shareholder communications. our continued commitment to frequent and proactive are meetings just example one of These our customers. our directly serve municipalitiesto with work to better we and areoptimallynow issues, positioned specific community- about ’s leadership senior learned meetings, Through these communities the serve. we with relationships our working strengthening further to addition in municipal oursenior shareholder communities, in staff introducing Alectra’s of leadership members to team This year, Cananzi Max and of Ihad privilege the that do. we inour everything customers to providing remain we At Alectra, value committed to to innovative technologies. and access greater service, customer that will better rates, ultimately to lower lead efficiencies long-term significant creating by constituents your has directly benefited decisionThe Alectra to form and serve. we improvepower people the of lives the that would deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable We all had —to vision aleading create acommon utility like-minded other with communities and Alectra. form decision to partner shareholders made important the since our have passed years only acouple short of year, overtogether last the is astounding it that to recall all on back that have look we we accomplishedAs Greetings from Alectra, EmpoweringCatharines St.

President andCEO Brian Bentz ally, Your From at Alectra, thank everyone you. have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. to contact do hesitate have not any please questions you always,if in As municipal to come. year the partners our to working with future. the of forward Weutility look and hard your infor support work helping us build the to thank all of behalf on you Alectra of this opportunity value to communities Iwould and like customers. to take provincial the with government to continue to deliver to working forward sector. looks and energy the Alectra provincial government for vision their own with 2018 change. of ayear has We been have anew and, directly to customers. course, of ourcommunications municipal to both stakeholders billing will we in system, our continue proactive to be move to new the territory our service across customers as aresult changes of to Alectra’s billing As system. reported have to majorno customers impacts been communication channels. happy Iam that to very date billingthe changes impacting them through various keeping directly informed ourbeen about customers ourof customer-facing has also initiatives. Alectra In shared we our issue information last anumber about

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Issue 5: Fall 2018 CUSTOMER INFO Customer Information System convergence project update Alectra is approaching the final phases of our long-term project to converge the four former utility Customer Information Systems (CIS) on to one unified platform that will support the needs of Alectra customers, the organization and our future growth potential. is What does this mean for our customers? now • A consistently high level of service across Alectra’s entire service territory • Faster access to customer service representatives • Provides the foundation for increased customer engagement. For example, customers will be able to access their account information on their mobile device Included in this convergence will be new account numbers and consolidated bill designs for Alectra’s St. Catharines customers this winter. Our fall customer newsletter and fall/winter bill inserts will include more information about the upcoming changes. Alectra continues to commit a full-time CIS team highly experienced with customer care and billing, as well as the CIS systems of the former utilities, to ensure a seamless transition. If your constituents have any questions about their bill, please have them contact Customer Service by phone at 905-984-8961 or email at [email protected] — we are Have a question? Reporting an here to help! outage or other service issue? Customers can continue to FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES reach us directly using the below contact information. Is your community seeking funding opportunities? Funded by the Federal Government and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Power Outages (24/7): Municipalities (FCM), there are funding programs that can help municipalities build 905-684-8111 enhanced, green community infrastructure. Customer Service: 905-984-8961 Municipal Asset Management Program – [email protected] 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. deadline quickly approaching (Monday to Friday) In case you have not already heard, FCM’s The call for applications for asset Municipal Asset Management Program management grants is quickly approaching (MAMP) provides funding for projects that and will close on October 23, 2018 for will help Canadian cities and communities all non-Quebec municipalities. MAMP of all sizes enhance their asset management will accept application submissions until practices. The goal of the program is to help Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at midnight municipalities make informed investment EDT, or until funding is fully allocated. decisions for infrastructure assets, such For more information, please visit as roads, buildings, water supply and fcm.ca/home/programs/municipal-asset­ WANT TO sanitation systems. management-program/funding-mamp.htm LEARN MORE? alectrautilities.com The Green Municipal Fund Through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF), the FCM provides funding for municipal environmental initiatives that improve air, water, and soil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. GMF funding is available to all Canadian municipal governments and their partners for eligible projects.

