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2006-2007
Departmental Performance Report

Supreme Court of Canada

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The Honourable R. Nicholson
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

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Table of Contents

Section I: DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW

A. Message from the Registrar
B. Management Representation Statement
C. Summary Information
D. Summary Departmental Performance
E. Link to Government of Canada Outcome Areas

Section II: PERFORMANCE BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME AND RESULTS

A. Expected Result: Process cases without delay
B. Expected Result: Independence of the Court
C. Expected Result: Access to Court services
D. Expected Result: Access to information
E. Expected Result: Productive workforce
F. Expected Result: Sound management

Section III: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

A. Organization of the Office of the Registrar
B. Financial Tables

Section IV: OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

A. For further information
B. Listing of statutory and departmental reports
C. Legislation administered

I: Departmental Overview

A. Message from the Registrar

Performance Reports have a tendency to focus on new and unusual achievements and to gloss over accomplishments in ongoing activities. For the Office of the Registrar, which has a stable mission from year to year, it is of primary importance to underline its notable performance in attaining its ongoing goals and objectives and secondly to highlight the results achieved in dealing with special challenges.

Expected results in ongoing strategic priorities were met or exceeded as demonstrated by the statistical evidence regarding workload and by feedback regarding quality of service.

With respect to special initiatives, the highlight of the year was the report resulting from the Registry survey on client satisfaction. It indicated clearly that the services offered to litigants meet their needs and rated the staff as courteous, accessible, knowledgeable and efficient and as providing high quality information. These ratings reflect the high caliber of all of the staff of the Supreme Court and their dedication to the work of this national institution.

The survey also canvassed litigants` requirements and preferences with respect to modes of service delivery, confirming that service in-person, by telephone, by mail and on- line is expected. This result well illustrates the on-going challenge facing the Office of the Registrar of maintaining numerous channels of communication, both from a human and a financial perspective. Clearly, multi-channel communications will be required for the foreseeable future to appropriately serve the Court’s internal and external users. The Office of the Registrar will build on this year’s successes, such as the new Library Management Service, with next year’s anticipated successes, such as posting factums on the Court’s website.

The Office of the Registrar derives its successes from the foresight and motivation of its staff to pursue new avenues to deliver services, while maintaining highly reliable processes and systems. Next year’s challenges in this regard will be particularly daunting as we will be moving from years of planning towards the implementation of the Court Modernization Program, a program consolidating four major projects: Courtroom AV/IT, Electronic Document and Records Management System, Electronic-Filing and Word Processing. This modernization initiative will profoundly transform internal processes and enhance service delivery.

Success will require competent and dedicated staff. The Public Service Employee Survey confirmed that the Court can rely on such. However, in order to maintain this situation, it is necessary to devote effort to the retention and recruitment of a workforce to meet the requirements of a modern court. We hope that the implementation next year of an integrated human resources and business plan, which has also been in the planning stages, will help the Office of the Registrar in this regard.

I am confident that the staff is ready and proud to rise to the occasion in its dedication to serve the Canadian population.

B. Management Representation Statement

Management Representation Statement I submit for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-2007 Departmental Performance Report (DPR) for the Supreme Court of Canada. This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2006-2007 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports: It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat guidance; It is based on the Supreme Court of Canada’s approved Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture that were approved by the Treasury Board; It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information; It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and It reports finances based on approved numbers from the Estimates and the Public Accounts of Canada. Name : _____________________ Anne Roland Title : Registrar Date: _____________________

C. Summary Information

Reason for Existence

As the final court of appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada serves Canadians by leading the development of common and civil law through its decisions on questions of public importance. The mandate of the Supreme Court of Canada is to have and exercise an appellate, civil and criminal jurisdiction within and throughout Canada, which it meets by hearing and deciding cases of public importance. In accordance with the Supreme Court Act, the Supreme Court of Canada consists of the Chief Justice and the eight Puisne Judges. The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada exists to provide the full gamut of services the Court needs in order to hear cases and render decisions, and serves as the interface between the litigants and the Court. The focus of this report is the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada. More detailed information on the Court’s responsibilities, the hearing process and judgments is available on the Internet (http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca).

Financial Resources ($ million)

2006-2007
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
27.8	31.0	29.5

Human Resources (Full Time Equivalents)

2006-2007
Planned	Actual	Difference
190	192	2

Status on Performance

Strategic Outcome: To provide the best possible decision-making environment for the Supreme Court of Canada.

Priority and Type	Program Activity - Expected Result	Performance Status	2006 -07 Planned Spending ($ million)	2006-07 Actual Spendind ($ milion)
1. Process cases without delay (ongoing)	Process hearings and decisions- • Independence of the Court • Process hearings and decisions promptly	Exceeded expectations	21.0	22.9
2. Provide information (ongoing)	Process hearing and decisions - • Access to Court services • Access to information	Successfully met	3.1	2.6
3. Manage risk (previously committed to in 2004/05)	Process hearings and decisions • Sound management	Successfully met	0.9	0.5
4. Build capacity (previously committed to in 2004/05)	Process hearings and decision - • Productive workforce	Successfully met	2.8	2.7

D. Summary Departmental Performance

Operating Environment and Context

The environment within which the Office of the Registrar must carry out its activities is continually evolving. The legal environment is becoming increasingly complicated and technological advancements place ongoing pressure on the Court to update its facilities and services. In addition, the Office of the Registrar is faced with greater public demand for information and services, all in the context of a changing and highly complex judicial environment. The globalization of the law, democratization, human rights issues and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms create an environment where the Court is regularly faced with high profile issues for resolution. The pressure on the Court to “get it right” is unrelenting and daunting, which in turn places significant demands on the staff of the Office of the Registrar who are required to undertake in-depth research and analysis, respond to requests for information from the public and media, and provide assistance to the litigants and lawyers.

Changes and trends in court administration include:

• Reduced caseload of the Court. The workload of the Office of the Registrar in terms of caseload has been very stable over the last 10 years (around 90 appeals and 600 leave applications per year). However, in 2006, the number of cases decreased to about 80 appeals heard and 506 applications. The impact of the reduction in applications for leave will be reflected in the number of appeals heard in 2007. It is not likely that this reduction in caseload will be permanent. In general, cases have become more complex.

• Continued focus on electronic exchange of information. Electronic tools continue to be more prevalent in the way courts are interfacing with the public as well as in the manner in which courts exchange information. There is an increasing and continuing expectation from stakeholders for electronic access (e.g., in the courtroom, library). Courts are adopting different e-filing practices depending on the nature of their caseload. The number of electronic cases from the lower courts is increasing. This highlights the need for greater interoperability with court users and between courts, and has important implications regarding public access to court files, and the development of common information standards with respect to e-filing and how judicial information is created, kept and moved through the court system.

• Changes regarding access to court records. A Model Policy on access to court records was issued by the Canadian Judicial Council in August 2006. Recent legislative changes, such as new privacy legislation, have implications in terms of privacy and on-line access to court information. The Office of the Registrar undertook a project to adapt the Model Policy and develop a policy for electronic access to appeal factums that would be suitable to the requirements of the Court. A draft policy was developed and should be implemented during the next Fiscal Year.

• Increasing number of cases involving secrecy, privacy and security concerns. There is more sealing of documents. Practices and policies vary between provinces and courts, and the SCC must be able to deal with these differences. This has implications in terms of the ability of the Court to identify and manage sensitive court files, and requires a more integrated approach by the Court, greater adaptability, increased tightening up of our processes, additional safeguards in our case management system, and greater staff awareness. The Court has implemented policies and procedures to handle sensitive Court information.

• Increased sharing of information on processes and practices between courts. Increasingly, courts are sharing their experiences, on such matters as e-filing, performance measurement, etc., in a more honest and forthcoming fashion and at an earlier stage, including successes, failures, and lessons learned. For example, the Office of the Registrar is increasingly working in close collaboration with other legal communities on e-filing and information and data management. These exchanges of information have become more structured, through such mechanisms as the Association of Canadian Court Administrators (ACCA), and the creation of other venues such as a Canadian Court Centre of Technology (CCCT).

Benefits to Canadians

The importance of the Court's decisions for Canadian society is well recognized. The Court assures uniformity, consistency and correctness in the articulation, development and interpretation of legal principles throughout the Canadian judicial system. Its jurisdiction is derived from the Supreme Court Act and other Acts of Parliament such as the Criminal Code.

During 2006, the Court considered roughly 500 applications for leave to appeal, heard 80 appeals, and rendered judgment in 79 appeals. The following table shows statistics on the Court’s caseload for the past ten years.

