring Central Alberta Printing K-Line Maintenance and Smart Energy Water Construction Ltd. Bank of Montreal Complete Financial Solutions Strategem Plus Consulting NAPA Auto Parts - Innisfail Blake Insurance and Financial Contempora Construction Inc. Super T Aviation Services Pat and Tom Bourne Digitex Texcan Cam Clark Ford Olds RBC Dominion Securities Forte Business Solutions Ltd. Town of Innisfail Cenera SkyFire Energy HiQSoft Inc. Westcove Excavating Ltd. Prize Sponsors Brisco Wood Preservers Metersmith Inc. Speciality Automotive Repairs Vidya Knowledge Systems Globaltech Financial Corporation Multisource Inc. Sure Shot Services Village Glass and Mirror Ltd. Graham family Safety Codes Council Urica Energy Management Corp. In-Kind Donors AAMDC - Jubilee Insurance Corus Entertainment – CISN Country Innisfail Chamber of Commerce Newcap Radio 96.3 FM Abacus Datagraphics Days Inn – Innisfail Innisfail Golf Club Newcap Radio Real Country 95.5 and ZED 98.9 Alberta Springs Golf Course ECS Safety Services Ltd. ITS Travel and Cruise Palliser Chevrolet Oldsmobile Ltd. All-Vac Sales and Service Eecol Electic Inc. Jack’s Autobody Ltd. Pattison Outdoor Advertising Altec Limited Federation of Alberta Gas Co-ops Kal Tire – Innisfail Pamela MacNaughton Professional Anixter Power Solutions Fletcher Printing Landis + Gyr Corporation Best Western Denham Inn and Suites Lisa Gleiser Linestar Utility Supply Pidherney’s Best Western Plus Lethbridge Gleniffer Lake Resort and Country Loni Bourne Photography Red Deer County Club Black Knight Inn McCallum Printing Rogers - KISS 107.7 Gregg Distributors Ltd. Brisco Wood Preservers Metropolitan Credit Adjusters Sure Shot Environmental Ltd. Grizzly Trenching Inc. Central Alberta Co-op Ltd. Michener Allen Auctioneers The Phone Experts HiQSoft Inc. Communications Group Red Deer MulchCo Ltd.
[email protected] Member Survey We NEED Your Input... Annual Member Join Us Survey Give your feedback on the Board's strategic plan at our Strategic Member Input Sessions. Enclosed All responses received by October As a co-operative, it is important to us to hear members' input on EQUS' services and the overall direction of the 15 will be entered into our draw Member Survey organization. This is why we're once again hosting three for one of the following prizes: the Strategic Member Feedback Sessions this November. grand prize of one $250 power bill These sessions are an opportunity for members to hear credit or one of six $75 power bill about your Board of Directors' strategic priorities for next year and provide feedback and suggestions. Your credits. input can make a big difference in that the Board will review the feedback received to determine if changes Each year, we survey our membership should be considered to the current direction. to gather feedback on your last year of Member Survey service and address any questions or Join us at one of three sessions: concerns our members may have. Your Thursday, November 2 – Lethbridge answers to the questions found enclosed Tuesday, November 7 – Red Deer regarding your experience with EQUS is Wednesday, November 8 – Stony Plain much appreciated, and is used to help inform the Board's strategic plan for next All sessions will be hosted in the evening from 6 until year. 8:30 p.m. Dinner will be provided. The locations of the sessions will be provided in the near future. There is Please submit your completed survey to Member Survey limited room for each session, so be sure to RSVP. the Communications Department by: Mail: Box 6199, Innisfail, AB T4G 1S8 RSVP by October 27 to: Fax: 403.227.1007 Elizabeth Bishop, Administrative Assistant to the CEO: Phone: 403.227.7534 | Email: [email protected] You may also complete the survey online by visiting: surveymonkey.com/r/8YFMM2D Staff Farewell
Name: Patti-Ann Smith Employee Since: 2007 Area: North Occupation: Area Service Administrator Patti-Ann Smith, EQUS Area with EQUS and will miss her Service Administrator based out coworkers and workplace a lot. of the North Area Office, has We would like to thank Patti for recently annouced her retirement her contributions to EQUS and this September. wish her well in her retirement. Patti has been with EQUS for Members will still receive the ten years in various roles, most same great service from the recently that of Area Service North Area team. Administrator. Patti says she has truly enjoyed her time working
EQUS.CA An EQUS History Moment Jack Vandervalk (pictured) has been involved in REAs for over 40 years, meaning he has witnessed a lot of changes since he began his involvement with the Hoping REA. "The most notable change has been in the technology", Jack describes. He says REAs have gone from using shovels to high power machinery. Jack would know better than most, as he purchased the first digger for South Alta REA back in the early 90s. One of Jack's favourite memories of his time spent working with REAs was when he would volunteer to read meters by airplane.
