EnBridge Inc. TSX: ENB

Calgary-based Enbridge is a multifaceted operation. It is best known for its huge pipeline business, which operates the world’s longest crude oil and liquids transportation system. Enbridge has almost 25,000 kilometres (more than 15,000 miles) of crude oil pipelines, delivering more than 2.2 million barrels of oil a day. It also has an extensive system of natural gas pipelines in Western Canada and Texas and is the largest gas gatherer and transporter in the Gulf of Mexico, transporting approximately 2.3 billion cubic feet a day.

The company is also Canada’s largest retail natural gas distributor, serving Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State, with more than two million customers. Enbridge has about 11,000 employees in Canada and the U.S. and has been recognized as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the world.

The company has a fine long-term record of delivering value to shareholders. Since it was first recommended in my Internet Wealth Builder newsletter in August 1999, the stock has increased in value by more than 550 per cent. The dividend has been raised every year for more than a decade, even during the bitter recession of 2008-09. One more key point: the risk is very low. The shares did drop during the crash but by much less than the broad market, and they recovered quickly. If you only own one stock, this is it.