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2007-08
Departmental Performance Report



Natural Resources Canada





Supplementary Information (Tables)





Table of Contents




4. Loans, Investments and Advances (Non-Budgetary)


($ millions) Actual 2005–06 Actual 2006–07 2007–08
New Loans Issued Payments Received Outstanding balance March 31, 2008
Energy          
Loan to Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd for heavy water inventory 2.5 1.5 0.0 1.0 0.5
Loan to facilitate the implementation of the Hibernia Development Project 27.6 18.4 0.0 9.2 9.2
Loan to Nordion International Inc. 78.0 74.0 0.0 4.0 70.0
Investment in the Lower Churchill Development Corporation 14.7 14.7 0.0 0.0 14.7
Investment in Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. 164.2 164.2 0.0 0.0 164.2
Total 287.0 272.8 0.0 14.2 258.6



5. Sources of Respendable and Non-Respendable Revenues by Program Activity

Respendable Revenue


($ millions) Actual 2005–06 Actual 2006–07 2007–08
Main Estimates Planned Revenue Total Authorities Actual
Earth Sciences * 19.7 13.5 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.0
Energy 7.7 9.2 10.8 12.8 12.8 11.3
Forest 1.7 1.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.2
Minerals and Metals 7.4 7.0 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.8
Total Respendable Revenue 36.5 31.1 27.1 29.1 29.1 26.3

Non-Respendable Revenue


($ millions) Actual 2005–06 Actual 2006–07 2007–08
Main Estimates Planned Revenue Total Authorities Actual
Earth Sciences * 2.2 3.3 0.3 0.3 3.0 3.0
Energy 560.5 463.4 498.2 1,041.1 1,887.6 1,887.6
Forest 1.6 0.9 0.0 0.0 1.3 1.3
Minerals and Metals 0.6 0.7 0.2 0.2 2.7 2.7
Total Non-Respendable Revenue 564.9 468.3 498.7 1,041.6 1,894.6 1,894.6

* Includes Earth Sciences – Geomatics Canada Revolving Fund.



6. Geomatics Canada Revolving Fund

Statement of Operations


($ millions) Actual 2005–06 Actual 2006–07 2007–08
Main Estimates Planned Spending Authorized Actual
Respendable Revenue            
Products 11.9 8.7 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.2
Services 3.7 2.0 2.6 2.6 2.6 1.6
Consulting 1.5 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
Total respendable revenues 17.1 11.2 3.6 3.6 3.6 2.8
Operating Expenses            
Cost of sales 3.3 2.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5
Salaries and employee benefits 5.3 4.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.2
Depreciation 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
Repairs and maintenance 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Administrative and support services 1.9 1.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.7
Utilities, materials, and supplies 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
Rental 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Interest 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Transportation and communication 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3
Professional and special service 3.2 1.8 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.8
Total operating expenses 15.1 11.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 5.8
Operating Surplus (Deficit) 2.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 (3.0)

Statement of Cash Flows


($ millions) Actual 2005–06 Actual 2006–07 2007–08
Main Estimates Planned Spending Authorized Actual
Surplus (Deficit) 2.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 (3.0)
Add non-cash items            
Depreciation/amortization 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
Change in working capital 0.3 (0.2) (0.4) (0.4) (0.4) (0.4)
Other items 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
Investing activities            
Capital Acquisition 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Cash Surplus (requirement) 2.6 (0.1) 0.0 0.0 0.0 (3.3)

Projected Use of Authority


($ millions) Actual 2005–06 Actual 2006–07 2007–08
Main Estimates Planned Spending Authorized Actual
Authority 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
Drawdown            
Balance as at April 1 5.1 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.6
Surplus (drawdown) 2.6 (0.1) 0.0 0.0 0.0 (3.3)
Cash at March 31 7.7 7.6 7.7 7.7 7.7 4.3
             
Adjustment for charges and credits against the authority after March 31 (1.6) (1.0) (0.7) (0.7) (0.7) (0.7)
Balance of authority at March 31 11.1 11.6 12.0 12.0 12.0 8.6



7a. User Fees


Fee Category Explosives licence and inspection fees
Fee Type Regulatory
Fee Setting Authority Explosives Act
Date Last Modified 1993
Performance Standards 95% of the time, initial factory applications will be completed within 60 days of receipt of completed documentation; renewals and all other authorizations will be processed within 30 days of a complete request.
Performance Results Licensing turnaround times have been acceptable to stakeholders. Results indicate the performance standards were met or exceeded 95% of the time.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 650 1,200 2,200 2,200
Actual Revenue 470 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 4,092* 4,092* 4,636* 4,767*
*excluding PSAT

 


Fee Category Seismic data
Fee Type Optional
Fee Setting Authority Resources and Technical Surveys Act
Date Last Modified 2004
Performance Standards For provision of accurate location and magnitude of strong earthquakes in Canada, turnaround time is normally within 2 hours during working hours and within 4 hours outside of working hours. Preliminary confirmation is normally available to clients within 15 minutes during normal working hours and on our Web site.

For all other requests for standard seismic data, turnaround time is within five working days. Complex requests are negotiated with the client.
Performance Results Service standards are reviewed annually (inquiries are recorded) – results indicate greater than 95% compliance with standards.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 14 700 700 700
Actual Revenue 756 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 756 700 700 700
 

 


Fee Category Map products
Fee Type Optional
Fee Setting Authority Resources and Technical Surveys Act, Canada Land Surveys Act
Date Last Modified 2004
Performance Standards National Topographic System and Atlas of Canada maps – NRCan sells maps on a wholesale basis from the Canada Map Office to a limited distribution network, and service standards reflect this.

Response time for information requests is two working days. Order processing time: three (3) working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays in the Province of Ontario), upon approved credit and provided account is in good standing. Hours of operation, 08:30 – 16:30 EST.
Performance Results The Centre for Topographic Information of the Mapping Services Branch is certified ISO 9001:2000, hence undergoes regular management review of quality objectives, discrepancy reporting processes, and client consultation. Performance issues are addressed through ISO Quality Objectives which are updated each year to address issues that may arise.

Aggregate annual data is available on request.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 0 500 500 500
Actual Revenue 420 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 420 500 500 500
 

 


Fee Category ISO non-destructive testing
Fee Type Optional
Fee Setting Authority Resources and Technical Surveys Act
Date Last Modified 2002
Performance Standards 1 - Two weeks for processing of a candidate's application form. This period is advertised on application forms 'Instructions for Candidates' available in hard copy or electronically from the NDT Web site. All candidates have this information before applying. *Note: Assessment of foreign applications or unusual training/experience situations may require more time.

2 - Examination results are usually available three weeks from the date of examination. This period is clearly specified in 'letter of approval' issued to the candidate to permit him/her to challenge an examination.
Performance Results 1 - The progress of each client application is recorded and tracked throughout the process – date of receipt, date of review, date of written responses. While performance has not been formally aggregated to summarize performance against service standards, the absence of stakeholder complaints indicates satisfaction that the published delivery standards are being met. 2 - In 2006, processing of all applications in all methods became a work function of one person, significantly reducing processing time previously required.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 1,000 1,200 1,300 1,400
Actual Revenue 1,239 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 1,239 1,200 1,300 1,400
 

 


Fee Category Air Photo Products
Fee Type Optional
Fee Setting Authority Resources and Technical Surveys Act
Date Last Modified 2004
Performance Standards Aerial Photography – Order processing time by the National Air Photo Library is ten working days, priority service five working days; response time for information requests of ten working days 80% of the time; production error rate of 1.5% or less; hours of operation, 08:30 – 16:30 EST.
Performance Results Performance issues are addressed through ISO Quality Objectives which are updated each year to address issues that arise.

Performance results are monitored continuously. Aggregate annual data is available on request.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 0 350 350 350
Actual Revenue 383 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 383 350 350 350
 

 


Fee Category Fees charged for the processing of access requests filed under the Access to Information Act
Fee Type Regulatory
Fee Setting Authority Access to Information Act
Date Last Modified 1992
Performance Standards Response provided within 30 days following receipt of request; the response time may be extended pursuant to section 9 of the ATIA. Notice of extension to be sent within 30 days after receipt of request.