Operation Congratulations to the following organizations: • Easter Seals Alberta Round Up • Fort Macleod Kids First Family Centre The Operation Round Up Committee recently • Foothills Special Needs awarded six organizations with funding for Association for Parents and Siblings (FSNAPS) projects that support children, youth and • Kids Help Phone seniors in our Service Area. • Onoway Ball and Soccer Association EQUS is pleased to announce the six successful recipients • Westglen School of the second quarter of funding for Operation Round Up. The Operation Round Up Committee allocated a total of Those interested in applying for the next round of $16,000 for this quarter. The funded projects range from Operation Round Up funding should do so before a mental health program that will give rural youth access September 30. Funding applications and guidelines are to more mental health resources to a softball program for available on our website: youth in Onoway. equs.ca/community/operation-round-up/.
You can choose your energy supplier EQUS will always be your distribution link to your energy supplier.
Choose EQUS or any other energy supplier. EQUS will always serve you. Supply Distribution You
All members are free to purchase electricity services through EQUS’ regulated rate tariff or from a retailer of their choice. The delivery of electricity to you is not affected by your choice. If you change who you purchase electricity services from, you will continue receiving electricity from EQUS. For a current list of retailers you may choose from, visit www.ucahelps.alberta.ca or call 310.4822 (toll free in Alberta).
To report a power outage in your area, or for other services such as construction or vegetation management, please call your local Area Office.
North Area Office Central Area Office South Area Office Main Office 1.888.627.4011 1.877.527.4011 1.888.565.5445 1.888.211.4011
Mailing Address: Box 6199, 5803 42 Street, Innisfail, AB T4G 1S8
[email protected] EQUS.CA 2017 Member Survey 1. Member Name: ______2. Account #: ______3. Please check the box that corresponds to your age bracket. If your service is registered to more than one member, please check the appropriate age bracket(s) for each member. If both members are in the same age bracket, simply check the age bracket twice. o 20-24 o 25-29 o 30-34 o 35-39 o 40-44 o 45-49 o 50-54 o55-59 o 60-64 o 65-69 o 70-75 o 76 and older
4. Which EQUS service area do you live in? o North Area (Onoway) o Central Area (Innisfail) o South Area (Claresholm)
Inquiries 5. If you called or visited your Area Office within the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with the service you received from EQUS’ staff? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience 6. If you called or visited your Area Office within the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with the response time? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience 7. If you called the Main Office within the past 12 months to discuss your utility account or submit a meter read, how satisfied were you with the service you received from EQUS’ staff? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience 8. If you called the Main Office within the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with the response time? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience Power Outages 9. If you experienced a power outage during regular business hours within the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with our service? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience 10. If you experienced a power outage after regular business hours within the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with our after-hours call centre service? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience 11. If you experienced a power outage within the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with the response time? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience Field Personnel 12. If you had contact with our field personnel on your property, how satisfied were you with the service from EQUS’ staff? o Satisfied o Dissatisfied o No experience Satisfaction 13. Would you recommend EQUS to a friend, family or colleague? o Yes o No 14. Do you believe EQUS is your best option for your electrical distribution services? o Yes o No 15. Are you satisfied with your overall service from EQUS? o Yes o No 16. If we require further information, may we contact you about your responses? o Yes o No 17. Would you like EQUS to conduct this survey in the future? o Yes o No
Additional comments or specific experiences: ______
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