The Board is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal constituted under The Public Utilities Act. Created by statute in 1949 the Board is comprised of four full-time commissioners, appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, including the Chair and Chief Executive Officer and the Vice Chair. The Public Utilities Act gives the Chair and Chief Executive Officer the full authority for the overall operation, management and financial administration of the Board. The Board's work is supported by full-time professional and administrative office staff.

The Board’s functional organizational structure, shown in the Organizational Chart below, consists of Regulatory and Legal Services and Corporate Services. Regulatory and Legal Services oversees the Board’s regulatory mandate with responsibility for coordination and management of applications, research, investigations, compliance monitoring, financial/technical reviews and customer complaints. Corporate Services is responsible for management of the administrative functions of the Board, including finance, communications, information management and technology and human resource services.

The Board is funded through assessments charged to regulated industries/companies or on a cost recovery basis from applicants and/or parties involved in specific proceedings and/or investigations. In accordance with sections 13 and 14 of the Public Utilities Act, the Board levies an annual assessment to regulated entities to cover its estimated general operating expenses for that year. Assessments to each regulated industry/company vary depending on the actual allocation of work performed by the Board in the year.

Public hearings and investigations are funded outside of normal budgeted activities on a cost recovery basis in accordance with applicable legislation. Section 90 of the Public Utilities Act details the costs which may be recovered incidental to a matter.

Organizational Chart - at April 10, 2023