ESA Welcomes New Board Chair and Directors

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA)’s Board of Directors has elected Brian Bentz, President and CEO of PowerStream Inc., as Chair and appointed three new directors. Bentz, a member of the ESA Board since 2010, succeeds Charlie Cipolla who is retiring after serving nine years on the Board, the last two as Chair. Bentzcurrently serves on the Human Resources and Investment and Audit Committees.

Bentz also serves as Chair of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) Stakeholder Advisory Committee, and Vice-Chair of CollusPowerStream’s Board of Directors. He is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Canadian Electricity Association and the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA), and has served as Chair of the Ontario Energy Assocation, the EDA, the MEARIE Group and the Ontario Power Authority Stakeholder Advisory Committee.

The new board members include:
• Christopher Hopper, President and CEO, Complete Electrical Service Inc. Prior to his role at Complete Electrical Services, Hopper was President & CEO at Northern Home Services Ltd, and held various senior-level consulting positions focused on strategy, business development and operations.

• Gary Oosterhof, Owner and President of Oosterhof Electrical Services Ltd. A licensed electrician since 1982, Oosterhof is a long-time member of the Kingston Chapter of the Ontario Electrical League and a member of the ECRA Advisory Council.

• Daniel Péloquin, former President, Schneider Electric Canada Inc.Péloquinsits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) and has recently completed a term as a Director of ElectroFederation (EFC). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC’s) Canadian National committee, a Governor at iCanada, and an Executive in Residence — Smart Grids at Mohawk College.

Among its duties, ESA is responsible for administering regulation in four key areas:
• Ontario Electrical Safety Code
• licensing of electrical contractors and master electricians
• electrical distribution safety
• electrical product safety