FOIP and Privacy

FOIP

The Balancing Pool is a public body subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the “FOIP Act”).

The basic objectives of the FOIP Act are:

  • to ensure that public bodies are open and accountable to the public by providing a right of access to records; and
  • to protect the privacy of individuals by controlling the manner in which public bodies collect, use and disclose personal information.

Applicants seeking access to records held by the Balancing Pool may choose to draft their own request or use the Request to Access Information Form and must pay the applicable fee set out in the FOIP Regulation or request a fee waiver.

Please ensure that cheques are made payable to the “Balancing Pool”.

If you would like more information regarding the FOIP process, please visit the Office of the Information and Privacy Commission of Alberta website: https://www.oipc.ab.ca/

To submit a request or if you have questions regarding the submission of a request, please contact:

Balancing Pool
Suite 1800, 330 Fifth Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 0L4

Attn:      FOIP Coordinator

Telephone:   403-539-5350
Email: foip@balancingpool.ca

PRIVACY

The Balancing Pool respects the privacy of our stakeholders. We pledge to never release your personal information (i.e. name, telephone number or e-mail address) to anyone who is not employed or contracted by us.

Information collected via the Internet

When you visit the Balancing Pool website our web server automatically collects a limited amount of information essential for the operation and security of our website. Some of this information (e.g. browser type) does not identify who you are. Other information, such as your internet domain name or IP address, may identify you depending, in large part, on the naming standards followed by your internet service provider. While we do not publicly disclose any of this information through our normal course of business, this information could be accessed by law enforcement authorities to facilitate an investigation.  Should this be a concern to you, you may wish to ask your internet service provider about their policies and practices in this regard.

Messages sent via the internet can be intercepted. If you are concerned about sending your personal information to us as part of a website query, as an alternative you can call (403) 539-5350.

Cookies      

This Website does not use “cookies.” Cookies are small amounts of information that are distributed to web browsers to assist you when you return to this site or a specific area on the site. The cookie used here retains session information. If you have concerns about this, you can change the settings on your web browser to not accept this information or display warning messages when this is about to occur. Cookies are not retained by the site but reside on your machine and are marked for removal by your browser after a period of 28 days.

What other personal information do we collect and how we use it

Any personal information that we ask you to provide via our website is collected in compliance with section 33(c) of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. We collect only what is necessary for the operation of the website and to facilitate the provision of requested materials to you. The information is used only for the purpose it was collected or for a consistent purpose. Further, we keep the information only for the length of time necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected.

Links to other websites

This site contains links to other industry related websites.  We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any sites you may visit after you enter the Balancing Pool site.

Questions?

For more information about any of the policies described above or about our website in general, please contact us using the contact form on the website.