The deadline for applications is March 1st, 2019. For more information, 02 ally visit fcm.ca/home/programs/green-municipal-fund/what-we-fund.htm COMMUNITY UPDATES Alectra employees raise over $22,000 for Heart & Stroke Alectra Utilities’ employees showed real heart in fielding a total of seven teams to participate in the 2018 Heart and Stroke Foundation ‘Big Bike’ ride — raising over $22,500. Habitat for Humanity: Habitat Build Days Employees raised money for Alectra is proud to support the Habitat heart and stroke research and for Humanity Niagara chapter with rode the 29-seat ‘Big Bike’ a $5,000 donation. Earlier this year, through communities in Alectra’s Alectra employees participated in the service territory including: , charity’s Build Day to help Niagara , Hamilton, Markham, families in need avoid homelessness , St. Catharines and . Money raised through Heart and Stroke and construct affordable homes. The Alectra team’s achievement was Foundation ‘Big Bike’ funds critical This company-sponsored Build Day further boosted by Bill Schmidt, Alectra’s research to help save lives and develop stems from Alectra’s customer focused Vice President of Information Technology, new treatments for stroke survivors. values — we take initiative to give back who was recognized as a top five ‘Big The rides promote awareness and to the communities we serve. Bike’ fundraiser in York Region. Alectra conversations around one of the leading employees augmented the fundraising causes of death in Canadians, funds Alectra proud to support Pathstone total through a company-wide 50/50 advanced research and helps in the fight Foundation in St. Catharines draw and cookbook sales. to ultimately find a cure for heart disease. Alectra made a $10,000 donation to Pathstone Mental Health, a community-based organization whose mission is to enhance the lives of children, youth and families living in Alectra supporting financial assistance program Niagara struggling with mental health issues. The donation will go towards for children suffering from cancer purchasing land to construct a state- At Alectra, we strongly believe in actively quality of living and brighter future for all. of-the-art treatment facility to meet supporting the communities we serve to The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario the current and future mental health both promote and foster sustainability (POGO) is an organization that does just needs of children, youth and families with a focus on economic efficiency, this. POGO works hard to ensure access across the Niagara region. social equity and environmental to and availability of state-of-the-art accountability. Through our Community cancer care for all Ontario children. Support program, Alectra funds local Their mission is to improve the organizations that share these similar circumstances of all children who are values. At Alectra, we aim to grow afflicted with cancer and those partnerships that will create a better of their families and caregivers.

Fall Deal Days are back! Energy saving tip: From October 5 to November 4 save instantly on In the winter, open your LEDs, power bars, dimmer switches and more during curtains during the day Save on Energy Deal Days at participating stores. to let in the sun and Please tell your constituents to visit close them at night to alectraconservation.com/dealdays for more keep the heat in. information and to find participating retailers. Issue 5: Fall 2018 03 COMMUNITY UPDATES Diversity initiatives At Alectra, we’re creating a workforce consisting of employees In addition to providing leadership, advocacy and governance, from diverse backgrounds who reflect the communities we the Council will work with staff to identify and implement serve. Creating an environment in which everyone can succeed opportunities to increase knowledge and awareness of is important to us. That’s why we’re pleased to announce the D&I at Alectra. Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council. While the Council will ultimately focus on a wide range of A diverse workplace is one that invites innovation by encouraging diversity issues, it will first address opportunities for women a full range of perspectives, experiences and ideas. This will in our company. Women are under-represented in trade and position us for success and allow us to offer the very best leadership roles within our sector. We want to lead the way solutions for our customers and communities. and set an example for change.

