Project Summaries - Consumers' Council of Canada

100 – 35 Madison Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 2S2
Tel: 416-961-3487
FAX: 416-975-8819
E-mail: mlio@netcom.ca
Web: www.consumerscouncil.com

1. Consideration of Attribution Alternatives for Energy DSM Savings

$47,500

"The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario are currently actively involved in the promotion of conservation and demand management programs (Demand-side Management — DSM). In fact, both levels of government are undertaking policy initiatives designed to step up these activities. In many cases, energy utilities are participating in these programs by offering incentives, marketing support and other resources. Energy consumers pay for these programs through the tax base if they are government resources, or through the rate base if they are established by the utility. Lost revenue from DSM programs is seen as a substantial disincentive."

Consumers Council of Canada proposes to build expertise and formulate policy on this issue so as to play an expert role in developing legislation, policy and other identity theft solutions for consumers.

The initial part of the research will involve a survey of other jurisdictions to determine if and how they deal with the attribution issues related to DSM.

The second part of the research will be to consider the various perspectives of Ontario stakeholders and report on their current proposals to deal with the attribution issues. CCC will draw stakeholders from those currently involved as interveners in provincial rate cases. An attempt will be made to draw a sample of stakeholders that represent the full intervenor community.

The Communication Plan calls for utilizing the Council Industry Advisory Committee, developing and distributing a research brief, publishing the full report, posting the brief on the Council Website, distributing a press release to all media, and informing the members of the Canadian Consumer Initiative. The report will also be shared with all interveners at the Ontario Energy Board.

2. Improving the Effectiveness of Consumer Representation on Delegated Administrative Authorities

$47,000

"This project seeks to identify means to improve the effectiveness of consumer representatives on the boards and advisory councils of delegated administrative authorities. As the number of consumer representatives grows, a fuller understanding of what is required of consumer representatives will be useful for new consumer representatives. It will help the government and DAAs address gaps and improve the overall performance of individuals and their organizations. The research will ultimately help in recruiting new, effective representatives."

The methodology selected draws on written documents, recognized experts, government and DAA officials and on the opinions of consumer representatives in examining the effectiveness of consumer representatives within the delegated administrative authorities.

A literature review will be conducted to help define the scope of the research and to develop a full picture of effective consumer representation. The literature review will identify the range of critical thinking on research topic, both generally and specifically. It will identify relevant issues and the range of possible recommendations that may be available. Efforts will be made to keep the research focussed on the central questions.

After the completion of the literature review, the researchers will develop a list of government and DAA officials to interviews. These will include:

• Director, Sector Liaison Branch, Ministry of Consumer and Business Services (MCBS);
• Assistant Deputy Minister, Marketplace Standards, MCBS;
• President, Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC);
• Former President, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA);
• President, Electrical Safety Authority (ESA);
• President, Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO);
• Executive Director, Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario (VQAO);
• President, Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO);
• Selected DAA officials from other provinces.

Many of these organizations are corporate members of the Council which will arguably allow the Council to identify the full extent of what characteristics promote and detract from effectiveness. The Council will also interview former and existing consumer representatives from the DAAs. A total of 15 consumer representatives from the range of organizations will be interviewed. A questionnaire will be developed and distributed to all consumer representatives on all targeted DAA boards and advisory committees.

Interview and questionnaire responses will be collected, analysed and summarized. These will form the basis for the research report and its recommendations.

The Communication Plan calls for utilizing the Council Industry Advisory Committee, developing and distributing a research brief, publishing the full report, posting the brief on the Council Website, distributing a press release to all media, and informing the members of the Canadian Consumer Initiative.