CONVENTIONS
The terms "we", "our", "us" and "Enbridge" as used in this report refer collectively to Enbridge Inc. and its subsidiaries unless the context suggests otherwise. These terms are used for convenience only and are not intended as a precise description of any separate legal entity within Enbridge.
Unless otherwise specified, all dollar amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars, all references to "dollars" or "$" are to Canadian dollars and all references to "US$" are to United States (US) dollars. All amounts are provided on a before-tax basis, unless otherwise stated.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements, have been included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q to provide information about us and our subsidiaries and affiliates, including management’s assessment of our and our subsidiaries’ future plans and operations. This information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "likely", "plan", "project", "target" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information or statements included or incorporated by reference in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the following: our corporate vision and strategy, including strategic priorities and enablers; expected supply of, demand for, exports of and prices of crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL), liquefied natural gas (LNG), renewable natural gas (RNG) and renewable energy; energy evolution and lower-carbon energy, and our approach thereto; our sustainability goals, practices and performance; industry and market conditions; anticipated utilization of our assets; dividend growth and payout policy; financial strength and flexibility; expectations on sources of liquidity and sufficiency of financial resources; expected strategic priorities and performance of the Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission, Gas Distribution and Storage, and Renewable Power Generation businesses; the characteristics, anticipated benefits, financing and timing of our acquisitions, dispositions and other transactions, including the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions of three US gas utilities (US Gas Utilities) from Dominion Energy, Inc. (the Acquisitions); expected future actions of regulators and courts; government trade policies and potential impacts of potential and announced tariffs, duties, fees, economic sanctions, or other trade measures and the timing thereof; expected costs, benefits and in-service dates related to announced projects and projects under construction; expected capital expenditures; investable capacity and capital allocation priorities; expected equity funding requirements for our commercially secured growth program; expected future growth, development and expansion opportunities; expected optimization and efficiency opportunities; expectations about our joint venture partners' ability to complete and finance projects under construction; our ability to successfully integrate the US Gas Utilities; expected closing of acquisitions, dispositions and other transactions and the timing thereof; toll and rate case discussions and proceedings and anticipated timeline and impact therefrom, including those relating to the Gas Distribution and Storage and Gas Transmission businesses; operational, industry, regulatory, climate change and other risks associated with our businesses; and our assessment of the potential impact of the various risk factors identified herein.
Although we believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available on the date such statements are made and processes used to prepare the information, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Material assumptions include the following: the expected supply of, demand for, export of and prices of crude oil, natural gas, NGL, LNG, RNG and renewable energy; anticipated utilization of our assets; exchange rates; inflation; interest rates; tariffs and trade policies; availability and price of labor and construction materials; the stability of our supply chain; operational reliability; maintenance of support and regulatory approvals for our projects and transactions; anticipated in-service dates; weather; the timing, terms and closing of acquisitions, dispositions and other transactions; the realization of anticipated benefits of transactions, including the Acquisitions; governmental legislation; litigation; estimated future dividends and impact of our dividend policy on our future cash flows; our credit ratings; capital project funding; hedging program; expected earnings before interest, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA); expected earnings/(loss); expected future cash flows; and expected distributable cash flow. Assumptions regarding the expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL, LNG, RNG and renewable energy, and the prices of these commodities, are material to and underlie all forward-looking statements, as they may impact current and future levels of demand for our services. Similarly, exchange rates, inflation, interest rates and tariffs impact the economies and business environments in which we operate and may impact levels of demand for our services and cost of inputs and are therefore inherent in all forward-looking statements. The most relevant assumptions associated with forward-looking statements regarding