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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 | 22 For more news, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com Sheridan ONTARIO ENERGY BOARD NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS OF UNION GAS LIMITED Union Gas Limited has applied to change its natural gas rates effective January 1, 2014 Learn more. Have your say. Union Gas Limited has applied to the Ontario Energy Board to change its natural gas rates effective January 1, 2014. Under the proposal, residential customers of Union Gas in Southern Ontario (those from Windsor to Hamilton) would see an increase of $1.55 (0.2%) to their average annual bill. Residential customers in all the other areas served by Union Gas would see a decline ranging from $16.54 to $19.76 (1.9% to 2.1%) to their average annual bill. Other customers, including businesses, may also be affected. In addition, Union has proposed to gradually allow large volume direct purchase customers to shift their natural gas delivery obligation from Parkway to Dawn. THE ONTARIO ENERGY BOARD WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) will hold a public hearing to consider Union Gas' request. We will question the company on its case for a rate change. We will also hear arguments from individuals and from groups that represent Union Gas customers. At the end of this hearing, the OEB will decide what, if any, rate changes will be allowed. Union Gas' application is based on an Incentive Ratemaking Framework previously approved by the Board for the period 2014-18. The rates are based on an adjustment formula that incorporates inflation and a productivity factor. The OEB is an independent and impartial public agency. We make decisions that serve the public interest. Our goal is to promote a financially viable and efficient energy sector that provides you with reliable energy services at a reasonable cost. BE INFORMED AND HAVE YOUR SAY You have the right to information regarding this application and to be involved in the process. You can: · review Union Gas Limited's application on the OEB's website now. · sign up to observe the proceeding by receiving OEB documents related to the hearing. · file a letter with your comments, which will be considered during the hearing. · become an active participant (called an intervenor). Apply by December 16, 2013 or the hearing will go ahead without you and you will not receive any further notice of the proceeding. · at the end of the process, review the OEB's decision and its reasons on our website. LEARN MORE The proposed charges relate to Union Gas Limited's distribution, storage and transmission rates. Our file number for this case is EB-2013-0365. To learn more about this hearing, find instructions on how to file letters or become an intervenor, or to access any document related to this case please enter that file number at the OEB website: www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/notice. You can also phone our Consumer Relations Centre at 1-877-632-2727 with any questions. ORAL VS. WRITTEN HEARINGS There are two types of OEB hearings ­ oral and written. The OEB will determine at a later date whether to proceed by way of a written or oral hearing. PRIVACY If you write a letter of comment, your name and the content of your letter will be put on the public record and the OEB website. However, your personal telephone number, home address and email address will be removed. If you are a business, all your information will remain public. If you apply to become an intervenor, all information will be public. This rate hearing will be held under section 36 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, S.O. 1998 c.15 (Schedule B). launches five new programs Sheridan College recently announced the launch of five new business degree programs it will be offering as of September 2014. The four-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degrees will be available in accounting, finance, supply chain management, human resources management, and marketing management. "In the GTA, there is an estimated need for 40,000-75,000 spaces for undergraduate university students," Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, president and CEO of Sheridan College, said in a news release. "Demand for business education is particularly strong given the large scale retirements of baby boomers from the professional workforce and the fact that business programs at traditional universities are running at capacity." Halton and Peel regions also face the additional challenges of having some of Canada's fastest growing communities, which further drives demand for business education, the release said. Sylvia Lowndes, dean of the faculty of business, explained the first two years of the new BBA degrees will be common in order to give students a solid ground in business fundamentals. Students will be able to specialize after that and select one of three interdisciplinary options: International Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, or Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. In their final year, students will need to complete a community-based integrated industry project or research thesis. "This will build their capacity to respond to new situations in a rapidly changing world and help them succeed personally and professionally in ways that better society," Lowndes said in the release. Graduates of existing two-year business diploma and three-year advanced business diploma programs at Sheridan and other Ontario colleges will be eligible for advanced standing in the new BBA programs. Sheridan expects to have 1,100 BBA students registered in all five programs by 2017. For more information, visit www. sheridancollege.ca/announce/newbusiness-degrees.aspx. Ontario Energy Board Commission de l'énergie de l'Ontario