[7] Based in Winnipeg, it is regulated by the Public Utilities Board of Manitoba.
[8] Centra Gas Manitoba initially received its provincial charter in 1953.
[2] It was privately owned by Vancouver-based Westcoast Energy from 1990 until 1999, when it was purchased by Manitoba Hydro.
[5][6][9] In the couple of years preceding the sale, Centra began speculative natural gas trading, leading to a CA$45.5 million loss which Manitoba utility regulators ruled could not be recovered by the company through a rate hike, forcing shareholders to absorb the loss.
[10] Moreover, as early as 1996, Centra had been working with Manitoba Hydro to reduce costs by combining forces on activities like power meter reading and billing.