Caseload 1996 to 2006

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Cases Filed
Complete applications for leave to appeal	561	637	604	585	642	621	523	550	568	544	506
Notices of appeal as of right	43	34	30	15	17	21	13	12	12	16	7
Application for Leave
Submitted to the Court	573	615	572	458	640	668	498	609	559	575	477
Granted (pending)	67	68	70	60	84	79	53	75	83	65	55
Percentage granted	12	11	12	13	13	12	11	12	15	11	12
Appeals Heard
Total number	118	104	106	75	78	96	72	82	83	93	80
As or right	49	37	30	19	14	17	16	16	13	13	13
By leave	69	67	76	56	64	79	56	66	70	80	67
Hearing days	82	76	71	55	57	62	51	56	61	62	56
Appeal Judgments
Total number	124	107	92	73	72	91	88	81	78	89	79

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada benefits Canadians by providing the services that the Court requires to hear cases and render its decisions, by providing information and giving access to the Court and its services, by processing hearings and decisions promptly, and by assuming a leadership role within the legal community.

By providing information and facilitating access to information on the Court, the Office of the Registrar ensures that:

• Litigants and the legal community are well-served;
• The general public is well-informed of the workings and decisions of the Court;
• The media can report on Court decisions and their effects in a fair and impartial manner; and
• The work of the Court becomes better understood both nationally and internationally.

The responsive and efficient service provided by the Office of the Registrar to litigants and the legal community means smoother legal proceedings, better use of public funds, and less stress on litigants and employees.

As the highest court in Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada sets precedents for other courts and tribunals. The Office of the Registrar plays a leadership role in court management. The Office of the Registrar benefits the federal, provincial and international judicial communities through the exchange of information and best practices on various topics such as case management, e-filing, and reporting of decisions.

Overall Results of the Office of the Registrar

The Office of the Registrar was generally successful in meeting expectations identified in its 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities. Section II of this report provides more detailed information on results; however, the highlights are included here, as follows:

1. Process cases without delay. The Office of the Registrar continued to make improvements in the time lapses between the filing of application for leave and the decision between application for leave, and the date leave granted (or date notice of appeal as of right filed) and hearing. However, the elapsed time between the hearing and judgment increased for the second year in a row. This priority is also measured by feedback regarding quality of service. The Office of the Registrar engaged a private sector firm in 2006/07 to conduct a client satisfaction survey of recent Registry Branch clients, including counsel, agents and self-represented litigants. The overall feedback from clients was very positive, with three out of four respondents indicating they were “very satisfied” with the service they received, and virtually all respondents (99%) stating they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied”.

2. Provide information. This priority is focussed on the provision of information to stakeholders outside of the Office of the Registrar (such as the public, the media and the legal community) as well as to internal users, and as such is addressed by a wide range of activities. Overall, considerable progress has been made in this area. The survey conducted of Registry Branch clients (see paragraph above) reflects positively on the Office of the Registrar’s efforts in this area. A draft policy for electronic access to appeal factums was developed, a special web portal for self represented litigants is near completion and detailed specifications for access to electronic records in the Courtroom during the hearing of an appeal have been finalized. Internally, progress was made through commencement of work on an enhanced information management infrastructure. Finally, the Office of the Registrar was a key player in the planning and organization of the 2006 Annual General meetings of the Association of Canadian Court Administrators (ACCA) and the Association of Reporters of Judicial Decisions, which offered a further, if informal, means of providing information on the Court.

A key achievement was the development of a file classification plan, which is an important component of the Office of the Registrar’s planned Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS).

3. Manage risks. The Office of the Registrar has made progress towards this priority by implementing an integrated approach for identifying, assessing and managing all risks facing the Court and the Office of the Registrar. Security continues to be a key concern in terms of risk management, and the Office of the Registrar continually reviews and revises the security regime. Key activities undertaken during 2006/7 include:

• Development of a security policy which will be finalized in the new year.
• Approval of the Business Continuity Plan framework & detailed Business Continuity Plans.
• Submission of Management of Information Technology Security (MITS) report.

A significant risk over the past number of years has been the age and condition of audio visual equipment in the Courtroom, and the absence of modern information technology equipment. The audio visual equipment, while being regularly maintained, is old, and has had service problems which have lead on occasion to some operational issues. The absence of information technology equipment has left the Court lagging behind lower courts, and has resulted in a continuous reliance on paper-based means of presenting cases. Both of these issues have been recognized, and in October 2006 with receipt of Effective Project Approval, the Office of the Registrar launched the Courtroom Audio-Visual / Information Technology Project, which is addressing these concerns.

4. Build capacity. This priority includes a number of elements, and progress was made in each of these as follows:

a. People capacity: The Office of the Registrar has a motivated and committed workforce, as is demonstrated by consistently positive Public Service Employee Survey results. However, recruitment and retention of staff with the required skills continues to be a challenge. In addition, the Office of the Registrar devoted considerable efforts towards the enhancement and formalization of a Human Resource planning process. At the end of the fiscal year, the Office of the Registrar was very close to completion of the first draft of the resulting Human Resource plan. Another priority was the integration of Human Resource and business planning. For the first time, Human Resource considerations were a formal part of the individual sector business planning processes. Work remains, however, in order to have an fully integrated (i.e., including Human Resource and asset considerations) business plan for the Office of the Registrar as a whole.

b. Information management / technology capacity: Many enhancements were made to the Office of the Registrar’s information technology infrastructure aimed at increasing the infrastructure capacity and increasing alignment with Treasury Board Secretariat requirements and industry standards. The back-up process and related tools were upgraded and enhanced, a new Storage Area Network was acquired to prepare for the implementation of the Court’s EDRMS solution, upgrades to the Active Directory were planned, and Business Continuity and Resumption Plans were fully reviewed and updated. Many IT security upgrades were implemented in line with the Management of Information Technology Security Standard (MITS) and the availability and reliability of IT systems remained high. The EDRMS allows the initiation of an interface design between the new product and the existing Case Management System using a new development framework (.Net) and which corresponded to the development of metadata standards, the refinement of the Office of the Registrar’s information classification plan and retention and disposition schedules, and the revamping of some operational processes to maximize efficiencies in an electronic context. The introduction of a significant amount of new technologies and products brought a need for revamping the existing IM/IT processes, which were reviewed and adjusted in line with the Information Technology Information Library Standards and best practices. Finally, the introduction of digital audio visual technology in the courtroom provided the Office of the Registrar with an opportunity to achieve a greater degree of integration between its information technology infrastructure and audio visual products, which will facilitate management and sustainability.

A key focus for building capacity was the ongoing upgrade to the Library Management System to enable the Court and the staff of the Office of the Registrar to filter and search through the hybrid print and electronic legal collections in the Library. A new online catalogue was launched in both intranet and internet versions (for access by the general public) in May 2006, and in December 2006 and January 2007, open URL software and a federated search engine were integrated to enable seamless searching across multiple formats.

c. Processing capacity: The Office of the Registrar continued to focus on service improvement and performance measurement during 2006/07. To improve efficiency and enhance functionality, particularly with respect to the flow of electronic records the Office of the Registrar embarked in the winter of 2006/07 on a major court modernization program, consolidating the courtroom systems AV/IT Modernization Project, the E-filing Project and the Word Processing Upgrade Project. In the Library, as a result of the implementation of the new Library Management System, a number of products previously distributed in print format, have been re-engineered to allow for electronic distribution to Members of the Court and staff of the Office of the Registrar. Enhanced Tables of contents are added to records to improve the search experience, and journal contents services are delivered in electronic format and linked to full-text online.

d. Facilities: Progress towards completion of the two projects identified in the 2006-07 RPP was mixed. Effective Project Approval and funding for the Courtroom Audio Visual and Information Technology Project were received. The requirements and design phase of the project was completed, followed by a successful “proof of concept” or pilot to ensure the feasibility of the design. By the end of the year, the acquisition of the equipment, furniture and software required was well underway. The project to redesign and refit the East Entrance was underway in November 2006 when service problems were encountered, ultimately forcing a suspension of work in January 2007. Construction resumed in the new year with a new contractor, and is expected to be completed by fall 2007.

E. Link to Government of Canada Outcome Areas

The Supreme Court of Canada is at the apex of the judiciary branch of the Canadian government, and a fundamental institution in the Canadian democracy. It is aligned with the Government Affairs outcome area as found in the Whole of Government Framework, as it supports all other outcome areas.

II: Performance by Strategic Outcome and Results

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court has a single strategic outcome - to provide the best possible decision-making environment for the Supreme Court of Canada. This single strategic outcome is supported by one Program Activity - Process hearings and decisions, defined as the provision of services the Court must have to render its decisions as the Court of last resort. The principal responsibilities of the Office of the Registrar are to provide a full range of administrative and support services to the Judges and to manage cases coming to the Court.

The planned results in support of this are:

• To process hearings and decisions promptly;
• To ensure the independence of the Court as an institution within the framework of sound public administration;
• To improve access to the Court and its services; and
• To provide the information base that the Court needs to fulfill its mandate.

The performance management framework of the Office of the Registrar also includes performance indicators related to a Productive Workforce and Sound Management. The following table identifies the performance indicators applicable to each expected result.