CONSERVATION & DEMAND MANAGEMENT Alectra Utilities and General Motors generate energy-saving projects to power over 3,000 homes a year Through the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) The new smart technology LED lighting fixtures Save on Energy conservation program offered by Alectra, and high-efficiency air make-up unit motors use General Motors’ St. Catharines Propulsion Plant is finding much less energy, extend equipment life, improve light efficiencies to ensure they’re manufacturing engines and and air quality for the work environment, and reduce transmissions in a safe and responsible way, with the smallest overall greenhouse gas emissions. possible impact on the environment. GM St. Catharines has worked with Alectra on multiple energy- In partnership with Alectra, GM’s St. Catharines facility replaced saving projects since 2012. Over the past six years, 854 older lighting units with 700 energy-efficient LED fixtures and the two companies’ combined efforts at the St. Catharines upgraded 17 air make-up units with high efficiency, controllable facility have resulted in an annual total of 30.7 million kWh of motors. Together these projects will result in an energy reduction energy savings and carbon emission reductions of 1,535 metric of 6.19 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), which will reduce GM tonnes. The total energy savings from all the conservation St. Catharines’ carbon emissions by 310 metric tonnes. initiatives is equivalent to powering 3,600 homes each year.

LED street light conversion The City of St. Catharines, in conjunction with Alectra Power Services, completed the conversion of street lights to energy-efficient LED lighting in May of 2018. Not only was the project completed five months ahead of schedule, but cost savings have already exceeded projections. The city’s streetlight energy costs dropped from more than $2 million in 2015 to $1.19 million in 2017. Those savings were $6,000 more than expected, with conversions still ongoing in 2018. Maintenance costs were also less than expected, with projected savings at $350,000 and actual savings in 2017 at more than $398,000. The project, which began in November of 2015, replaced 93 per cent of St. Catharines’ 14,791 streetlights with sustainable, cost-effective LED lighting.

Get the Alectra app Haven’t tried the Alectra app yet? Many of our customers have already downloaded it. It’s an easy-to-use tool allowing customers to access their Alectra Utilities account, view current power outages, report a power outage, contact Customer Service, notify Alectra of a change of address, and even pay your bill. Want to try out the Alectra app for yourself? Search for Alectra Utilities in Google Play or the App Store to download it for free, or use 04 ally your mobile phone and access the QR code to download the Alectra app onto your device. SAFETY TIPS Protection from scams In response to increased activity in its service territory by fraudsters, Alectra Utilities has been proactively alerting customers and our municipal stakeholders of several new phone, text and letter scams. Phone scam The phone scam involves someone claiming to be an Alectra Utilities technician demanding payment and threatening to remove the smart meter and install an analog meter. The fraudulent calls inform customers that their power would be disconnected for several hours during the meter swap — unless they immediately pay by credit card at random kiosks in grocery stores. Alectra Utilities does not charge customers for meter exchanges or ask customers to make payment using gift cards or at banking kiosks.

Text scam The text scam involves text messages being sent to customers claiming a refund is available from the utility. The text message includes a fraudulent Interac e-transfer link to follow. Alectra Utilities never sends text messages to inform customers of refunds or service disconnections. • Never make a payment for a charge that isn’t listed on your most Letter scam recent Alectra Utilities bill The letter (mail) scam involves letters being mailed to customers • Do not provide any personal information, including your Alectra advising of an outstanding amount owed for a smart meter Utilities bill or account number deposit. The letter scam is primarily targeted at business • Do not click on links provided in text messages customers and threatens disconnection unless a smart meter fee • Do not allow the fraudster to arrange a time to visit your home is paid immediately. Alectra Utilities does not charge customers • Alectra asks customers to remain vigilant and verify their account for their smart meter and advises customers in advance of any information with Alectra Utilities’ Customer Care Representatives directly if they suspect suspicious activity changes to their service or account. In the event your constituents • Contact Alectra Utilities’ Customer Care Representatives during receive suspicious phone calls, texts or letters of this nature, regular business hours to discuss any outstanding account activity Alectra Utilities advises the following: or report an incident

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT AN OUTAGE? HERE FOR YOU If you are seeking updates on an outage in your ward, Customer Service contact Ralph Williams, Manager of Connections & Key 905-984-8961 Accounts, at [email protected], [email protected] who has been assigned to liaise directly with Government Relations councillors and their staff during service disruptions. Nathan Scheewe 905-821-5178 [email protected]

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