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​A social vision rooted in purpose


We provide clean water and safe, reliable energy, and are proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Our vision is to be a premier essential services company, trusted by customers and valued by stakeholders. That commitment to stakeholders has spanned generations — from the company's founding in 1891 — and was further amplified in 2020 with the adoption of our purpose statement: Communities count on us. We count on each other.

Some of the many ways communities count on EPCOR are captured in the Social section of our ESG scorecard, which speaks to:

  • Being a company that puts safety first in everything it does, and living the belief that there is nothing more important than the health and safety of its employees, contractors and the public.
  • Building a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the communities we serve, and a workplace where people feel respected, valued and part of a team.
  • Being trusted by its customers to deliver excellent service, reliability, quality and cost.
  • Engaging with Indigenous Nations and Peoples, and community stakeholders, so it designs, builds and operates critical infrastructure in a way that is aligned with the interests and priorities of the community, and that meets the needs of the broader society.
  • Creating economic value for its stakeholders through returns to investors, employment, procurement, taxation and community investment.

Scorecard at a glance

The social dimensions of EPCOR's performance are fundamental to our ability to successfully execute our long-term plan. Five of the 10 ESG factors rated most material to the company — affordability and access, community relations, the rights of Indigenous peoples, workforce health and safety, and human capital management — are found in​ the Social section of ​our ESG Scorecard. The significance of social factors is also reflected in the four focus areas of EPCOR's long-term plan: people, growth, operational excellence, and communities. ​​​​

Total recordable injury frequency (TRIF)

1​.31 

​Continuous reduction in total incidents (TRIF)​

​2017
​1.12
2018​
​2.35
​2019​
 ​1.44
​2020
 ​1.03
​2021
 ​1.31​​

Target: a safety-first culture, driving to zero incidents.

Lost-time ​injury frequency (LTIF)​

0.​​16 

Continuous reduction in lost-time incidents (LTIF)​

​2017
 ​0.16
​2018
 0.35​
​2019
 ​0.13
​2020​​
 0.06​
​2021
 ​0.16

Target: a safety-first culture, driving to zero incidents.

Lea​d mitigation

213 

Number of high priority lead service lines replaced as part of EPCOR's updated 2019 Enhanced Lead Mitigation Strategy, and not inclu​​ding EPCOR's lead replacement programs prior to this date.

​2019
 Pilot program​
​2020
 69​
2021​​​ 144
Target: Edmonton households comply with new Health Canada guidelines for lead at the tap by 2025, prior to provincial regulation. EPCOR has replaced 360 high priority LSLs by 2023, and commissioned the orthophosphate system.

Employee eng​​​agement

7​7%

Employee engagement as measured in a companywide survey. In 2020, top quartile performance compared to similar companies was 75% or better and top decile performance was 82% or better

​2018
78%​
​2020​
77%​

Target: Top decile performance against a group of comparator companies by 2023 (the next survey date).

Total turno​​ver

8.​4​% ​

​Employee departures for all reasons including retirement, divided by year-end headcount

​2017
6.8%​
​2018
​6.1%
​2019
 8.6%​
​2020​​​
 5.4%​
​2021
 ​8.4%

Performance data only.​

Visib​​le minorities

​17.3% and 35.1%

The percentage of EPCOR's Canada and U.S. workforce who self-identified as visible minorities​.

​
Canada​​U.S.
​2017
15.1%
​34.2%
​2018
15.2%
​35.3%
​2019
16.4%
36.6%​
​2020​​​​
 16.9%
34.6%​
​2021
 17.3%
​35.1%

Target: EPCOR's workforce is reflective of the diversity of the communities it serves.

​Women in workforce / women in senior leadership

28.5% and 21.4%​

The percentage of EPCOR's Canada and U.S. workforce who are women and the percentage of senior leadership positions held by women

​​2017
27.4%​ / 23.2%
2018
​27.6% / 22.4%
​2019
28.4%​ / 21.1%
​2020
 28.5%​ / 21.4%
​2021
 28.5%​​ / 21.4%

Target: EPCOR's workforce is reflective of the diversity of the communities it serves.​

Corporate ​reputation

​+5​

EPCOR's reputation score in Edmonton compared to utility peers.

​2017
+5​​
2018​+6​
​2019
​+7
​2020
​+7
​2021
+5​

Target: Exceed utility peer scores by 5 points or more.

Customer satisfaction

5 of 5​

The number of customer satisfaction metrics that meet or exceed full-year satisfaction targets set by utility regulators.

​​​2017
 4 of 4​
​2018
 4 of 4​
​2019
 4 of 4​
2020​ 5 of 5​
2021​ 5 of 5​

Target: Meet or exceed regulated targets in all surveys.

Reasona​ble costs

​$159 / 0.7%​​

Operating costs per customer (rounded to nearest dollar) as defined by the EPCOR's Mid-Term Incentive Plan and approved by the Board of Directors.

2019​
$157​
2020​$167 / 1.9%​
​2021
$159 / 0.7%​

Target: Three-year average operating costs per customer increase by 2% or less. The 2020 percentage change reported is for a single year. The 2021 percentage change is a two year average, using 2019 as the base year.