Expected result	Performance indicator
Process cases promptly	• Feedback regarding quality of service • Quality of technology • Elapsed time for processing cases • Quality of library services
Independence of the court	• Perception of institutional independence • Identification of potential conflict of interest
Access to Court services	• Time to respond to requests for information • Effectiveness of rules • Quality of protocol services • Quality of electronic access to Court services and information • System availability • Provision of media access • Physical security
Access to information	• Access to case information • Quality of storage, retention and preservation of Court information • Library collection
Productive workforce	• Motivated and committed workforce • Skilled workforce
Sound management	• Conformity to Management Accountability Framework (MAF)

The remainder of this section reports on the Office of the Registrar’s performance against each indicator.

A. Expected Result: Process cases without delay

Since the fundamental and on-going priority of the Supreme Court is to hear cases and render decisions, it follows that the ultimate and fundamental priority of the Office of the Registrar is to process cases without delay. Key performance indicators are feedback regarding quality of service, elapsed time for processing cases, the quality of technology in place, and the quality of library services.

• Feedback regarding quality of service. Stakeholder satisfaction is monitored on a qualitative basis through feedback from the Judges and the legal profession. During 2006/07, this was supplemented by a formal survey of clients’ (counsel, agents and self-represented litigants) satisfaction with various Registry Branch services, including assessment of the scope, quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the services and information provided.

• Feedback from the Judges. The Registrar regularly confers with the Judges to assess their level of satisfaction regarding the quality and timeliness of professional and administration services provided to them by Court staff. Feedback has generally been very positive. The Judges are anxious for the Court Modernization project to be completed.

• Feedback from legal community. The Registrar regularly meets with external legal agents to obtain feedback on service delivery. For example, feedback is obtained through the Canadian Bar Association/Supreme Court of Canada (CBA/SCC) Liaison Committee, as well as committees such as the Court Ottawa Agents Practice and Procedures Committee (COAPP) and other informal communications with the legal community. The overall level of satisfaction is high. Key ongoing requirements from counsel are the need for responsive and efficient service, and the demand for electronic access to information.

• Feedback from clients. A survey of Registry Branch clients was conducted between February 1st and 23rd 2007. The full list of 299 clients appearing before the Supreme Court in 2006 was contacted to complete the survey, with 178 (or 60%) responding. Clients were asked to provide feedback on the quality of Registry Branch services, hours of operation, communication channels, Registry Branch staff, and the SCC website. Their feedback was very positive. Three out of four respondents stated they were “very satisfied” with the service they received, while virtually all respondents (99%) were “satisfied” or “very satisfied”. Hours of operation were deemed acceptable, while a small percentage would prefer longer service hours. Most clients use the phone or online communication channels, but satisfaction is higher among those who use in-person, fax or mail. Registry Branch staff were deemed to be courteous, accessible, knowledgeable and efficient, and to provide high quality information. Virtually all respondents were “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with the calibre of Registry staff. The Court website was viewed positively, although not as strongly as other service areas. Areas for improvement were found to be the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada, which could be more complete and clear, as could the guidelines for preparing the electronic copy of the factum on appeal. Evidence also indicated a requirement to take steps to ensure the most commonly used communication channels, particularly the online channel, provide the same level of service as the more traditional, yet less complex, channels.

In 2006-07, the Library participated in the LibQual+ Canadian Consortium benchmarking survey, as part of four Canadian government libraries involved in this major service quality study of over 200 academic and research libraries. The LibQual+ survey evolved from a conceptual model based on the SERVQUAL instrument, a popular tool for assessing service quality in the private sector. Only internal clients were surveyed. Results will be evaluated in 2007-08 and used to develop innovative ways to improve library service.

The Office of the Registrar refined a number of business processes during 2006-2007, for example:

• The latest revision to the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada was drafted and adopted, and training materials were provided for the Judges, court staff and outside counsel. The changes have been implemented without any difficulties.
• A comprehensive procedures manual for all Registry operations was finalized.
• A comprehensive guide for conducting media lock ups on the release of selected Court decisions was written and adopted.
• Court case and administrative records management were consolidated under a single manager.
• The workflow for the production of the Bulletin of Proceedings, in its new bilingual format, was improved.
• A Program Management Office was created to coordinate activities of four major projects : Courtroom AV/IT, EDRMS, E-Filing and Word Processing software upgrade.
• A communications services function was created, consolidating communications activities and accountabilities from various branches and laying the ground work for a communications centre of expertise.
• Implementation of open URL software and federated searching to enable searching across the hybrid print and electronic legal collections in the Library.
• Redesign of the Library intranet to conform to common look and feel standards.
• Implementation of library self-circulation kiosks and automation of interlibrary loan services to external libraries were integrated with the Library Management System (LMS).

Elapsed time for processing cases

The Office of the Registrar maintains monthly statistics on the Court’s caseload and backlog, and produces a public annual statistical report. Detailed information on the case load is also available on the Court’s Internet site (http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca). The number of leave applications that are waiting and ready to be submitted has been maintained at a stable level of under 70 cases. Over 90% of leave applications were decided within six months of filing.

Average time lapses over time for processing cases in 2006 are shown in the table below. The average time between filing an application for leave and the decision decreased slightly in 2006. The average time between the date leave is granted and the hearing decreased more significantly. The average time between the hearing and the release of the judgment increased in 2006, representing the second consecutive year this has increased.

Average Time Lapses	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
(in months)
Between filing of application for leave and decision on application for leave	4.4	3.5	3.9	5.2	5.4
Between date leave granted (or date notice of appeal as of right filed) and hearing	11.8	10.9	12.0	11.1	12.5
Between hearing and judgment	3.0	2.8	2.8	5.4	5.8

Average Time Lapses	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
(in months)
Between filing of application for leave and decision on application for leave	4.3	5.7	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.4
Between date leave granted (or date notice of appeal as of right filed) and hearing	11.4	12.2	10.5	9.4	9.1	7.7
Between hearing and judgment	5.6	5.6	5.1	4	5.2	5.9

 

Quality of technology

Information technology continued to be a major focus during 2006-2007. Existing technology groupings include standard office/desktop tools, courtroom technology (e.g., Audio Visual equipment), in-house applications such as the Case Management System, off-the-shelf commercial applications (e.g., Human Resource Information System (HRIS), Free Balance, Library Management System), security, web applications and support hardware and infrastructure. Major projects are underway to introduce an enterprise-wide EDRMS, to support electronic filing, to upgrade the Court’s word processing software, to completely revamp the Courtroom’s audio visual systems and to introduce information technology to the courtroom, in addition to regular ongoing updates and upgrades to IT infrastructure and desk top applications.

Quality of library services

In addition to serving the Supreme Court, the Library provides services to lawyers appearing before the Court, to the Federal Courts (Federal Court of Appeal, Federal Court, Tax Court of Canada), to members of the Bar and, by special permission, to others in the legal field. Through a variety of resource sharing agreements with Law Society and Courthouse Libraries and through inter-library loan networks, the Canadian public is able to benefit from the historical and current legal collections in common and civil law. In 2006-2007, the second phase in the renewal of the Library Management System was made a priority, to ensure that the Court’s library users would have the required functionality to effectively access the extensive hybrid, print and electronic collections. Use of the interlibrary loan system was heavily promoted to law libraries across the country. Seamless access to electronic and print journals was made possible through the introduction of open URL technology, while a federated search engine enables Library users to search across multiple data bases and the internet.

B. Expected Result: Independence of the Court

At the apex of the judiciary, the Court decides cases of public importance that affect Canadian citizens and governments. In this context, the Office of the Registrar must ensure that the institutional independence of the Court is clearly safeguarded within the framework of sound public administration.

Perception of institutional independence

Appropriate arms-length relationships must be maintained with Parliament, the Department of Justice and the Central Agencies. The Registrar regularly confers with the Judges to assess their level of comfort that the Supreme Court is maintaining its institutional independence. The Office of the Registrar also receives informal feedback from ongoing relationships with international, federal and provincial jurisdictions, and takes action where appropriate.

The Court indirectly supports its institutional independence by its active participation in the international community of judges and jurists, and by acting as a focal point for foreign visitors interested in the administration of justice in Canada. The Court's jurisprudence is regularly considered by courts in other countries. The Court receives and organizes visits for many delegations from the four horizons, for sharing of information on modern court management processes (59 official visits were held in 2006). Office of the Registrar staff and the Judges have also been participating actively in international associations by providing a selection of decisions from the Court's database for distribution to their members and attending their meetings to discuss issues of common interest.

Identification of potential conflict of interest

The Office of the Registrar has put in place controls to identify and track potential conflicts of interest on the part of the Judges, the Registrar and the Deputy Registrar. The Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada have been amended to require litigants to advise the Court of any perceived potential conflict of interest when filing documents. An automated tracking system ensures that Judges are not placed in a situation of perceived conflict of interest.

C. Expected Result: Access to Court services

The Office of the Registrar must ensure that the Court is accessible and that it provides services and information to litigants and counsel in a timely manner. The survey on Registry Branch services (summarized in Section A., above) provided useful feedback on how clients view the accessibility of Court information.