The Access to Information Act provides fuller details: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/A-1/218072.html.
Performance Results Met prescribed standards 91.5% of the time.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 5 5 5 5
Actual Revenue 2 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost        
 

 


Fee Category Subscription data
Fee Type Optional
Fee Setting Authority Resources and Technical Surveys Act
Date Last Modified 2004
Performance Standards National Topographic Data Base (NTDB) – Response time for general information requests is two working days during business hours. Availability of web-site is 24-7 90% of the time, monitored monthly.

Preparation of a subscription agreement, within 10 working days of receipt. Return agreement signed by both parties within 10 working days after the document and the client's payment (when applicable) are received. Open connections following a subscription within 2 working days after payment of the subscription fees and the agreement signed by the client are received.
Performance Results Complaints acknowledged within two working days – and as per ISO procedures, corrective action is taken immediately. Performance results are monitored continuously.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 500 0 0 0
Actual Revenue 0 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 0 0 0 0
 

 


Fee Category Other Products
Fee Type Optional
Fee Setting Authority Resources and Technical Surveys Act
Date Last Modified 2004
Performance Standards For aeromagnetic (and gravity data), the Geoscience Data Centre (GDC) of ESS provides maximum 10 day turn-around on external requests for data (average turnaround for a standard request is one day). We also provide on-line access through the Geoscience Data Repository for Geophysical and Geochemical Data (GDRGG). For more info on service standards see the Web site.
Performance Results Performance is aggregated against standards annually. 95% of requests are in compliance with standards.

The number of inquires has dropped significantly since data has been made available free of charge through the GDRGG.
(thousands of dollars) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011
Forecast Revenue 300 50 50 50
Actual Revenue 87** Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Estimated Full Cost 53 50 50 50
**$34,000.00 was coded incorrectly by one cost center and should not have been under the category of user fees

 

7b. Policy on Service Standards for External Fees


A. External Fee
External Fee Service Standard Performance Result Stakeholder Consultation
Explosives licence and inspection fees 95% of the time, initial factory applications will be completed within 60 days of receipt of completed documentation; renewals and all other authorizations will be processed within 30 days of a complete request. See other info below or visit our Web site. Licensing turnaround times have been acceptable to stakeholders. Results indicate the performance standards were met or exceeded 95% of the time. Stakeholder groups are in agreement with licensing and authorization service standards. No formal complaints to this proposal have been received.
Seismic data For provision of accurate location and magnitude of strong earthquakes in Canada, turnaround time is normally within 2 hours during working hours and within 4 hours outside of working hours. Preliminary confirmation is normally available to clients within 15 minutes during normal working hours and on our Web site.

For all other requests for standard seismic data, turnaround time is within five working days. Complex requests are negotiated with the client.

 Service standards are reviewed annually (inquiries are recorded) - results indicate greater than 95% compliance with standards. None planned at present (regular consultation provided through the Lithoprobe Seismic Processing Facility in Calgary). Client feedback on service expectations encouraged through questionnaire that accompanies responses to data requests.
Map products National Topographic System and Atlas of Canada maps – NRCan sells maps on a wholesale basis from the Canada Map Office to a limited distribution network, and service standards reflect this.

Response time for information requests is two working days. Order processing time: three (3) working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays in the Province of Ontario), upon approved credit and provided account is in good standing. Hours of operation, 08:30 – 16:30 EST.

 Service standard of three working days is met 85% of the time. Service standards are included in the annual management review of Quality Objectives under ISO 9001:2000. ISO Quality Objectives are updated each year to address issues as they arise. Regular discussions and meetings are held with stakeholders. Service standards are reviewed continuously and included as part of the Discrepancy Management Reports (DMRs). Ongoing client and service feedback are used to ensure constant improvement as part of ISO 9001 quality system.
ISO non-destructive testing 1 - Two weeks for processing of a candidate's application form. This period is advertised on application forms 'Instructions for Candidates' available in hard copy or electronically from the NDT Web site. All candidates have this information before applying. *Note: Assessment of foreign applications or unusual training/experience situations may require more time.

2 - Examination results are usually available three weeks from the date of examination. This period is clearly specified in 'letter of approval' issued to the candidate to permit him/her to challenge an examination.

 1 - The progress of each client application is recorded and tracked throughout the process – date of receipt, date of review, date of written responses. While performance has not been formally aggregated to summarize performance against service standards, the absence of stakeholder complaints indicates satisfaction that the published delivery standards are being met 98% of the time. Fee adjustments are presented and negotiated with the 12 member advisory body of stakeholders. Previously the agreed price structure associated with fees for required services and reports is put into effect and not changed for 3 years. The stakeholders like the stability in knowing what they will be paying for the next 3 years. The revised plan is to move to annual fee adjustments based on actual costs. From January through June 2006, extensive consultations on exam fees were held with 8 exam centres, the advisory board, and the union representing 2,000 clients. The objective of these consultations was to isolate cost drivers in order to derive a formula driven fee structure. We also conducted an environmental scan, comparing our fees to those of NDT certification bodies in the UK, Australia, and the USA.
Air Photo products Aerial Photography – Order processing time by the National Air Photo Library is ten working days, priority service five working days; response time for information requests of ten working days 80% of the time; production error rate of 1.5% or less; hours of operation, 08:30 – 16:30 EST. Service standard of ten working days is met 80% of the time. Service standards are included in annual management review of Quality Objectives under ISO 9001:2000. ISO Quality Objectives are updated each year to address issues as they arise. Major survey completed in 2004. Service standards are reviewed continuously and included as part of the Discrepancy Management Reports (DMRs). Ongoing client and service feedback are used to ensure constant improvement as part of ISO 9001 quality system.
Fees charged for the processing of access requests filed under the Access to Information Act Response provided within 30 days following receipt of request; the response time may be extended pursuant to section 9 of the ATIA. Notice of extension to be sent within 30 days after receipt of request. The Access to Information Act provides fuller details: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/A-1/218072.html. Met prescribed standards 91.5% of the time The service standard is established by the Access to Information Act and the Access to Information Regulations. Consultations with stakeholders were undertaken by the Department of Justice and the Treasury Board Secretariat for amendments done in 1986 and 1992.
Digital Topographic Data (formerly Subscription Data) National Topographic Data Base (NTDB) – Response time for general information requests is two working days during business hours. Availability of web-site is 24-7 90% of the time, monitored monthly.

Preparation of a subscription agreement, within 10 working days of receipt. Return agreement signed by both parties within 10 working days after the document and the client's payment (when applicable) are received. Open connections following a subscription within 2 working days after payment of the subscription fees and the agreement signed by the client are received.

 Web-site was available 24-7 90% of the time. Performance results are monitored continuously (on-line surveys).

Complaints acknowledged within two working days – and as per ISO procedures, corrective action is taken immediately. Response time for the requests (general information requests/complaints) is met more than 95% of the time.

 Client consultation is ongoing – part of regular ISO process.
Other products For aeromagnetic (and gravity data), the Geoscience Data Centre (GDC) of ESS provides maximum 10 day turn-around on external requests for data (average turnaround for a standard request is one day). We also provide on-line access through the Geoscience Data Repository for Geophysical and Geochemical Data (GDRGG). For more info on service standards see the Web site. Performance is aggregated against standards annually. In 2007–08, 100% of requests were in compliance with standards.

The number of inquires to the Geophysical Data Centre has dropped significantly since data have been made available free of charge through the GDRGG. Typically, there are 10 to 20 requests for information made to the GDC annually and 10,000 to 12,000 downloads from the online service annually. The GDRGG is available 24/7, 365 days a year. Power service interruptions have taken the system offline up to 2 days per year.

 Client consultation is performed on an ongoing basis. All web-based clients are provided with a client satisfaction questionnaire including a request for suggestions for improvement. Advent of the GDRGG (web-based access) has significantly reduced requests via the GDC.
B. Other Information

The Explosives Regulatory Division (ERD) remains committed to managing its regulatory activities in an effective and efficient manner to ensure public and worker health and safety while protecting Canada's explosives supply from criminal and terrorist interests. ERD is committed to delivering 95% of decisions on requests for explosives product authorizations, importation permits, display fireworks and pyrotechnics certificates, user magazine licences, vendor magazine licences, manufacturing certificates and factory licence renewals within 30 days of the receipt of complete applications and all necessary documentation. In the case of initial applications for a factory licence where the review is a more time consuming process, ERD is committed to delivering 95% of decisions within 60 days of the receipt of complete applications and all necessary documentation.

