September 30, 2015 – Brian Bentz has been elected chair of the Electrical Safety Authority’s (ESA) board of directors, succeeding Charlie Cipolla who is retiring.

Bentz has been a member of the ESA board since 2010, and currently serves on the Human Resources and Investment and Audit committees.

Christopher Hopper (president and CEO of Complete Electrical Service Inc.), Gary Oosterhof (owner and president of Oosterhof Electrical Services Ltd.), and Daniel Péloquin, (former president of Schneider Electric Canada Inc.) have also been appointed as directors.

“I am honoured to become ESA’s chair and look forward to continuing the forward momentum of ESA’s Harm Reduction Strategy,” Bentz said. “I am also pleased to welcome Christopher Hopper, Gary Oosterhof and Daniel Péloquin to the board. All three have a strong commitment to safety and effective governance, attributes that will be invaluable as we continue to fulfill our important mission to enhance electrical safety across the province.”

Bentz is president and CEO of PowerStream Inc., chair of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) stakeholder advisory committee, and vice-chair of Collus PowerStream’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 served as chair of the Ontario Energy Association, the EDA, the MEARIE Group and the Ontario Power Authority Stakeholder Advisory Committee.