Time to respond to requests for information

In large part requests for information were answered within established service standards. Feedback from stakeholders has been positive. There were few complaints. Improvements have also been made to the web site to facilitate access to information on a self-serve basis. Enhancements made during 2006-2007 include media web portals, an educational web portal and video, information management business rules for Judges’ papers and a reworked University of Montreal web site for Court decisions (Lexum).

General enquiries and requests for information by the public are increasing, resulting from a better-informed and demanding public and from the captivating issues debated in Court cases. The number of phone calls, e-mails and letters from the general public are more demanding. In 2006, the Court Records staff responded to 2,719 requests from internal and external clients for information on Court related files and documents, and 7,125 files or parts thereof were retrieved for these clients. Through improved statistical reports, Court Records is now able to monitor service standards. Over 95% of requests were dealt with within the established service standard of 48 hours. Phone calls at the Registry were also answered within established service levels by the receptionist. Only 6.7 % of the calls over a sample eight week period went to Registry voice mail. All calls, however, were returned within one business day. Further, Court Operations staff must maintain current and complete information regarding the progress of all cases before the Court, parties and counsel involved, hearing timetables and all decisions on motions, applications for leave to appeal and appeals on the Court's public Internet site, as well as announcing major events in a case and upcoming schedules in news releases. As well Court staff publishes in house and on the internet the Bulletin of Proceedings and the official Supreme Court Reports.
As is found to be the trend in most courts across the country, there are an increasing number of self represented litigants coming to the Court, as is shown in the table below. These litigants need more assistance than those who have counsel, putting extra demands on staff. In 2006, 299 letters were sent to self represented litigants, 50 of them included information kits to assist them in putting together their application for leave to appeal.

Years	Leave Applications filed by all litigants	Leave Applications filed by self represented litigants	% filed by self represented litigants
1999	585	111	19%
2000	642	117	18%
2001	621	117	19%
2002	523	106	20%
2003	550	92	17%
2004	568	114	20%
2005	544	103	19%
2006	506	115	23%

Effectiveness of rules

Ongoing revisions are made to the Rules of Practice of the Supreme Court of Canada. These are drafted after consultation with outside lawyers on the Court Ottawa Agents Practice and Procedures Committee (COAPP) and the Canadian Bar Association/Supreme Court of Canada (CBA/SCC) Liaison Committee. A major overhaul of the rules was done in 2002. Since then, suggestions for minor adjustments have been collected and revisions proposed; these came into force in October 2006. Overall, Court rules are effective and up to date. Feedback from the COAPP and CBA/SCC Liaison Committee is generally positive. Recommendations for improvement from the Registry survey will be addressed next year.

Quality of protocol services

Protocol services include organizing special events of the Court (including receptions, dinners, conferences, lectures, and unveilings), receiving dignitaries and visitors officially invited by the Court (national and international), and providing assistance to Judges when travelling internationally on behalf of the Court. Overall, the feedback regarding the protocol services has been positive. Events are perceived to be successful. No major concerns have been identified, and service improvements are made on an ongoing basis.

Quality of electronic access to Court Services and Information

The Supreme Court web site continued to be the object of enhancements that aimed at improving the timely availability of information about cases and hearings. Bilingual summaries are prepared for each leave application and posted on the Court’s website, which is updated on a daily basis, and therefore has current case information. Development of a web portal for self represented litigants commenced in 2006/07 to be implemented in 2007/08. Hard copy instruction packages were also updated. The Office of the Registrar continues to be fully committed to its phased approach to e-filing, with the intention of having all appeal documents e-filed for all Fall 2008 cases.

Systems Availability

A key concern is the dependability of audio-visual systems in the courtroom. Short term fixes were implemented in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 pending the longer term improvements that will result with the realization of the Courtroom Audio Visual / Information Management / Technology project. As well, an emergency back-up system to provide the basic capability to continue a hearing in the event of audio visual system failure was acquired.

Provision of media access

The lock up system for important judgment releases is now well-entrenched and suggestions for improvements in media relations are received via the Court’s media committee. A main focus of the Courtroom AV modernization project is the enhancement of the broadcast quality for the media.

Security

Activities undertaken to maintain and improve security levels included:

• Implementation of recommendations resulting from 2004-2005 Security Audit. Security policies and procedures for the Office of the Registrar were developed or enhanced as appropriate and will be further refined in the next fiscal year. The update to the Office of the Registrar’s business continuity framework and plan was completed and tested in 2006-2007, and will be kept current through ongoing maintenance and regular testing, and adapted as required in accordance with the government’s best practices and the Continuity of Constitutional Government orientation.

• Security awareness. A security awareness program delivery agenda was formulated. Furthermore, the Security Guide for the Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada was updated and distributed in conjunction with one-on-one security briefings conducted with each judge.

D. Expected Result: Access to information

The Office of the Registrar undertook a number of initiatives to develop and implement a strategy for managing and accessing information, including the Intranet/Internet, systems and repositories for communicating information, storage and handling of archival information, and preservation of electronic information (e.g., VHS, DVD, microfiche). Implementation also includes the information infrastructure (e.g., governance, documentation, and training). These improvements will reduce duplication of information, improve access to information, ensure better presentation of information and support knowledge sharing and transfer.

Access to case information

The Office of the Registrar must ensure ease of public access to information such as Court decisions, as well as ease of access by Judges and employees to historical case information and other legal documents. Case information is available in electronic format, although there are still limits to accessing documents on file. Enhancements to the Court's Case Management System are ongoing as users rely heavily on this application. The Office of the Registrar currently provides access to the Case Management System logic through the website, and is exploring the possibility of expanding this access to additional information and documents, including the electronic factum. Online reports are being created to satisfy the growing demand from counsel for information. A draft policy for access to court records, including access to factums, on the Court’s website was developed in 2006-2007; following comments, it was approved in May 2007, and will be implemented during 2007-2008.

Quality of storage, retention and preservation of Court information

The Office of the Registrar has a well established records management function for legal files. An audit of the information management function was undertaken in 2004-2005, addressing both legal and administrative records. The audit made a number of recommendations to be implemented over a four year period intended to make improvements in governance structures, control mechanisms, policies and practices, risk management and information for decision-making. Implementation of many of the recommendations has commenced, including extensive preparations for implementation of an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) in 2007-08. Work done included definition of requirements, selection of system, training strategy and application architecture.

In preparation for the implementation of the EDRMS, a file classification plan, metadata profile and retention schedule were developed. The development process for these tools included extensive user consultations, thereby encouraging buy in by staff to information management initiatives.

Library holdings

With approximately 350,000 volumes, the Library of the Supreme Court provides the research base for the Court. The Library's extensive collection comprises statutes, law reports, periodicals and treatises from major common and civil law jurisdictions, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France and Belgium. Its print and microform holdings are supplemented by access to a vast range of electronic legal resources and databases. It is also enriched by a valuable collection of rare books printed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries pertaining to the common law of England and the civil law of France.

In 2006-2007 the Library completely redesigned its intranet site to fully exploit the capabilities of the upgraded Library Management System and the peripheral softwares implemented over the course of the year, including the ability of users to effectively access the best available copy of a journal, in either print or electronic formats. Additionally hundreds of bibliographic records were enhanced with electronic tables of contents, and linked to full text.

E. Expected Result: Productive workforce

The key indicators are a motivated, committed and skilled workforce.

Motivated and committed workforce

The most recent Public Service Employee Survey indicated a continued high level of commitment to the organization. Responses were positive across all areas of the survey. Of particular note are responses indicating that 99% of employees responding are strongly committed to making their organization successful and agree that their organization is a good place to work, and that 97% of respondents are proud of their work units. However, while the overall responses are positive, the Office of the Registrar recognized areas for improvement, and identified three priorities for action: learning and career development, human resource training for employees and managers, and communications between employees and supervisors and from senior management.

Skilled workforce

As is the case with many small agencies, the Office of the Registrar has Difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff. Historically, recruitment has been difficult for specialty positions, namely among librarians and jurilinguists. Retention is an issue among support organizations, as the Office of the Registrar is not able to offer many opportunities for career advancement, and employees leave to obtain promotional opportunities. The Court Modernization program adds to this difficulty with the creation of new responsibilities and new positions. These challenges have been identified and reflected in a staffing plan, and have been further highlighted in the Office of the Registrar’s human resource plan.

F. Expected Result: Sound management

The Office of the Registrar has continued to improve its management practices, and carries out a yearly assessment of its practices against the government-wide Management Accountability Framework.

Conformity to the Management Accountability Framework (MAF)

The Office of the Registrar completed a management capacity assessment in 2002, and an action plan for improved management practices in 2003. The management initiatives have been integrated into the organization’s business plans. Key areas where steps have been taken during 2006-07 to improve management practices include:

• Risk management. The Office of the Registrar updates its corporate risk profile on a yearly basis as part of its strategic planning. In the way ahead, the Office of the Registrar wants to be more specific about actions that will be put in place to address high priority risks (through more detailed mitigation plans), provide managers training in risk management, and finalize the development of its business resumption and business continuity plans.