The proposed performance standards reflect a reasonable amount of time that could be taken to complete a regulatory activity (e.g., the amount of time required to review and make a decision regarding an application for a license). The standards identify an intent to meet the standard at least 95% of the time. This reflects the fact than on occasion, a regulatory decision may be delayed due to circumstances beyond ERD control and that on occasion, spikes in workload may prevent all decisions to be reached within the defined timeframe.



8. Transfer Payment Programs



1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Contribution in support of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Retrofit Fund
2) Start Date: April 1, 2007 3) End Date: March 31, 2011
4) Description:

This template entitled "Canadian Energy Efficiency Retrofit Fund" covers two components under the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program: ecoENERGY Retrofit – Small and Medium Organization, and ecoENERGY Retrofit – Existing Building Initiative (EBI) Extension.

ecoENERGY Retrofit – Small and Medium Organizations provides incentives to increase efficiency in small and medium organizations. Industrial facilities with fewer than 500 employees and commercial and institutional buildings of less than 10,000 square metres may be eligible for funds through contribution agreements with ecoENERGY Retrofit for Small and Medium Organizations.

The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Existing Buildings Initiative (EBI) has existed since 1998, under different names (Energy Innovators Plus, Commercial Institutional Building Retrofit Initiative, Retrofit of Existing Commercial Buildings, to finally be called in May 2005, Existing Buildings Initiative). The program was extended to March 31, 2008 to accommodate the significant increase in program applications received in the summer of 2006.
5) Strategic Outcome(s): Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impact and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: In 2007–2008, 96 retrofit projects were funded through ecoENERGY Retrofit – Small and Medium Organizations representing under 500 employees (industry) or less than 10,000 square metres (buildings) for a total expected emissions reduction of approximately 30 kilotonnes. The commercial and institutional buildings stream of this program was late launching (June 15, 2007) due to work force adjustment restructuring of the entire Buildings Division in the Spring of 2007. Approximately 6 months of program activity were lost as a result of program start-up delays. A large portion ($1.4M) of the 07/08 program budget was re-profiled into 08/09.

ecoENERGY Retrofit – Existing Buildings Initiative was extended to accommodate approximately 300 organizations that had put considerable time and effort into proposals that, in total, exceeded the previous program funding. These organizations had a reasonable expectation that they would receive funding, which could be met by extending the program for one year. Due to the period of time between October 2006 and March 2007, when there was no policy authority for program extension, there was no ability for the program to approve projects. Therefore, some of the project proponents could not wait and withdrew their proposals from the program. This explains the lower results.
 
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–2006 8) Actual Spending 2006–2007 9) Planned Spending 2007–2008 10) Total Authorities 2007–2008 11) Actual Spending 2007–2008 12) Variance(s) Between 9) and 11)
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions     18.4 15.0 11.1 7.3
14) Total Other Types of TPs            
15) Total Program Activity            
16) Comment(s) on Variance(s): A total of $3.4M was reprofiled from 2007–08 into future years, resulting in a Total 2007–08 Authority of $15M. A balance of $3,877,300 was unspent at the end of the year.
17) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s): An evaluation of the Retrofit initiative is planned in 2009–10.
18) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s).

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: ecoEnergy Renewable Power Program
2) Start Date: April 1, 2007 3) End Date: March 31, 2011
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program: The ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program offers a production incentive of 1 cent per kilowatt hour to eligible producers of electricity from low impact renewable power sources such as wind, low impact hydro, biomass, geothermal, photovoltaics and ocean energy.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: In fiscal year 2007–08, 12 contribution agreements were signed for about 948 megawatts of capacity and contribution of approximately $305 million over ten years.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 0.0 0.0 21.4 19.4 16.0 5.4
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances: The ecoENERGY Renewable Power program had anticipated several projects that were commissioned in fiscal years 2006–07 and 2007–08 would have gone through the program's approval process. Several projects were delayed due to the requirements for environmental assessments and consultations with Aboriginal Groups. Consequently, the program was unable to sign contribution agreements for these projects in fiscal year 2007–08 resulting in $5.4M variance ($2M was reprofiled to future years and $3.4M lapsed due to delays)
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes
2) Start Date: April 1, 2007 3) End Date: March 31, 2011
4) Description:

Announced as part of the suite of ecoENERGY initiatives, under the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program, ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes is available to owners of single family homes including detached, semi-detached and low rise multi-unit residential buildings. Property owners can qualify for federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, and reducing their home's impact on the environment. The maximum grant one can receive per home or multi-unit residential building is $5,000; whereas the total grant amount available to one individual or entity for eligible properties over the life of the program is $500,000.

The Government of Canada provides grants to owners of low-rise properties who complete energy efficiency retrofits based on the energy advisors' recommendations. Owners of rental properties may also qualify for a grant. The grant amount is based on carrying out energy efficiency retrofits such as increasing attic insulation or replacing a gas furnace with a qualified ENERGY STAR® model. Only homes that have undergone a residential energy efficiency assessment by an NRCan-licensed advisor are eligible for grants.
5) Strategic Outcome(s): Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impact and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: 102,800 homes had pre-retrofit energy evaluations and 17,000 homeowners qualified for grants averaging approximately $1K each; 12,000 were paid in 07–08. All regions of Canada except one province and one territory have matching programs where homeowners can get seamless access to both orders of government support for home retrofits.
 
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–2006 8) Actual Spending 2006–2007 9) Planned Spending 2007–2008 10) Total Authorities 2007–2008 11) Actual Spending 2007–2008 12) Variance(s) Between 9) and 11)
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants       12.0 12.0 12.0
14) Total Contributions            
14) Total Other Types of TPs            
15) Total Program Activity            
16) Comment(s) on Variance(s): In Supplementary Estimates "A" the grant program "Grants in support of Home Energy Retrofits" was changed to "Grants in support of ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes". Funding formerly assigned to "Grants in support of Home Energy Retrofits" was subsequently used to fund the "Grants in support of ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes". Subsequent to Supplementary Estimates "A", an amount of $25.5M was reprofiled from 2007–08 into future years, resulting in a 2007–08 Authority of $12M.
17) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s): An evaluation is planned in 2009–10.
18) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s).

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: In support of the efficiency and alternative energy programs
2) Start Date: April 1, 1997 3) End Date: 2008
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program: This program provides contribution funding for a variety of energy efficiency and alternative energy initiatives.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved:

Key performance information is provided in the DPR in Section II under the heading Energy Program Activity. As well, more detailed reporting is provided in the 2007–2008 Report to Parliament under the Energy Efficiency Act, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament in late 2008.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 77.2 53.9 10.8 11.7 11.2 0.5
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances:
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Forest Industry Long-Term Competitiveness Strategy – Expanding Market Opportunities
2) Start Date: 2006–2007 3) End Date: 2009–2010
4) Description: There are three initiatives in this program: the Canada Wood Export Program, the North American Wood First Initiative, and the Value to Wood Program. These initiatives aim to increase market opportunities for Canadian wood product producers through market development, branding, and technology development and transfer activities.

Canada Wood Export Program – The Canada Wood Export Program is a national market development program, supporting wood products associations in their efforts to expand offshore export opportunities for Canadian wood products in traditional and emerging markets. More information can be found at http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/canada-wood/home.

North American Wood First Initiative – North American Wood First works in collaboration with wood products associations in North America, technical institutes, universities, provinces and American states, and support projects to increase the use of wood products in North American non-residential construction (schools, shopping centres, hospitals, etc.).

Value to Wood Program – The Value to Wood Program is a national research and technology transfer program with the purpose of enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the value-added wood products industry. Additional information can be found at http://www.valuetowood.ca/html/english/index.php.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved:

Canada Wood Export Program – The program continued to support the network of Canada Wood offices (China, Japan, Europe and South Korea, with representation in Taiwan), through which market development initiatives were implemented. These initiatives have raised the profile of Canadian wood products, influenced the development of residential construction codes and standards to accommodate wood use, and supported a number of training initiatives on wood frame designs and systems. In 2007–08, these activities have increased year-over-year wood exports to China, South Korea and Europe by 46%, 13% and 10% respectively. The program has also helped to stabilize Canada's market share in Japan despite challenging market pressures.