R​eliable power distribution

​57 minutes

Number of minutes per year that power service is interruped (SAIDI, all electricity operations combined).

​​2017
​59
​2018
53​
​2019
60​
​2020
50​
​2021
​57​

Performance data only.
​

Safe​ water

​0 violations​

Number of acute health-based drinking water violations from EPCOR controlled activities​​​​

​​2017
​0
​2018
​0
​2019
​0
​2020
​0
​2021
​0

Target: Zero violations.

Prompt se​rvice

​95.​7%

​​Percentage of Edmonton drainage maintenance calls resolved within 24-hours​.

​​2020​
97.2%​
​2021
95.7%​

Target: Meet or exceed regulated target of 80% of calls resolved within 24 hours.

Public engagement

​2,606​

The number of community participants in engagement processes conducted at the “Advise” ​level or higher in the IAP2 engagement spectrum​.

​​2019
​980
2020​​2,178
2021​​2,606

Performance data only.

Economic value distributed

$2.9 B​​

Direct economic value delivered to stakeholders, including suppliers, employees, providers of capital, governments and community organizations.

​​2017
$2.4 B​
​2018
$2.5 B​
​2019
$2.3 B​
​2020
$2.5 B​
​2021
$2.9 B​

Performance data only.

Community investment

​$3.0 M / 1.0%

Historical data: cash donations and sponsorships only. Future data will include eligible in-kind contributions, implementation costs, and volunteering.

​​​2017
$1.6 M / 0.7%​
​2018
$2.0 M / 0.7%​
​2019
​$2.1 M / 0.8%
​2020
​$3.3 M / 1.1%
​2021
​$3.0 M / 1.0%

Target: Achieve Imagine Canada's Caring Companies designation by 2023.

Indigenous relations

​Member

Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and achievement levels.

​2021
Member​
2022​​
Member​

Target: Achieve PAR "Committed" status by 2021, achieve "Bronze" level performance certification by 2023, and set targets for higher level performance once "Bronze" level status achieved.

Content here

​Behind the numbers: scorecard in co​​ntext

Our social scorecard:

Confirms that we are a company that puts safety first in everything we do, reporting on safety performance across our workforce.

Commits to building a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the communities we serve, reporting on workforce demographics in relation to community composition.

​​​ Affirms the importance of earning the trust of our customers, reporting on customer service ratings, reliability and quality performance, as well as cost.

Demonstrates our efforts to align with the interests and priorities of the community, reporting on Indigenous and community stakeholder engagement.

Illustrates the diverse ways we create economic value for stakeholders, reporting on a range of cash flows that sustain the community.

 

Health and safety

Our commitment to health and safety starts in the workplace and extends into the community. We aim to be a company where safety matters most, so that we can continue to provide safe and reliable essential services to our customers and preserve the environment.

Our commitment to health and safety 
 

Our people

We're striving to achieve top decile employee engagement levels. We're working to create a workforce that is reflective of the diversity in the communities we serve, and a workplace that respects, values and leverages different opinions, beliefs, lifestyles and experiences.

Our people are fundamental to our success

 

Serving our customers

Whether it’s delivering high quality customer service; prudently managing the business to keep costs reasonable; or an unwavering commitment to ensuring safe, reliable services, our people are living our company’s purpose every day — knowing that communities count on us.

 How we serve our customers

 

Community engagement and support

Our communities and partners are important to us. We don't just say that—we act on it. We get involved, ask questions and really listen to what people have to say. Our relationships are meaningful, and this helps us build stronger communities.

We're building strong communities

​Featured stories

Our health and safety values extend to every aspect of our business, from our employees and the services we provide to our customers and communities. We also have a long tradition of providing more than essential services, supporting important causes and events that improve lives and create meaningful experiences for the communities that count on us. It’s something we value as a company and something we encourage across our workforce.

Learn more about our efforts to keep our employees and communities safe; build and retain diverse teams; care of our customers; and develop strong relationships with partners and stakeholders through the following feature stories.
 

EPCOR’s So​​ul Purpose

When it became clear that the pandemic would stretch the resources of social and cultural agencies for another year, EPCOR’s Heart + Soul Fund stepped up again. But supporting our communities means more than just writing cheques.
​

C​learing the Way

Schooling is the pathway to better opportunities for so many. But for some students, ambition alone may not be enough. EPCOR helps remove barriers to educational success — from kindergarten to post-secondary.
 

It’s all about th​​​e connection

Connecting growing communities to cleaner heating sources, like natural gas, can be challenging work. EPCOR’s long history of working collaboratively with developers, regulators and customers has given us the edge in helping cities and towns make smart energy choices — from Ontario to Texas.
 

Safe and sound

EPCOR believes in safety. From their first day at work, employees recognize that safety is a core part of everything EPCOR does. We put a lot of emphasis on creating a safe place to work—physically and mentally. We demonstrate that commitment by ensuring safety has a place at the highest levels of our organization.

Experience our safety culture​​​

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