• Management, Resources and Results Structure (MRRS). The Office of the Registrar completed Step One of the MRRS Roadmap by updating the Program Activity Architecture to better reflect the programs and activities carried out. This new PAA will form the basis for reporting in 2008/09. The Office of the Registrar has a performance measurement framework in place, consisting of 19 indicators, which are a combination of qualitative and quantitative factors. Performance is monitored twice a year, first at the annual fall strategic planning retreat, and once at year end. Performance information is drawn from a number of sources, a key data source being the Case Management System. Performance is monitored against a five level performance scale relative to “target” performance, and is accompanied by an overall evaluation of strengths and weaknesses. The results of the monitoring feed into the identification of priorities and projects. In the way ahead, the Office of the Registrar hopes to assess the need for more detailed scorecards for each performance indicator.

• Internal audit. Results of audits have been very useful in improving services and tightening controls, and internal audit is seen as a strong management tool. An effective follow-up process is in place for audits. During 2006-07, an internal audit of the Office of the Registrar’s contracting and procurement activities was undertaken. The auditors found that management has taken positive action over the period examined to address known risk areas and to strengthen controls with respect to contracting, the level of knowledge of contracting requirements across the Office of the Registrar has been enhanced and many of the steps in the procurement process were standardized. Roles and responsibilities for contracting were found to be well defined and understood, and management receives regular, accurate and reliable information on contracting activities. The auditors also pointed out a number of areas for improvement, and made recommendations to the Office of the Registrar’s procedures in order that:

• risks associated with the Court’s procurement and contracting activities are regularly assessed;
• access is facilitated and competition encouraged in line with government procurement and contracting policy;
• procedures are further standardized and formalized, and processes streamlined;
• a better audit trail of the actions taken and the approvals obtained is provided;
• the knowledge of federal government contracting requirements remains current at the Court through periodic professional development and frequent consultation/liaison with Public Works and Government Services Canada;
• contracting authorities are delegated only to those individuals with in-depth knowledge of applicable government contracting rules and regulations; and
• the results of audits are presented to the Executive Committee and subsequently to Management Committee.

Key areas where additional effort is required to fully conform with the MAF include the following:

• Effective planning structure. The Office of the Registrar is taking a multi-phased approach to fully integrating asset management and human resources planning with its already established business planning process. Human resources considerations were a formal part of the 2006-07 planning process, and the first draft Integrated HR Plan was developed. Further improvements to the process will be made for the next planning cycle to fully integrate HR and business planning as well as asset management elements. A more rigorous approach for reporting progress against plans will also be instituted.

• Materiel Management. The Office of the Registrar does not have a formalized process/system for asset/materiel management. The introduction of an integrated planning process (above) will be the catalyst for improvement in this area.

III: Supplementary Information

A. Organization of the Office of the Registrar

The organization of the Office of the Registrar is shown in the chart below.

 

 

Registrar

The Registrar, a Governor-in-Council appointee, answers directly to the Chief Justice and exercises quasi-judicial powers. She is the deputy head of the Court and supervises all its staff. Her office provides management and support to the chambers of the nine Justices, the office of the Executive Legal Officer and the law clerk program. The Registrar also supports the Court activities linked to relations with the international community of judges and jurists and other courts in Canada.

Deputy Registrar

The Deputy Registrar, a Governor-in-Council appointee, oversees the work of the Court Operations Sector, which includes the Registry Branch, the Law Branch, and Public Information Services and the Tour Program.

Registry

The Registry is the hub of all procedural and documentary activities at the Court. The Registry processes, records and directs the flow of all documents filed by the parties and records all events which take place during the life of a case. It "case manages" every leave application, appeal and motion to ensure that cases are dealt with efficiently, so that no time is wasted by Judges on procedural matters or incomplete filings. The Registry assists parties by providing information on the Court's processes and activities, schedules the Court's sittings, ensures support in the Courtroom during hearings and finalizes the documentation for cases after judgments have been rendered.

Law Branch

The Law Branch provides legal services to the Judges and the administration of the Court, and manages the publication of the judgments of the Court and the Registrar's legal correspondence. Staff lawyers provide legal opinions on all leave applications filed and legal editing of all reasons for decisions. The Branch also prepares and publishes the Bulletin of Proceedings and press releases outlining the Court's agenda and listing judgments to be rendered or rendered. Legal and general translation and terminology services are provided by the jurilinguists of the Law Branch supported by external translation services.

Public Information and Tour Services

Outreach and education is done through a number of channels, including guided tours of the Court building, school kits, and of increasing importance, a broad range of web communications and responses to requests for information through the Court's public internet site.

Library and Information Services

Library and Information Services is comprised of the Library, Information Management and Technology Branch, and a Project Management Office (PMO) for the Court modernization Program. It is designed primarily to erve the Court, the Office of the Registrar, and its business units, and through them litigants, the media and the public. These responsibilities extend to the corporate level where this centre of expertise is charged with ensuring that the management of the Office of the Registrar information meets the needs of the users, and legal and central agency requirements.

Corporate Services

The administrative and operational support to the Judges and Office of the Registrar staff is provided by the Corporate Services, which is esponsible for accommodation, finance, procurement, human resources, administration, security, and strategic planning.

Financial Tables

This section provides an overview of the financial performance using a set of various financial tables, the format and table numbers being standard throughout the federal government. All figures reported under “Total Planned Spending”, “Total Authorities” and “Total Actual Spending” columns of the Financial Tables correspond to amounts published in the 2006-2007 Main Estimates and in the 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Public Accounts.

In 2006-2007, only the following financial tables were applicable to the Office of the Registrar:

• Table 1: Comparison of Planned Spending and Full Time Equivalents
• Table 2: Resources by Program Activity
• Table 3: Voted and Statutory Items
• Table 4: Services Received Without Charge
• Table 6: Sources of Respendable and Non-respendable Revenue
• Table 8: Resource Requirements by Sector
• Table 9 A: User Fees
• Table 11: Details on Project Spending
• Table 15 - Financial Statements
• Table 16: Response to Parliament, Audits and Evaluations
• Table 21: Travel Policies

Table 1: Comparison of Planned to Actual Spending (including Full Time Equivalents)

			2006-2007
($ millions)	2004-05 Actual	2005-06 Actual	Main Estimates	Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual
Process hearings and decisions	26.7	27.5	27.8	27.8	31.0	29.5
Total	26.7	27.5	27.8	27.8	31.0	29.5
Less: Non-Respendable revenue	0.2	0.3	N/A	0.2	N/A	0.3
Plus: Cost of services received without charge	5.2	5.5	N/A	5.5	N/A	9.0
Total Departmental Spending	31.7	32.7	N/A	33.1	31.0	38.2

 

			2006-2007
	2004-05 Acutal	2005-06 Actual	Planned	Actual
Full time equivalents	179	191	190	192

Table 2: Resources by Program Activity

	Budgetary	2006-2007
($ millions)	Operating	Total: Gross Budgetary Expenditures
Process hearings & decisions
Main Estimates	27.8	27.8
Planned Spending	27.8	27.8
Total Authorities	31.0	31.0
Actual Spending	29.5	29.5

	2006-2007
	Budgetary		Plus: Non-Budgetary
($ millions)	Less: Respendable Revenue	Total: Net Budgetary Expenditures	Loans, Investments and Advances	Total
Process hearings & decisions
Main Estimates	-	27.8	-	27.8
Planned Spending	-	27.8	-	27.8
Total Authorities	-	31.0	-	31.0
Actual Spending	-	29.5	-	29.5

Table 3: Voted and Statutory Items

($ millions)		2006-2007
Vote or Statutory Item	Supreme Court of Canada	Main Estimates	Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual
50	Operating expenditures	20.8	20.8	23.5	22.0
(S)	Judges’ salaries, allowances and annuities, annuities to spouses and children of Judges and lump sum payments to spouses of Judges who die while in office	4.6	4.6	5.4	5.4
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	2.4	2.4	2.1	2.1
	Total	27.8	27.8	31.0	29.5

Table 4: Services Received Without Charge

($ millions)	2006-2007
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada	4.5
Security services provided by RCMP	3.1
Contributions covering employer’s share of employees’ insurance premiums and expenditures paid by Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Employer’s contribution to employees’ insured benefits plans and associated expenditures paid by Treasury Board of Canada Secretaria.	1.3
Interpretation services provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada	0.1
Total 2006-2007 services received without charge	9.0

Table 6: Sources of Respendable & Non-Respendable Revenue

			2006-2007
($ millions)	Actual 2004-05	Actual 2005-06	Main Estimates	Planned Revenue	Total Authorities	Actual
Process hearings and decisions
Non-Respendable Revenues
Judges' contributions towards annuities	0.1	0.1	-	0.1	-	0.1
Sales of Goods, Services and Information Products	0.1	0.1	-	0.1	-	0.1
Other	0.1	0.1	-	-	-	0.1
Total Non-Respendable Revenue	0.3	0.3	-	0.2	-	0.3
Total Revenue	0.3	0.3	-	0.2	-	0.3

The Supreme Court of Canada has no respendable revenue.