China – Key Results

  • Publication of wood design drawings for architects.
  • Completion of a durability guide for wood products.
  • Successful delivery of programs supporting the acceptance of Canadian conformity assessment and grade-stamps.
  • Quality Assurance and Technical Transfer Program well established – training building inspectors and supporting builders in their wood frame construction (WFC) projects.

Japan – Key Results

  • Successful fireproof testing of multi-family wall and balcony assemblies.
  • Success in persuading Japan's top five computer-aided design (CAD) software makers to include the Canada Tsuga E120‑F330 kiln dried product line in the next edition of their software.
  • Recognition of Canada Jack Pine in the Glulam Standard by the Japanese Building Standards Law.

South Korea – Key Results

  • Improved Collaboration between Canadian and Korean fires experts.
  • Pending inclusion of Canadian species in Korean standards.
  • Successful delivery of wood frame construction training to builders and architects.

Europe – Key Results

  • CE marking of lumber achieved – providing unfettered access to the EU market.
  • Western red cedar cladding now incorporated in the UK Green Building Guide.

North American Wood First Initiative – While still in the early stages of implementation, the program funded the delivery of seminars, workshops and briefings to architects and code officials in both Canada and the U.S. to demonstrate the feasibility and versatility of wood in non-residential applications. This initiative was also successful in influencing a number of non-residential projects toward the use of wood products. In Canada, this initiative has enhanced the existing "Wood WORKS" program in British Columbia and Ontario and the implementation of new non-residential initiatives in the Maritimes, Quebec and the Prairies. In the U.S., this initiative contributed to the implementation of a "Wood WORKS" non-residential program in two regions – California and the Southeast (Carolinas and Georgia) region.

Value to Wood Program – The program continues to improve the competitiveness of the Canadian secondary-manufacturing wood sector and is supporting the expansion of value-added wood products markets in targeted offshore and North American markets.

In 2007–08, a network of 36 experts on the value-added wood products industry was funded through this program. The experts provided technical advice and market intelligence to Canadian companies in this sector. The $1 million of funding provided to this network of experts resulted in the leveraging of an additional $5 million of funding from provincial departments and regional development agencies.

The program provided $2 million in funding for 26 research projects at four Canadian universities and one national research organization to respond to the R&D needs of industry. This investment is also funding 15 graduate students to help build expertise and capacity in the secondary-manufacturing wood sector.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–2006 8) Actual Spending 2006–2007 9) Planned Spending 2007–2008 10) Total Authorities 2007–2008 11) Actual Spending 2007–2008 12) Variance Between 10) and 11)
13) Program Activity: Sustainable Forest
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 0.0 0.1 15.8 14.9 14.8 0.1
14) Total Other Types of TPs            
15) Total Program Activity            
16) Comments on Variances:
17) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s):

Canada Wood Export Program – http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/dmo/aeb/aeb-rpts-2007-EV0704-e.htm

Value to Wood Program – http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/dmo/aeb/aeb-rpts-2007-EV0701-e.htm
18) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s):

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Forest Industry Long-Term Competitiveness Strategy – Promoting Forest Innovation and Investment
2) Start Date: 2006–2007 3) End Date: 2009–2010
4) Description: There are three initiatives in this program: the consolidation of Canada's three forest research institutes, the creation of the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, and investment in forest innovation. These measures will enhance economic opportunities for Canada's forest sector as a result of increased investment in forest innovation.

Institute Consolidation: FPInnovations – The consolidation of Canada's three forest research institutes (Forintek, FERIC and Paprican) along with NRCan's Canadian Wood Fibre Centre will provide greater efficiency, synergies and strength in innovation and R&D, and will facilitate speaking with a stronger common voice on forest sector issues. Referred to as FPInnovations, this merger will create the world's largest forest research institute. Additional information on FPInnovations can be found at http://www.fpinnovations.ca/.

Canadian Wood Fibre Centre – The virtual Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) is an NRCan initiative in collaboration with FPinnovations to increase the economic return from Canada's forest resources. Researchers within the CWFC will work in collaboration with researchers from FPInnovations, or wherever the expertise exists to increase the value of Canadian wood fibre. More information on CWFC can be found at http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/cwfc.

Investments in Forest Sector Innovation – The purpose of this initiative is to direct and harness the expertise of the newly consolidated FPInnovations – in close conjunction with provinces, industry, and academia – to invest in and develop transformative technologies relevant to all segments of the forest sector.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved:

Institute Consolidation: FPInnovations – Funding under this program supported implementation of a new governance model; efforts to address human resources and administrative issues related to the consolidation (excluding capital projects); development of a business plan and communication strategy; and realignment of the program design and research priorities.

Canadian Wood Fibre Centre – In 2007–08, CWFC became fully operational and continued working towards integration with FPInnovation. A development plan was produced that defines the objectives, research plan and deliverables for CWFC until 2009. In conjunction with FPInnovations, stakeholder consultations were held to introduce CWFC and identify areas of mutual priority. A selection group made up of federal, provincial and industry stakeholders chose 21 projects in the areas of:

  • information for long-term sites;
  • production of high-quality fibre;
  • characterization and optimization of wood fibre;
  • economics; and
  • knowledge transfer.

Investments in Forest Sector Innovation – The Transformative Technologies Program was initiated with 57 research projects over 5 research themes including: next generation building solutions; next generation pulp and paper; fuels and chemicals from forest biomass; novel bioproducts; and integrated value maximization. Key initiatives underway in the first year of research include:

  • new commercial products from kraft pulp mills (transportation fuels);
  • significant progress on bioactive papers for the manufacturing of biosensors to detect toxins and pathogens;
  • development of high performance paper packaging reinforced with natural fibres;
  • new building designs and hybrid systems combining the use of wood, concrete and metals for 5‑wood storey + 1‑concrete storey and 8‑storey hybrid buildings; and
  • production of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) for enhanced durability, appearance and protection of wood products.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–2006 8) Actual Spending 2006–2007 9) Planned Spending 2007–2008 10) Total Authorities 2007–2008 11) Actual Spending 2007–2008 12) Variance Between 9) and 11)
13) Program Activity: Sustainable Forest
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 0.0 0.4 28.1 23.4 22.6 0.8
14) Total Other Types of TPs            
15) Total Program Activity            
16) Comment(s) on Variance(s):
17) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s):
18) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s):

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: GeoConnections Program
2) Start Date: May 2, 2005 3) End Date: March 31, 2010
4) Description: GeoConnections helps decision-makers use online location-based (or "geospatial") information, such as maps and satellite images, to tackle some of Canada's most pressing challenges by maintaining and expanding the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure. The program focuses on working with partners in public health, public safety and security, the environment and sustainable development, Aboriginal matters, and geomatics technology development.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impact and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: Measurement against the GeoConnections Logic Model outcome are dependent on public opinion research that will be undertaken in Fall 2008 and Fall 2009. Among the results achieved for the program to date (May 2, 2005 to March 31, 2008):
  • 72 single agency infrastructure applications were funded (23 projects in the environment / SD domain; 15 public safety projects; 11 projects relating to matters of importance to Aboriginal communities; 15 public health projects; and 8 projects common to all thematic areas. This number exceeds by 20% total number of single agency infrastructure applications targeted for all five years of GeoConnections.
  • 56 distributed thematic data sets closest to source were funded, compared to a target of 20 data sets for the program as a whole.

Overall funds invested by GeoConnections were leveraged at a rate of 1 : 2.21 in comparison to the program target of 1 : 1 funding leverage.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variance(s) Between 9) and 11)
13) Program Activity: Earth Sciences
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 0.1 1.7 5.0 5.0 4.7 0.3
14) Total Other Types of TPs            
15) Total Program Activity            
16) Comment(s) on Variance(s):

Delay caused by M‑30 process; proponent work schedule delay; proponent signature delay due to legal issue negotiations.
17) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s): An evaluation will be undertaken over summer 2008 and is expected to be completed by October 2008.
18) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s): As a program with C‑base funding, GeoConnections anticipates an audit before the end of the program. However, nothing has been scheduled yet.

