Energy board spying crossed line: privacy commissioner

Alberta'sEnergy and Utilities Board contravened the province's privacy act when it hired investigators to spy on the public at a hearing into a controversial power line proposal, a report released Thursday says.

Privacy commissioner Frank Work concluded the board crossed the line when undercover investigatorscollected information and monitored landowners who were opposed to the new line between Calgary and Edmonton.

The board said it hired the firm, Shepp Johnman, because it had security concerns about a public hearing in Rimbey.

But Work said the investigators collected personal information that was not needed for law enforcement.

Energy and Utilities Board spokesman Davis Sheremata said Thursday that the board accepts the privacy commissioner's report, admitting the investigators went too far.

The board will not use plainclothes investigators at its hearings anymore, he said.

A separate investigation into the board's use of investigators is being conducted by the provincial government. Its report is expected later this month.