Table 8: Resource Requirements by Sector

($ millions)	2006-2007
Sector	Total Process Hearings and Decisions
Executive Services
Planned Spending	5.2
Actual Spending	4.4
Court Operations
Planned Spending	7.0
Actual Spending	5.9
Library and Information Services
Planned Spending	6.8
Actual Spending	5.3
Corporate Services
Planned Spending	4.2
Actual Spending	6.5

Table 9 A: 2006-07 User Fees

				2006-	2007
User Fee	Fee Type	Fee Setting Authority	Date Last Modified	Forecast Revenue ($ 000 )	Actual Revenue ($ 000)
Sale of Bulletin of Proceedings	Other Products and Services	Supreme Court Act	October 13, 2006	5.0	8.4
Sale of Judgments	Other Products and Services	Supreme Court Act	October 13, 2006	10.0	12.5
Sale of Certificates	Other Products and Services	Supreme Court Act	October 13, 2006	7.0	8.2
Photocopies	Other Products and Services	Supreme Court Act	October 13, 2006	20.0	32.4
Other Fees	Other Products and Services	Supreme Court Act	October 13, 2006	55.0	55.9
Total 2006-07				97.0	117.4

		Planning Years
User Fee	Fiscal Year	Forecast Revenue ($ 000)
Sale of Bulletin of Proceedings	2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010	8.0 8.0 8.0
Sale of Judgments	2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010	12.0 12.0 12.0
Sale of Certificates	2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010	8.0 8.0 8.0
Photocopies	2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010	30.0 30.0 30.0
Other Fees	2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010	56.0 56.0 56.0
Sub-Total	2007-2008	114.0
Sub-Total	2008-2009	114.0
Sub-Total	2009-2010	114.0
Total 2006-07

Note: User fees are set by the Supreme Court Act, and reporting is not required under the User Fees Act. However, since details of user fees have been reported in the past, they are included here for comparative purposes.

Table 11: Details on Project Spending

The Supreme Court of Canada has implemented/commenced the following projects during the reporting period:

• East Entrance
• Courtroom Audio-Visual / Information Technology / Information Management

Supplementary information on Project Spending can be found at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/dpr1/06-07/index_e.asp.

Table 15 - Financial Statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accrual accounting principles. The unaudited supplementary information presented in the financial tables in this Departmental Performance Report is prepared on a modified cash basis of accounting in order to be consistent with appropriations-based reporting. Note 3 to the financial statements reconciles these two accounting methods.

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada

Statement of Management Responsibility

Responsibility for the integrity and objectivity of the accompanying financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2007 and all information contained in these statements rests with departmental management. These financial statements have been prepared by management in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistent with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector.

Management is responsible for the integrity and objectivity of the information in these financial statements. Some of the information in the financial statements is based on management’s best estimates and judgment and gives due consideration to materiality. To fulfill its accounting and reporting responsibilities, management maintains a set of accounts that provides a centralized record of the department’s financial transactions. Financial information submitted to the Public Accounts of Canada and included in the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Departmental Performance Report is consistent with these financial statements.

Management maintains a system of financial management and internal control designed to provide reasonable assurance that financial information is reliable, that assets are safeguarded and that transactions are in accordance with the Financial Administration Act, are executed in accordance with prescribed regulations, within Parliamentary authorities, and are properly recorded to maintain accountability of Government funds. Management also seeks to ensure the objectivity and integrity of data in its financial statements by careful selection, training and development of qualified staff, by organizational arrangements that provide appropriate divisions of responsibility, and by communication programs aimed at ensuring that regulations, policies, standards and managerial authorities are understood throughout the department.

The financial statements of the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada have not been audited.

__________________
Anne Roland
Registrar

____________________
Lynn Potter
Acting Director General,
Corporate Services

Ottawa, Canada
August 7, 2007

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
Statement of Operations (unaudited)
For the Year Ended March 31
(in dollars)

	2007	2006
		(restated)
Expenses
Salaries and employee benefits	21,656,104	20,670,443
Professional services	5,869,189	5,881,051
Accommodation	4,531,860	4,196,046
Amortization of tangible capital assets	1,168,011	989,603
Materials, office supplies and equipment	1,060,340	829,593
Library materials	1,023,089	1,098,495
Travel	766,991	907,374
Telecommunications services	363,817	324,596
Equipment rentals	207,999	204,788
Repairs and maintenance	207,935	203,634
Printing services	187,216	194,679
Postage and courier	61,765	157,511
Other	14,370	17,080
Total expenses	37,118,686	35,674,894
Revenues	261,250	219,676
Net cost of operations	36,857,436	35,455,218

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
Statement of Financial Position (unaudited)
For the Year Ended March 31
(in dollars)

	2007	2006
		(restated)
Assets
Financial assets
Accounts receivable and advances (Note 4)	349,647	197,764
Total financial assets	349,647	197,764
Non-financial assets
Prepaid expenses	225,211	207,194
Tangible capital assets (Note 5)	6,806,742	5,453,980
Total non-financial assets	7,031,953	5,661,174
Total	7,381,600	5,858,938
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	2,597,164	1,918,574
Vacation pay and compensatory leave	660,491	640,245
Employee severance benefits (Note 6)	2,313,128	2,397,336
Other liabilities (Note 8)	1,615,120	1,517,230
Total liabilities	7,185,903	6,473,385
Equity of Canada	195,697	(614,447)
Total	7,381,600	5,858,938

Contractual obligations (Note 9)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

 

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
Statement of Equity of Canada (unaudited)
For the year ended March 31
(in dollars)

	2007	2006
		(restated)
Equity of Canada, beginning of year	(614,447)	(1,360,664)
Adjustment for change in accounting policy (Note 2k)	-	191,846
Net cost of operations	(36,857,436)	(35,455,218)
Current year appropriations used (Note 3)	29,544,355	27,521,553
Revenue not available for spending	(251,641)	(200,023)
Revenues available for spending in future years	(9,610)	(19,651)
Refund of prior year's expenditures	(23,539)	(78,101)
Net change in Consolidated Revenue Fund (Note 3)	(621,083)	333,389
Services provided without charge from other government departments (Note 7a)	9,029,098	8,452,422
Equity of Canada, end of year	195,697	(614,447)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
Statement of Cash Flow (unaudited)
For the Year Ended March 31
(in dollars)

	2007	2006
		(restated)
Operating activities
Net cost of operations	36,857,436	35,455,218
Non-cash items:
Amortization of tangible capital assets	(1,168,011)	(989,603)
Gain on disposal of tangible capital assets	9,610	18,919
Write-off of assets	-	(1,738)
Services provided without charge from other government departments (note 7)	(9,029,098)	(8,452,422)
	26,669,936	26,030,373
Increase (decrease) in accounts receivable and advances	151,883	(400,534)
Increase in prepaid expenses	18,017	15,348
Decrease (increase) in liabilities	(712,518)	400,192
Cash used by operating activities	26,127,318	26,045,379
Capital investment activities
Acquisitions of tangible capital assets	2,520,773	1,530,707
Proceeds from disposal of tangible capital assets	(9,610)	(18,919)
Cash used by capital investment activities	2,511,163	1,511,788
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by Government of Canada	(28,638,482)	(27,557,167)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

 

The Office of the Registrar of the
Supreme Court of Canada
Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

1. Authority and objectives

The Supreme Court of Canada was constituted in 1875 by an act of Parliament and is now governed by the Supreme Court Act. It is comprised of a Chief Justice and eight puisne judges (puisne meaning ranked after), all appointed by the Governor in Council for terms of “good behaviour”, with a minimum of three judges coming from Québec.

The mandate of the Supreme Court of Canada is to have and exercise an appellate, civil and criminal jurisdiction within and throughout Canada. As the final court of appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada serves Canadians by leading the development of common and civil law through its decisions on questions of public importance.

The Supreme Court of Canada is committed to the rule of law; independence and impartiality and accessibility to justice. The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada supports the Supreme Court of Canada by providing responsive administrative services; nurturing the dedication, pride and professionalism of its employees; respecting diversity and linguistic duality and collaborating with other courts and legal institutions.

The Supreme Court of Canada is Canada’s highest court and one of its most important national institutions. It hears appeals from courts of appeal of the provinces and territories as well as from the Federal Court of Appeal. In addition, the Supreme Court of Canada is required to give its opinion on any question referred to it by the Governor in Council.

The importance of the decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada for Canadian society is well recognized. The Supreme Court of Canada assures uniformity, consistency and correctness in the articulation, development and interpretation of legal principles throughout the Canadian judicial system. Its jurisdiction is derived from the Supreme Court Act and other Acts of Parliament such as the Criminal Code.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistent with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector.