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Federal Response to the Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation
2) Start Date: 2006–2007 3) End Date: 2008–2009
4) Description: The purpose of the program is to slow the spread of the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB), recover economic value from beetle-killed trees, and protect communities and forest resources in areas affected by the infestation.
5) Strategic Outcome(s): Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved:

In 2006–07, the Government of Canada announced the $200‑million Federal Response to the Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation program. Through this program, NRCan is working closely with provincial counterparts to deliver a comprehensive, integrated strategy to combat the beetle infestation. Additional information about this program can be found by visiting http://mpb.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca.

Slowing the Spread

The principal aim of the federal MPB program is to slow the eastward spread of the beetle outbreak. NRCan worked with scientists from B.C. and Alberta to complete a comprehensive assessment of the pine beetle threat to the boreal and eastern pine ecosystems. This assessment also delineated the spatial priorities for federal funding in beetle detection and control. In 2007–08, over 5.2 million hectares of pine forests were surveyed for active beetle infestation and over 53,000 infested trees were cut and burned. Beetle control activity on strategic areas of federal forestlands in the mountain national parks and the Dominion Coal Blocks was also completed to compliment spread control on provincial forestlands.

Recovering Economic Value

NRCan, working with B.C. survey agencies, initiated a suite of primary surveys to assess potential mineral and energy resources within the Bowser and Nechako Basins of the MPB zone in B.C. Working with national sector research institutes and universities, the program enabled the completion of timely studies on:

  • the "shelf-life" of beetle-killed timber;
  • how to overcome limitations in processing this timber; and
  • alternative uses for the massive volume of beetle-killed timber

Protecting Communities and Forest Resources

NRCan is also focusing its efforts on supporting community and forest resource sustainability after the beetle epidemic. The MPB impacts community safety through increased forest fire fuel loads and the number of dead hazard trees. During 2007–08, the federal MPB program funded 45 fuel reduction projects with 35 First Nations communities. The program also provided assistance to 11 non‑aboriginal communities and the B.C. school trustees in reducing fire safety threats. NRCan has assisted regional and local economic diversification efforts in tourism by funding the removal of more than 20,000 beetle-killed hazard trees at 175 designated recreational and hiking areas. Through the program, NRCan is funding a long‑term project at the University of Victoria to advance the use of remote sensing techniques and database development for forest disturbance detection and monitoring.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–2006 8) Actual Spending 2006–2007 9) Planned Spending 2007–2008 10) Total Authorities 2007–2008 11) Actual Spending 2007–2008 12) Variance Between 10) and 11)
13) Program Activity: Sustainable Forest
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 0.0 24.8 75.3 30.8 30.8 0.0
14) Total Other Types of TPs            
15) Total Program Activity            
16) Comment(s) on Variance(s):
17) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s):

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/dmo/aeb/aeb-rpts-2007-EV0702-e.htm
18) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s):

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Newfoundland and Labrador Fiscal Equalization Offset Payments
2) Start Date: 2002 3) End Date: Statutory
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program: To make payments to the province to compensate for part of the reduction in fiscal equalization entitlements that would result from offshore revenues being included in the equalization program.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: Payments were made to the province in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–2006 8) Actual Spending 2006–2007 9) Planned Spending 2007–2008 10) Total Authorities 2007–2008 11) Actual Spending 2007–2008 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 0.0 109.8 188.6 188.6 188.6 0.0
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances:
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Payments to the Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Resource Revenue Fund
2) Start Date: 1987 3) End Date: Statutory
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program: To make payments to the province equivalent to amounts received by Canada in relation to offshore activities in accordance with provisions of the Canada Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: Payments were made to the province in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 427.7 313.4 1,740.5 1,701.1 1,701.1 0.0
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances:
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Payments to the Nova Scotia Offshore Revenue Account
2) Start Date: 1993 3) End Date: Statutory
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program: To make payments to the province equivalent to amounts received by Canada in relation to offshore activities in accordance with provisions of the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resource Accord Implementation Act.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: Payments were made to the province in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 217.8 275.4 397.2 493.2 493.2 0.0
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances:
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Contributions in support of the Technology and Innovation Initiative
2) Start Date: October 10, 2003 3) End Date: March 31, 2008
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program: To contribute to the objectives of Canada's climate change agenda by reducing long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by means of longer-term advanced technologies and enhanced innovative capacity through research, development and demonstration.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved:

Technology and Innovation Research and Development (T&I R&D) Component: Transfer payments are one of the tools used to perform R&D and comprised 20% of the total T&I R&D budget of $28M in 2007/08. Transfer Payments directly supported 69 of the 170 projects funded by T&I R&D for 2007–2008. Recipients included 14 universities across Canada, several provincial research organizations as well as a variety of research associations and private companies.

The funding of these projects directly supports T&I R&D in its five strategic priorities of: cleaner fossil fuels; advanced end-use efficiency; decentralized energy production; biotechnology; and the hydrogen economy. The following are some highlights of funding in 2007/08:

Area: Cleaner Fossil Fuels: NRCan in collaboration with the University of Calgary is the first to develop and apply hybrid lifecycle assessment techniques to current and developing oil sands projects to quantify GHG emissions, energy, water and land. This project is currently being adopted by industry and other stakeholders. Completion of an Economic Integrated Model in collaboration with the Alberta Research Council will provide estimation of CO2 capture, Transport and Injection cost and revenue in the Alberta coal seams for Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (CBM). The model will be used to assess and evaluate potential commercial projects as well as enhance awareness and acceptance of this technology by industry and government. Building on the achievements of 2006–07, NRCan, in collaboration with the Alberta Research Council, Alberta Newsprint Company, and the Alberta Energy Research Institute, further developed a potentially lower cost approach with industry and government partners of a micro-porous hollow fiber membrane module as gas-liquid contactor to achieve efficient low cost CO2 and SO2 capture from flue gas, natural gas, biogas, and for CBM and other applications. The estimated operational cost reduction is 25–30% compared to conventional technology.

Area: Advanced End-Use Efficiency: Research work in the transportation area has shown that GHG emissions factors currently in use substantially overestimate the GHG emission from light duty vehicles in Canada. Updated current Canadian data have been provided within a database tool developed with the University of Carleton to provide a simplified aggregation and quality control check of the data. NRCan CETC and Doug Tarry Homes Ltd. piloted a project called Solar Ready Homes which requires the builder to incorporate defined criteria into their construction designs and practices in order to accommodate solar hot water technology. The project is a first of its kind aimed at production builders as opposed to custom homes. Solar Ready in an ENERGY STAR home will enable the home owner to reduce their heating and hot water energy bills by as much as 40–50% compared to conventional homes currently built in Ontario. Numerous other builders are now interested in implementing the Solar Ready technology.

Area: Biotechnology: Collaboration with NRCan, Agriculture Canada, Environment Canada, industry and various municipalities has improved the quality of the information on biomass residues and their utilization. A database has been created on biomass supply and properties and emissions matrix for a mix of residues and conversion technologies. The information will allow growers to assess the optimal type of biomass conversion system required on greenhouse acreage and make better economical decisions.

Area: Decentralized Energy Production: Completed design and laboratory test on two turbine concepts for the fish friendly turbine project which is now ready for demonstration. The project team which includes partners from the Ontario Power Authority, Laval University, University of New Brunswick, Rapid-Eau Technologies and Norcan Hydraulic Turbine Inc. are now working on identifying sites for the demonstration of these concepts. Reduction in fish mortality in small turbines would remove an environmental barrier and reduce installation costs of small low head hydro. Real-time field testing of Environment Canada's wind forecasting system in collaboration with Hydro-Quebec has been running since May 1, 2007. The system has been providing 48 hour forecasting for all wind power plants in Quebec. The ability to better forecast wind energy would lead to better prices and lower penalties for producers and enable electricity system operations to better manage high wind penetration on the grid.

Area: Hydrogen: A five year development project with the University of Victoria to examine the feasibility of a hydrogen-based renewable-energy-powered residential cogeneration system for grid-connected houses is complete. The modelling software developed from this project has already been applied by the Canadian Space Agency to study autonomous green-houses on Devon Island.

