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Cornerstone Hydro Electric Concepts

CHEC Welcomes Fort Frances Power Corp as Newest Member

June 20, 2019

Exceptional support services continue to draw new members to the Association

June 20, 2019 Barrie, ON– The CHEC Association is pleased to welcome Fort Frances Power Corporation (FFPC) as the newest member of the Association. Their enrollment brings the total number of member local distribution companies (LDCs) to 17 with our members now truly representing service areas from across the entire province. 

Fort Frances Power services close to 4,000 customers within the municipal area of the Town of Fort Frances. The town sits on the Canadian – U.S. border 300 kilometres west of Thunder Bay and acts as a service hub for northern communities.

“We were very interested to see the benefits that CHEC provides to its members,” said Joerg Ruppenstein, President & CEO of Fort Frances Power. “They are a great fit for our organization and will strengthen our knowledge base and access to resources.” 

CHEC operates as a virtual organization which will allow the eleven staff and management of Fort Frances Power to easily access the many resources that are available. 

“We’re looking forward to leveraging this partnership to increase cost efficiencies, improve customer care, and implement best practices,” said Ruppenstein. “All of which will help us to achieve our strategic objective of becoming a unique Local Distribution Company model of excellence.” 

Fort Frances Power is a 100 per cent municipally owned and is one of the last not-for-profit utilities in the province. The staff have already identified several areas where they can benefit from the shared resources, immediately and in the future. 

“Our new members are always surprised by the breadth and depth of the support that we provide. Our most recent additions in the areas of Human Resources and Cybersecurity have been particularly relevant for our entire membership,” said John Sherin, CHEC President. 

CHEC provides support in the areas of Finance & Regulatory, Operations, Health & Safety, Conservation, Energy Management, Human Resources, Communications and Customer Engagement, and Cybersecurity. 

“Fort Frances is a welcome addition to our Association,” said Sherin. “Their unique experience will provide important input for our collaborative processes and they will have access to the experience and knowledge of our staff and our entire member base.”

ABOUT CHEC

CHEC is a collaborative association for 17 Local Distribution Companies in Ontario. By sharing experience, knowledge and resources CHEC helps its members remain as active members of their communities, deliver value to their shareholders, provide safe, efficient, and cost-effective electricity distribution to their customers, and prepare for the energy future. The current members of CHEC are Centre Wellington Hydro Ltd., EPCOR Ontario, Fort Frances Power Corporation, Grimsby Power, InnPower Corp., Lakefront Utilities Inc., Lakeland Power Distribution Ltd., Midland/Newmarket-Tay Power, Niagara–on- the-Lake Hydro, Orangeville Hydro Ltd., Orillia Power Corp., Ottawa River Power Corporation, Renfrew Hydro Inc., Rideau St. Lawrence Distribution Inc., Tillsonburg Hydro, Wasaga Distribution Inc., and Wellington North Power Inc.