Significant accounting policies are as follows:

(a) Parliamentary appropriations – The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada is financed by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary appropriations. Appropriations provided to the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada do not parallel financial reporting according to Canadian generally accepted accounting principles since appropriations are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the statement of operations and in the statement of financial position are not necessarily the same as those provided through appropriations from Parliament. Note 3 provides a high-level reconciliation between the bases of reporting.

(b) Net Cash Provided by Government – The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), which is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada is deposited to the CRF and all cash disbursements made by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada are paid from the CRF. The net cash provided by Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements including transactions between departments of the federal government.

(c) Change in net position in the Consolidated Revenue Fund is the difference between the net cash provided by Government and appropriations used in a year, excluding the amount of non respendable revenue recorded by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada . It results from timing differences between when a transaction affects appropriations and when it is processed through the CRF.

(d) Revenues: Sales and other revenues are accounted for in the period in which the underlying transaction or event occurred that gave rise to the revenues.

(e) Expenses – Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis:

(i) Vacation pay and compensatory leave are expensed as the benefits accrue to employees under their respective terms of employment.

(ii) Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation, the employer’s contribution to the health and dental insurance plans, legal services worker’s compensation, interpretation services and security services are recorded as operating expenses at their estimated cost.

(f) Employee future benefits

(i) Pension benefits: Eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, a multi employer plan administered by the Government of Canada. The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada’s contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year incurred and represent its total obligation to the Plan. Current legislation does not require the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada to make contributions for any actuarial deficiencies of the Plan.

(ii) Severance benefits: Employees are entitled to severance benefits under labour contracts or conditions of employment. These benefits are accrued as employees render the services necessary to earn them. The obligation relating to the benefits earned by employees is calculated using information derived from the results of the actuarially determined liability for employee severance benefits for the Government as a whole.

iii. Federally appointed judges pension benefits: Eligible federally appointed judges and their survivors are entitled to fully indexed annuities providing that the judges meet minimum age and service requirements. The main benefits paid from this plan are recorded on a pay-as-you-go basis. They are included in the Statement of Operations as a component of salaries and benefits and the judges contributions are credited to revenue. Contributions made by the Office and judges pertaining to the portion of the plan that relates to indexation of benefits is recorded in a Supplementary Retirement Benefits Account, which is presented on the Statement of Financial Position. The Office's contribution towards indexation is expensed at the time it is accrued in the Account in accordance with the legislation. The actuarial liability associated with the judges pension plan is recorded in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, the ultimate sponsor of the plan.

(g) Accounts and advances receivable are stated at amounts expected to be ultimately realized; a provision is made for receivables where recovery is considered uncertain.

(h) Contingent liabilities – Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities which may become actual liabilities when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. To the extent that the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, and a reasonable estimate of the loss can be made, an estimated liability is accrued and an expense recorded. If the likelihood is not determinable or an amount cannot be reasonably estimated, the contingency is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

(i) Tangible capital assets – All tangible capital assets and leasehold improvements having an initial cost of $5,000 or more are recorded at their acquisition cost. The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada has many works of art and historically significant assets such as rare books, paintings, busts, clocks and other works of art. In accordance with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat policy, these values are not capitalized as they are considered non-operational heritage assets. Intangible assets are not capitalized.

Amortization of tangible capital assets is done on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset as follows:

Asset Class	Amortization Period
Machinery and equipment	5 to 10 years
Office furniture and equipment	5 to 10 years
Computer equipment and sofware	3 years
Motor vehicles	3 years
Leasehold improvements	5 years
Assets under construction	Once in service, in accordance with asset type.

(j) Measurement uncertainty –– The preparation of these financial statements in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistent with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements. At the time of preparation of these statements, management believes the estimates and assumptions to be reasonable. The most significant items where estimates are used are the liability for employee severance benefits, allowances for employee vacation and compensatory benefits, prepaid expenses, employer’s contribution to health and dental insurance plans and the useful life of tangible capital assets. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimated. Management’s estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.

(k) Change in accounting policy - With these financial statements the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada adopted for the first time the concept of prepaid expenses. The financial statements of the prior period have been restated to give effect to the new accounting policy including an adjustment to the opening equity at April 1, 2005. The change was effected to comply with generally accepted accounting principles and Treasury Board accounting policies. The effect of the change on the financial statements is summarized as follows:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)
Increase - Prepaid expenses	225,211	207,194
Decrease - Library materials expense	(18,017)	(15,348)
Increase - Equity of Canada - beginning of year	207,194	191,846

Notes to the Financial Statements (unaudited)

3. Parliamentary Appropriations

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada receives all of its funding through annual Parliamentary appropriations. Items recognized in the statement of operations and the statement of financial position in one year may be funded through Parliamentary appropriations in prior, current or future years. Accordingly, the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada has different net results of operations for the year on a government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. The differences are reconciled in the following tables:

(a) Reconciliation of net cost of operations to current year appropriations used:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)
Net cost of operations	36,857,436	35,455,218
Adjustments for items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting appropriations
Add (Less):
Services provided without charge from other government departments	(9,029,098)	(8,452,422)
Amortization of tangible capital assets	(1,168,011)	(989,603)
Legal services provided by the Department of Justice	(3,689)	(18,401)
Refund of prior years expenditures	23,539	78,101
Write-off of capital assets	-	(1,738)
Revenue not available for spending	251,641	200,023
Gain on disposal of capital assets	9,610	19,651
Increase - Vacation and compensatory leave	(20,246)	(70,373)
Decrease (increase) - Employee severance benefits	84,208	(244,195)
Other	176	(762)
Adjustments for items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting appropriations
Add (Less):
Acquisition of tangible capital assets	2,520,773	1,530,707
Increase - Prepaid expenses	18,017	15,348
Current year appropriations used	29,544,355	27,521,553

(b) Appropriations provided and used:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)	(in dollars)
(Vote 50) - Operating expenditures	23,462,350	21,974,150
Contributions to employee benefits plan	2,159,231	2,264,789
Judge salaries, allowances and annuities	5,366,935	4,714,907
Spending of amounts equivalent to proceeds from disposal of capital assets	29,261	19,891
	31,017,777	28,973,737
Less:
Lapsed appropriations:
Operating	(1,451,930)	(1,432,293)
Proceeds from disposal of assets	(11,882)	(240)
	(1,463,812)	(1,432,533)
Available for spending in future years	(9,610)	(19,651)
Total appropriation used	29,544,355	27,521,553

(c) Reconciliation of net cash provided by Government to current year appropriations used:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)	(in dollars)
Net cash provided by Government	28,638,482	27,557,167
Revenue not available for spending	251,641	200,023
Revenue available for spending in future years	9,610	19,651
Refund of prior years expenditures	23,539	78,101
	28,923,271	27,854,942
Change in net position in the Consolidated Revenue Fund
Variation in account receivable and advances	(151,883)	400,534
Variation in accounts payable and accrued liabilities	678,590	(799,765)
Variation in other liabilities	97,890	85,006
Legal services provided by the Department of Justice	(3,689)	(18,401)
Other adjustments	176	(763)
	621,083	(333,389)
Current year appropriation used	29,544,355	27,521,553

4. Accounts Receivable and Advances

The following table presents details of the accounts receivable:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)	(in dollars)
Receivables from other Federal Government departments and agencies	313,323	175,420
Receivables from external parties	34,577	20,513
Standing advances	2,400	2,380
	350,300	198,312
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts on external receivables	655	547
Total	349,646	197,765

5. Tangible Capital Assets

(in dollars)

Cost

Capital asset class	Opening Balance	Acquisitions
Machinery and equipment	414,312	154,033
Office furniture and equipment	1,345,101	65,293
Computer equipment	361,645	-
Computer software	167,589	408,433
Motor vehicles	193,709	-
Leasehold improvements	3,765,869	917,250
Assets under construction	1,837,459	975,764
Total	8,085,684	2,520,773

Cost

Capital asset class	Disposals	Closing Balance
Machinery and equipment	-	568,345
Office furniture and equipment	(22,000)	1,388,394
Computer equipment	(6,434)	355,211
Computer software	-	576,022
Motor vehicles	(29,480)	164,229
Leasehold improvements	-	4,683,119
Assets under construction	-	2,813,223
Total	(57,914)	10,548,543

Accumulated amortization

Capital asset class	Opening balance	Amortization
Machinery and equipment	71,012	77,004
Office furniture and equipment	917,274	76,660
Computer equipment	224,701	64,057
Computer software	138,898	37,307
Motor vehicles	116,534	40,773
Leasehold improvements	1,163,285	872,210
Assets under construction	-	-
Total	2,631,704	1,168,011

Accumulated amortization

Capital asset class	Disposals	Closing balance
Machinery and equipment	-	148,016
Office furniture and equipment	(22,000)	971,934
Computer equipment	(6,434)	282,324
Computer software	-	176,205
Motor vehicles	(29,480)	127,827
Leasehold improvements	-	2,035,495
Assets under construction	-	-
Total	(57,914)	3,741,801

 

Capital asset class	2007 Net Book Value	2006 Net Book Value
Machinery and equipment	420,329	343,300
Office furniture and equipment	416,460	427,827
Computer equipment	72,887	136,944
Computer software	399,817	28,691
Motor vehicles	36,402	77,175
Leasehold improvements	2,647,624	2,602,584
Assets under construction	2,813,223	1,837,459
Total	6,806,742	5,453,980

Amortization expense for the year ended March 31, 2007 is $1,168,011
(2006 - $989,603).