Demonstration Component: During 2007/08, the T&I demonstration component, referred to as the Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) program, disbursed $17.1M in contributions (G&Cs), providing funding to 30 demonstration projects, 11 of which were started in prior years, and 19 of which were started in-year. In total, 10 new clean energy demonstration projects were approved during the year, with a TEAM investment of $7.6M and a total project value of $33.8M. TEAM received Treasury Board approval for its Terms and Conditions to be extended for one additional year, namely 2008–09, in order to allow for the proper implementation of projects started in 2007–08. TEAM demonstration projects are typically multi-year, ranging from 1–3 years, therefore some of the new project funding will be disbursed over 2 years. As a result, TEAM received approval to transfer $5M allocated to 8 projects to the 2008–09 fiscal year. G&C contributions typically represent 90% or more of TEAM's annual budget, and are the primary means of funding clean technology demonstration projects. Since inception in 1998, TEAM has funded 140 clean energy demonstration projects, many of which are flagship NRCan projects. Total G&C disbursements to date are approximately $113M, and total project value exceeds $1.1B. The following are highlights of funding activities in 2007/08:

  • The 10 new projects approved during the year included the following: (1) Delta-Q Technologies Corp. is working with a major North American automotive OEM to demonstrate on-board battery charger systems for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV's); (2) Ecologix Heating Technologies Inc. is demonstrating multi-zone forced air heating and cooling systems for homes; (3) Versus Goliath Project Solutions is demonstrating a remote sensing, monitoring and control system in 2 biogas generation projects in Argentina (wastewater treatment plant and landfill site); (4) TM4 Inc. is developing and demonstrating a new, lightweight, high efficiency generator for large wind turbines; (5) High Performance Energy Systems Inc. is demonstrating a highly innovative borehole thermal energy storage systems as part of a seawater cooling system to be installed in a building complex owned by the City of Halifax, NS; (6) The Solar Buildings Research Network is demonstrating combined solar heat and power co-generation using solar photovoltaic and thermal technologies in commercial and residential buildings; (7) Advanced Bio-Refinery Inc. is demonstrating a first-of-its-kind transportable pyrolysis system that turns biomass waste into bio-oil and char, which can be used as fuels; (8) Carmanah is demonstrating a solar-powered LED outdoor lighting system to be used by municipalities in parks, trails, on signs and other public infrastructure applications; (9) PyroGenesis Canada is demonstrating a plasma water resource recovery systems that turns waste into energy (electricity and heat) and other products; and (10) Thermal Energy Inc. is demonstrating a combined biomass dryer and heat-recovery system that can be used to dry biomass to displace fossil fuels in pulp & paper mills.
  • The following are some of the highlights of the demonstration projects, approved in prior years, and funded during 2007–08: Dockside Green is demonstrating a very innovative biomass energy system within a mixed use, LEED Platinum, sustainable green community in downtown Victoria, BC; Ice Kube is demonstrating a heat recovery system in two rinks, and using the excess heat for a district heating application in Bedford, NS; Vaperma Inc. completed its demonstration of an advanced membrane separation technology that reduces overall energy use in the production of fuel ethanol; Milligan Bio-Tech is demonstrating the production of bio-diesel using waste, off-spec canola seed; Enbridge Gas Distribution is demonstrating a highly innovative co-generation system that extracts energy from natural gas pipelines; Petroleum Technology Research Centre is leading an industrial consortium demonstrating novel solvent-based extraction methods that significantly reduce the GHG emission intensity and water usage in heavy oil extraction.
  • In 2007–08, TEAM continued to play a leading role in developing and providing internationally accepted standards (ISO) and tools, relating to the measurement and reporting of Greenhouse Gas emission reductions achieved in clean energy demonstration projects. In addition, TEAM continued its work in implementing qualitative assessments for air quality impacts from demonstration projects. TEAM also finalized a verification protocol to provide a method to audit GHG results; worked internationally to draft a guidance documentation for ISO standard 14065 on the accreditation of validation and verification bodies; and signed an MOU with the Standards Council of Canada for creating a national system for the accreditation of verification bodies and a professional certification scheme for GHG validators, verifiers, and consultants.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 13.5 12.0 31.7 26.7 22.6 4.1
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances:

Demonstration component: The climate change review, change in government, and Treasury Board processes introduced a funding freeze in 2005–06 and 2006–07. As a result of this freeze, operations were significantly affected, resulting in reduced G&C disbursements in 2006–07, and resulting in larger G&C disbursements in 2007–08 ($17.1M) and 2008–09 ($5M).
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation: Evaluation of TEAM, as a component of the Climate Change Action Fund http://www2cm.nrcan.gc.ca/nrcan/index_e.aspx?DetailID=392; TEAM was also one of the programs evaluated in the Examination of Federal Energy & Environmental S&T Investment (completed in 2006–07). TEAM has been actively working with NRCan Audit & Evaluation Branch the new evaluations of Transportation & Built Environment that are being planning stages for 2008–09.

 


1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Wind Power Production Incentive Contribution Program
2) Start Date: April 1, 2002 3) End Date: March 31, 2008
4) Description of Transfer Payment Program The WPPI Program was set up to help establish wind energy as a full-fledged competitor in the electricity market by providing – over a period of ten years – a financial incentive of about 1 cent per each kilowatt-hour produced from the installation of 1,000 MW of new wind power capacity in Canada by 2007. The Government of Canada is to provide – over a 10–year period – an incentive averaging 1 cent per each kilowatt-hour produced from a qualifying wind energy project.
5) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
6) Results Achieved: At year end, 22 wind farms were in operation representing 924 megawatts of new wind energy capacity in Canada and about $315 million in contribution funding over 14 years.
(in millions of $) 7) Actual Spending 2005–06 8) Actual Spending 2006–07 9) Planned Spending 2007–08 10) Total Authorities 2007–08 11) Actual Spending 2007–08 12) Variances
13) Program Activity: Energy
14) Total Grants            
14) Total Contributions 10.5 24.9 38.4 38.4 29.3 9.1
14) Total Other Transfer Payments            
15) Total PA            
16) Comments on Variances: Wind farms supported under the program had lower than expected production numbers resulting in lower payments to producers.
17) Significant audit and evaluation findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:



9. Foundations (Conditional Grants)


1) Name of Recipient: Federation of Canadian Municipalities' (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF)
2) Start Date: Budget 2000 3) End Date: In perpetuity 4) Total Funding: $550M*
5) Description:

The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), a non-profit organization, with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) to provide a long-term, sustainable financing for municipal governments and their partners. The GMF invests in plans, studies and projects that provide the best examples of municipal leadership in sustainable development and that can be replicated in other Canadian communities.

The intent of the GMF is to encourage investment in environmental municipal infrastructure. Specifically, the priorities of the fund are to have a positive impact on the health and the quality of life of Canadians by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improving local air, water and soil quality and promoting renewable energy by supporting environmental studies and projects within the municipal sector. Additional considerations include the potential for economic and/or social benefit.

Under the GMF agreement, the Government of Canada (represented by NRCan and Environment Canada) participates in governance of this revolving fund, along with representatives from the public and private sectors, including municipal officials and technical experts, through a Peer Review Committee and an advisory Council. The FCM Board of Directors approves projects based on the Council's recommendations.
6) Strategic Outcome(s): Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impact and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
7) Summary of Results Achieved by the Recipient:

As of March 31, 2008, the GMF had approved over $375 million of GMF funding for 690 plans, studies and projects for a total project value of $2.2 billion.
 
(in millions of $) 8) Actual Spending 2005–2006 9) Actual Spending 2006–2007 10) Planned Spending 2007–2008 11) Total Authorities 2007–2008 12) Actual Spending 2007–2008 13) Variance(s) Between 10) and 12)
14) Program Activity 150.0          
15) Comments on Variance(s)
16) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s)/Future Plans
17) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s)/Future Plans
18) URL to Recipient's Site: http://sustainablecommunities.fcm.ca
19) URL to Recipient's Annual Report: http://sustainablecommunities.fcm.ca/About_Us/Annual_Reports

* NRCan's share is $275M

 


1) Name of Recipient: Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for the NextGen Biofuels Fund™
2) Start Date: April 1, 2007 3) End Date: Agreement ends Sept 30, 2027; last disbursement of funds to SDTC by March 31, 2015 4) Total Funding: $500,000,000 *
5) Description:

SDTC is managing the NextGen Biofuels Fund™, which will support up to 40% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $200M per project for the establishment of first-of-kind, large-scale demonstration next-generation renewable fuel production facilities to encourage the future sustainability and success of renewable fuels. Next-generation renewable fuels are derived from non-traditional renewable feedstocks, such as forest biomass, fast-growing grasses, and agricultural residues, and are produced with non-conventional conversion technologies.

