Canada Energy Regulator (CER) Audit Close-out Letter – Veresen Energy Pipeline Inc. (Veresen) – Quality Assurance Program
File OF-Surv-OpAud-V044-2018-2019 01
CV1819-430
5 February 2021
Mr. Chris Rousch
President and Chief Operating Officer
Accountable Officer
Veresen Energy Pipeline Inc.
Suite 4000, 585 8th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 1G1
Email 
Dear Mr. Rousch:
- Canada Energy Regulator (CER) Audit Close-out Letter
Veresen Energy Pipeline Inc. (Veresen) – Quality Assurance Program
The CER conducted an operational audit of Veresen as per section 103 of the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (S.C. 2019, c. 28, s. 10) (CER Act) to evaluate the company’s Quality Assurance (QA) Program.
The objectives of the audit were to verify that Veresen had established and implemented a QA Program as part of its management system that meets the requirements of the Canadian Energy Regulator Onshore Pipeline Regulations (SOR/99-294). The scope of the audit included quality assurance aspects of the Veresen management system and its section 55 programs as applied across its CER-regulated facilities, covering all life-cycles in accordance with the requirements of the OPR.
The audit was initially conducted by the National Energy Board (NEB) during the period from October 2018 to January 2019. A Final Audit Report was issued by the NEB on 15 May 2019 in which a number of non-compliant findings were identified. Veresen provided a Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) Plan to address the non-compliance on 14 June 2019, which was approved by the NEB on 25 June 2019. Subsequently, on 28 August 2019, the NEB Act was replaced by the CER Act. The Board was replaced by the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator and NEB staff became staff of the CER.
Following the delivery of two of its CAPAs to the CER in the fall of 2019, Veresen formally requested a pause in the delivery of its CAPAs as it went through operational changes of its CER-regulated lines. In its letter to the CER, on 31 October 2019, Veresen provided an alternate CAPA delivery schedule. Given that the proposed changes would have affected many of Veresen’s documents in its CAPA plan, the CER approved the request.
Veresen resumed submitting its CAPA deliverables to the CER on 30 September 2020 and submitted its final deliverable on 21 December 2020.
Upon verification by the CER staff that CAPA Plans are implemented, the CER closes out the audit. Over the review period, Veresen demonstrated that it had completed its corrective and preventive actions in accordance with the approved CAPA Plan.
With the issuance of this letter, the CER considers the audit of the Veresen QA Program to be closed. The CER reminds Veresen that once CAPA Plans are closed, they are considered to be implemented, and Veresen is accountable to maintain compliance by continuing to implement and manage its activities and facilities in accordance with the OPR and it’s committed to changes. The CER will verify ongoing compliance through future compliance verification activities.
Yours sincerely,
Signed by
Mark Tinney
Lead Auditor
c.c. Ms. Olivera Blagojevic, Director Audit, Enforcement and Investigation,
Canada Energy Regulator, Email
, Manager, Customer Service,
Veresen Energy Pipeline Inc., Email
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