6. Employee Benefits

(a) Pension benefits: The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada’s employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionable service, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Québec Pension Plans benefits and they are indexed to inflation.

Both the employees and the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada contribute to the cost of the Plan. The 2006-07 expense amounts to $1,591,353 ($1,675,944 in 2005-06), which represents approximately 2.2 times (2.6 in 2005-2006) the contributions by employees.

The Office’s responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor.

(b) Severance benefits: The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada provides severance benefits to its employees based on eligibility, years of service and final salary. These severance benefits are not pre-funded. Benefits will be paid from future appropriations. Information about the severance benefits, measured as at March 31, is as follows:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)
Accrued benefit obligation, beginning of year	2,397,337	2,153,142
Expense for the year	75,837	357,518
Benefits paid during the year	(160,046)	(113,323)
Accrued benefit obligation, end of year	2,313,128	2,397,337

7. Related Party Transactions

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada is related as a result of common ownership to all Government of Canada departments, agencies, and Crown corporations. The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada enters into transactions with these entities in the normal course of business and on normal trade terms. Also, during the year, the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada received services which were obtained without charge from other Government departments as presented in part (a).

(a) Services provided without charge:

During the year the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada received services without charge from other government departments. These services without charge have been recognized in the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Statement of Operations as follows:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)
Accommodation	4,531,860	4,196,046
Employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans	1,263,820	1,177,798
Legal services	12,458	64,001
Worker's compensation cost provided by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada	41,935	35,227
Interpretation services provided by PWGSC	83,025	109,350
Security services provided by the RCMP	3,096,000	2,870,000
Total	9,029,098	8,452,422

The Government has structured some of its administrative activities for efficiency and cost-effectiveness purposes so that one department performs these on behalf of all without charge. The costs of these services, which include payroll and cheque issuance services provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada are not included as an expense in the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Statement of Operations.

(b) Payables and receivables outstanding at year-end with related parties:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)
Accounts receivable with other government departments and agencies	313,323	175,420
Accounts payable to other government departments and agencies	512,786	224,000

8. Other Liabilities

The following table presents details of other liabilities:

	2007	2006
	(in dollars)
Trust Account - Security Deposit
Liability, beginning of year	394,091	394,391
Deposits	3,000	8,000
Interest	2,854	2,311
Reimbursements	(13,952)	(10,611)
Liability, end of year	385,993	394,091
Supplementary Retirement Benefit Account (SRBA)
Liability, beginning of year	1,123,139	1,037,833
Deposits	58,953	47,118
Interest	47,034	38,188
Liability, end of year	1,229,126	1,123,139
Total	1,615,119	1,517,230

Security deposit account was established to record security to the value of $500 deposited by an Appellant with the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada in accordance with paragraph 60(1)(b) of the Supreme Court Act. As per section 87 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada, interest is paid on money deposited as security.

Supplementary Retirement Benefit Account (“SRBA”) records contributions made by Supreme Court of Canada Judges and the matching contributions made by the Employer in accordance with the SRBA Act and the Judges Act.

9. Contractual obligations

The Court Modernization Program commenced in 2006-07 and will continue until 2008/09. As part of this Program, multi-year contracts for professional services have been put in place. An estimate of future obligations under these contracts is shown below:

	2008	Total
	(in dollars)
Professional services	965,769	965,769

10. Comparative information

Comparative figures have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

Table 16: Responses to Parliament, Audits and Evaluations

An internal audit of the Office of the Registrar’s contracting and procurement function was conducted in 2006-07.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether SCC’s risk management, control, and governance processes that relate to the contracting and procurement function were adequate and functioning appropriately. The audit was conducted by independent auditors between January and February 2007 using criteria derived from the Treasury Board Secretariat Guide for Manager and Internal Audit: Monitoring Procurement and Contracting and the TBS Management Accountability Framework, and the requirements of the Government Contracts Regulations and the TBS Contracting Policy. The audit report was finalized in June 2007.

The audit found that management has taken positive action over the period examined to address known risk areas and to strengthen controls with respect to contracting: the level of knowledge of contracting requirements across the SCC has been enhanced and many of the steps in the procurement process were standardized. Roles and responsibilities for contracting were found to be well defined and understood. Management receives regular, accurate and reliable information on contracting activities.

Nonetheless, opportunities exist to improve the SCC’s contracting processes. Auditors made recommendations for changes to the Court’s procedures so that:

• risks associated with the Court’s procurement and contracting activities are regularly assessed;
• access is facilitated and competition encouraged in line with government procurement and contracting policy;
• procedures are further standardized and formalized, and processes streamlined;
• a better audit trail of the actions taken and the approvals obtained is provided;
• the knowledge of federal government contracting requirements remains current at the Court through periodic professional development and frequent consultation/liaison with Public Works and Government Services Canada ; and
• contracting authorities are delegated only to those individuals with in-depth knowledge of applicable government contracting rules and regulations.

A strong follow-up process is in place for audits. The results of audits are presented to the Executive Committee and Management Committee. The audit results are posted on the intranet site. The audit reports are also reviewed at the annual Judges’ Retreat. Follow-up action plans are prepared for each audit.

The Supreme Court of Canada does not have a program evaluation function due to the nature of the work it is mandated to achieve.

Table 21: Travel Policies

The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada follows TBS Travel Directives, Rates and Allowances.

IV: Other items of Interest

A. For Further Information

Supreme Court of Canada Building 301 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0J1 World Wide Web: http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/	General Enquiries Telephone: (613) 995-4330 Fax: (613) 996-3063 Internet Access: reception@scc-csc.gc.ca
Anne Roland - Registrar Telephone: (613) 996-9277	E-mail: reception@scc-csc.gc.ca
Louise Meagher - Deputy Registrar Telephone: (613) 996-7521	E-mail: registry-greffe@scc-csc.gc.ca
Lynn Potter - A/Director General, Corporate Services Telephone: (613) 996-0429	E-mail: potterl@scc-csc.gc.ca

B. Listing of Statutory and Departmental Reports

Supreme Court Reports Pursuant to Section 17 of the Supreme Court Act, the Registrar or the Deputy Registrar, as the Chief Justice directs, reports and publishes the judgments of the Court in the Supreme Court Reports, which include all the reasons for judgment rendered by the Court in a given calendar year.

C. Legislation Administered

Supreme Court Act	R.S.C., 1985, as amended
Judges Act	R.S.C., 1985, as amended

Table 11: Details on Project Spending The Supreme Court of Canada has implemented/commenced the following projects during the reporting period: East Entrance Courtroom Audio-Visual / Information Technology / Information Management   Supplementary information on Project Spending can be found at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/dpr1/06-07/index_e.asp. ($millions) Current Estimated Total Cost 2004-05 Actual 2005-06 Actual Process hearings and decisions       East Entrance - implementation phase 1.0 0.03 0.5 Courtroom AV/IM/IT implementation phase 6.3 - 0.4 2006-2007 ($millions) Main Estimates Planned Spending Process hearings and decisions     East Entrance - implementation phase - 0.5 Courtroom AV/IM/IT implementation phase - 4.3 2006-2007 ($millions) Total Authorities Actual Process hearings and decisions     East Entrance - implementation phase - 0.5 Courtroom AV/IM/IT implementation phase - 1.9 Funding for the East Entrance project was approved by Treasury Board in 2005/06 to refit the main entrance used by employees and counsel to enhance accessibility and security. Subsequent to the approval, the RCMP reviewed the security elements of the design and modifications were required. As a result, the project was delayed, and commenced in April 2006 with a planned completion date of November 2006. Significant problems with the contractor arose, and Public Works and Government Services Canada, as the Project Manager, attempted on several occasions to rectify the problems without success. In January 2007 the PWGSC Project Manager asked that the contract be retired, and the contractor’s insurance company was asked to find another general contractor to complete the work. Work recommenced April 2007, and by mid-May 2007, all deficiencies had been corrected. Completion is now estimated for mid-September 2007. Work on the Courtroom AV / IM / IT (Courtroom Modernization) Project has been underway for a number of years, but as work had to be funded from existing reference levels, progress was slow. During 2006-07, the design phase continued, and included a proof of concept (pilot) to ensure the feasibility of the proposed solution and determine requirements with greater precision. Funding for the project was received in October 2006, and with this, an aggressive work schedule was put in place. Key achievements during the year included the finalization of the courtroom design and list of equipment and furniture requirements, completion of tendering for audio-visual and informatics equipment, acquisition of information management software, preparation of prototypes for heritage style furniture that would accommodate information technology equipment and construction of selected heritage style furniture.