Since next-generation technologies are capital equipment intensive, they constitute a greater debt financing risk. The support provided by the NextGen Biofuels Fund™ will encourage the retention and growth of technology expertise and innovation capacity for next-generation renewable fuels production in Canada.

Of the $500M in total funding, $200M is statutory and the remaining $300M is appropriated funding. The appropriated funding starts in 2008–09.
6) Strategic Outcome(s): Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impact and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
7) Summary of Results Achieved by the Recipient: Funding agreement approved, signed and announced with SDTC September 12, 2007. Funds administered and first payment made.

SDTC Corporate Plans for each year released in October of preceding year. Executive summaries posted on website below.
 
(in millions of $) 8) Actual Spending 2005–2006 9) Actual Spending 2006–2007 10) Planned Spending 2007–2008 11) Total Authorities 2007–2008 12) Actual Spending 2007–2008 13) Variance(s) Between 10) and 12)
14) Program Activity: Energy       1.6 1.6 1.6
15) Comment(s) on Variance(s): The NextGen Biofuels Fund was announced in Budget 2007 and was not included in the 2007–08 Report on Plans and Priorities. NRCan spent $1.6M in statutory funding, as identified in Supplementary Estimates "B".
16) Significant Evaluation Findings and URL(s) to Last Evaluation(s)/Future Plans:

Three interim evaluations will be performed by an independent 3rd party (Nov 30, 2012, Nov 30, 2017 and Nov 30, 2022); a final evaluation by Sept 30, 2027. Canada may choose to evaluate the Foundation at any time over the life of the agreement to determine whether it is fulfilling its objectives
17) Significant Audit Findings and URL(s) to Last Audit(s)/Future Plans:

The agreement with SDTC requires the Foundation to hire an auditor to audit the accounts and financial statements and appoint an Audit Committee to oversee the financial management of the Foundation. It also stipulates that Canada or the Auditor General may undertake a compliance audit at any time over the life of the Fund.
18) URL to Recipient's Site: http://www.sdtc.ca/en/index.htm
19) URL to Recipient's Annual Report: http://www.sdtc.ca/en/news/annual_reports.htm

* The funding is equally divided between NRCan and Environment Canada.

 


1) Name of Recipient: Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
2) Start Date: April 2002 3) End Date: June 2015 4) Total Funding: $275M
5) Description: To stimulate the development and demonstration of Canadian technologies aimed at climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil.
6) Strategic Outcome: Canadians derive sustainable social and economic benefits from the assessment, development and use of energy, forest and mineral resources, and have the knowledge to mitigate environmental impacts and respond effectively to natural and man-made hazards.
7) Achieved results or progress made (within departmental overall plans):

Since 2001, SDTC's mandate has been expanded twice, and the foundation now manages two separate funds. The original fund, called the Clean Tech Fund, received a total federal endowment of $550M to provide funding for the development and demonstration of technologies focussing on climate change, clean air, water and soil (of which at least $50M will be directed at hydrogen technologies and $50M at clean fossil fuel projects). In 2007, a new $500M NextGen Biofuels Fund was established to provide capital support for next-generation renewable fuel facilities.

NRCan is not responsible for reporting specifically on SDTC progress and results. However, as the designated minister under the SDTC Act, the Minister of NRCan tables the SDTC annual report in Parliament. This report is available at the SDTC website at http://www.sdtc.ca/en/index.htm. The following is a general summary of SDTC accomplishments. Further details will be available once the 2007 Annual Report is published.

In 2007, SDTC announced 33 projects for funding from the Clean Tech Fund, with SDTC providing $78M (32%), private sector participants providing $139M (56%) and other government programs providing $25M (12%), for a total project value of $242M. Latest information on projects will be available from the 2007 Annual Report once it becomes available.
(in millions of $) 8) Actual Spending 2005–06 9) Actual Spending 2006–07 10) Planned Spending 2007–08 11) Total Authorities 2007–08 12) Actual Spending 2007–08 13) Variances
14) Program Activity: Energy* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
15) Comments on Variances: In total, $275M expended by NRCan ($50M was incurred in 2001–02)
16) Significant Audit and Evaluations Findings and URL to last audit and/or evaluation:
17) URL to recipient's site: http://www.sdtc.ca/en/index.htm
18) URL to recipient's annual report: http://www.sdtc.ca/en/news/annual_reports.htm

* NRCan share only



10. Sustainable Development Strategy

Natural Resources Canada's Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS), Achieving Results, was tabled in Parliament in December 2006. The document is NRCan's action plan for sustainable development and sets out three long-term goals, long-term objectives, intermediate outcomes and targets.

The table below reflects the progress achieved against the SDS targets scheduled for completion by March 31, 2008 and linkages to the department's Program Activity Architecture and intermediate outcomes. Detailed progress reports on all of NRCan's SDS 2007–2009 targets are available at: http://sd-aims.nrcan.gc.ca/. Further information on the department's performance by program activity/intermediate outcome can be found in Section II of the Departmental Performance Report for the period ending March 31, 2008 at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/estime.asp.


SDS Goal 1: To enable Canada's natural resource sectors to contribute to a competitive economy and advance positive social and environmental outcomes
Expected Results for 2007–08 Performance Measure(s) Achievements for 2007–08 NRCan 2007–08 Program Activities/Intermediate Outcomes
Develop a forest community program to provide knowledge, tools and best practices on landscape-level decision-making and other means to build adaptable and self-sufficient rural communities. (SDS Target 1.1.1.1) Number of new community-based partnerships and initiatives launched. Treasury Board approval for the Forest Communities Program (FCP) was obtained. Fifty-eight full proposals were received in response to the Call for Proposals. These were reviewed by an external, interdisciplinary Proposal Review Team, recommendations were provided to department.

Twelve multi-year contribution agreements (funding agreements) were signed with 11 forest communities program sites and one national organization. Strategic plans and annual work plans have been approved and funding is flowing to all twelve partnerships. A second meeting of all contribution agreement recipients was held in February in Winnipeg, with a view to enhancing collaboration between individual sites.

 Sustainable Forest – Forest-dependent communities have choices and options for economic opportunities
Provide online access to all National Topographic Series (NTS) maps in digital format via NTS On‑line. (SDS Target 1.2.3.1) Percentage of sample files available in test-ready in pdf and tiff formats. Work to convert all paper NTS maps into an electronic format suitable to publish on the Internet has been completed. The Internet application to deliver the maps is now available for public viewing and downloading.

In FY 2007–08, there were 841 NTS map files colour corrected, bringing the total percentage of colour correction completed to 55%.

 Earth Sciences – New economic opportunities created for Canadians
Provide online access to one million aerial photos from the National Air Photo Library's (NAPL) asset via NAPL On‑line. (SDS Target 1.2.3.2) Number of aerial photos available on NAPL On-line Web tool. NRCan's NAPL contains over 6 million air photos in film or paper format. More than 700,000 paper and film photos have been converted to electronic format to publish on the Internet and 315,000 photos are available online (http://airphotos.nrcan.gc.ca/prod_e.php). Program efforts are focused on continuing the conversion to electronic format for the remaining photos and are concentrated on the most in‑demand photos.

For 2007–08, 183,755 photos were scanned for a total of 689,000. The objective of this project was to scan one million photos total. However, due to shift in priorities, this project was slowed to ensure delivery on the full range of priorities facing the program. As of March 31, 2008 there were 375,000 photos available online.

 Earth Sciences – New economic opportunities created for Canadians
Develop an integrated portfolio of research activities to improve understanding of national large-scale disturbance patterns and the impacts of climate change on forest function and productivity to assess the capacity of forests and the forest sector to adapt to climate change. (SDS Target 1.2.5.1) Design and implement a forest research agenda on climate change impacts and adaptation. External consultations took place as planned from January to September 2007 with the following groups:
  • Forest Sector Sustainability Table;
  • Canadian Council of Forestry Ministers (CCFM); and
  • National Forest Sinks Committee.

Also, a 2‑day science-policy workshop took place on October 25–26th, 2007. It gathered several external key players (e.g. provinces and non-government organizations) and more than 20 NRCan staff and led to the development of a synthesis report (below) that builds the case for adaptation.

Ongoing research activities for adaptation to climate change and on climate change impacts with respect to disturbances by wildland fire, forest insects, forest management, air quality and impacts on forest productivity has continued. A number of presentations to conferences of articles on the above topics have been published, including:

  • McKenney et al. 2007 – Potential impacts of climate change on the distribution on North American trees. BioScience 57: 939–948; and
  • Kurz et al. 2008 – Risk of natural disturbances makes future contribution of Canada's forests to the global carbon cycle highly uncertain. PNAS 105: 1551–1555).

Completion of two synthesis paper on climate change:

  • An NRCan synthesis report entitled The Importance of Forest Sector Adaptation to Climate Change is in press. This report provides information on the state of science and builds the case for taking action on adaptation, as well as identifying what is needed to move forward.
  • A special report was published jointly in the Summer of 2008 by the Government of Canada and the Network Centre of Excellence: Sustainable Forest Management entitled Climate Change and Canada's Forests: Current and Future Impacts. This document provides guidance on actions NRCan and Canada's forest sector could take with respect to climate change impacts and adaptation.

The CCFM produced the following report Adapting to Climate Change: Exploring a Framework for Action. In addition, a study has been initiated for the identification of science gaps in climate change adaptation and mitigation. A draft version of the science report entitled The Importance of Forest Sector Adaptation to Climate Change was presented to the CCFM Innovation Working Group in mid‑December 2007. Climate change impacts and adaptation was identified as one of the two priorities to be addressed in the draft A Vision for Canada's Forests 2008 and Beyond.

 Sustainable Forest – Canada's climate change forest reporting obligations are met, and forest-based options for adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change are developed

Forest losses are addressed through the provision of balanced social, economic and environmental information and advice
A national assessment of the risks and benefits posed by a changing climate to the Canadian economy, environment and society has been completed. (SDS Target 1.2.5.2) Interest in national assessment and related information products, measured by number of downloads of electronic versions and number of requests for hard copies. The full national assessment was released on line (http://adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/assess/2007/index_e.php). The revised completion date for the regional posters is Fall 2008. Earth Sciences – Canadians and their institutions understand and prepare for the effects of a changing climate
Engagement and capacity building activities within targeted groups such as professional, sectoral or regional organizations have been completed. (SDS Target 1.2.5.3) Targeted groups understand adaptation and are prepared to incorporate climate considerations into practices, as demonstrated by annual surveys. NRCan and Nunavut stakeholders met to coordinate research and the development of a Nunavut adaptation strategy. The communities of Iqaluit, Clyde River and Hall Beach were selected for integrated assessment case study.

A workshop entitled "Adaptation Action in Arctic Communities" was held in Iqaluit December 2006 and a workshop report was produced. Contribution agreements are in place with the Assembly of First Nations, Canadian Institute of Planners, and Engineers Canada.

The Council of Yukon First Nations and the Assembly of First Nations completed their projects by March 31, 2008. Both used traditional and scientific knowledge to assess the vulnerability of communities and water systems to climate change. The final reports have been delivered to NRCan.

The Canadian Institute of Planners completed their project which resulted in (i) a draft climate change policy that requires its professional members to consider climate change in all their day-to-day planning activities; (ii) preparation of 3 learning modules on adaptation for university-based and in-service training; (iii) 10 fellowships and 5 studio awards were awarded to students in planning programs in Canadian universities; and (iv) two remote community case studies were completed.

The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers delivered an infrastructure assessment report to NRCan.

The level of awareness of climate change among Canadian engineers was measured in a survey conducted by the Canadian Standards Association with support from Infrastructure Canada. The initial survey of planners has been delayed until Fall 2008 due to work required on other project deliverables.

Surficial geology: truthing and field sampling around targeted Nunavut community:

  • The first year of field work was completed, including: watershed assessments in Clyde River and Iqaluit; coastal erosion and sea-level rise assessments in Clyde River and Hall Beach; landscape hazard mapping in Clyde River and Iqaluit, vegetation assessments in Clyde River and Iqaluit. The impact of this work is being felt across Nunavut and has led to the involvement of new partners within the territorial government, Indian and Northern Affairs and the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office.
  • In addition, 10 scientific reports and presentations on the surficial geology of Nunavut were delivered.
 Earth Sciences – Canadians and their institutions understand and prepare for the effects of a changing climate
Development of a national gas hydrate science and technology strategy. (SDS Target 1.4.1.2) Utilization of the strategy to develop an integrated science and technology action plan to realize natural gas production from hydrates. Progress has been made toward developing a national gas hydrates strategy, but full development has been delayed one year (until 2009). This decision was made based on two factors:
  • To avoid duplicating the work of the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). CCA is preparing an assessment of gas hydrates that engages Canadian and international experts. CCA's final report is expected in 2008 and will provide valuable information to guide the further development of Canada's strategy.
  • To wait for the spring 2008 completion of the current Mallik production tests. These tests will likely provide some answers concerning the extraction and economics of hydrate production.

Postponing the full strategy for one year will allow incorporation of the CCA assessment and the results from the Mallik test.

The progress towards the development of a gas hydrate strategy in 2009:

  • The CCA has continued to develop its assessment of gas hydrates as an energy resource. Their report will provide valuable information to further guide development of the strategy.
  • The field component of the Mallik production test was successfully completed and the resultant data is being analyzed. Significant sustained gas flow was attained by depressurization, confirming that this might be a viable production technology. This not only directly informs the development of the strategy but will also result in increased engagement of industry, an integral component of the strategy.
 Earth Sciences – New economic opportunities created for Canadians
SDS Goal 2: To advance Canada's position as a world leader in sustainable resource development and use
Expected Results for 2007–08 Performance Measure(s) Achievements for 2007–08 NRCan Program Activities
No SDS targets were due in 2007–008. Progress reports on Goal 2 expected results can be found at: http://sd-aims.nrcan.gc.ca/ Earth Sciences

Sustainable Forest

Minerals and Metals

Corporate Management
SDS Goal 3: To integrate economic, environmental and social considerations into departmental decision-making and to continuously improve operations
Expected Results for 2007–08 Performance Measure(s) Achievements for 2007–08 NRCan Program Activities
Provide Environmental Management System (EMS) training to staff with environmental management responsibilities at key NRCan facilities. (SDS Target 3.1.1.6) Percentage of targeted individuals that have received training. A total of 155 staff attended operations-focused EMS training at six NRCan locations between December 2007 and March 2008. Corporate Management
Ensure senior management commitment to the EMS. (SDS Target 3.2.1.1) Establishment of mechanism for regular review of environmental performance and compliance. A "Green Departmental Management Committee (DMC)" meeting was held October 17, 2007, during which the Deputy Minister and DMC members endorsed implementation of the EMS and its procedures across the department, and provided initial agreement with the draft Environmental Operations Policy.

A draft report to be presented to senior management on the status of the EMS for 2007–08 is being prepared. The venue in which this information will be presented has not yet been determined due to the organizational changes taking place within the department.

 Corporate Management
All gasoline purchased for NRCan road vehicles will be ethanol blended, where available. (SDS Target 3.2.3.2) Annual, percentage of gasoline purchased for NRCan road vehicles that is ethanol blended. NRCan is proactively purchasing ethanol blended fuel for its vehicle fleet, across Canada. The departmental fleet policy requires that all employees operating NRCan vehicles must use ethanol blended fuel (10% mixture) whenever available. Within its headquarters location, NRCan uses 85% ethanol fuel (E85) to operate 32 ethanol vehicles within its pool. NRCan also provides E85 to 13 other government departments and fuels 51 of their vehicles including the Minister's and Deputy Minister's executive vehicles. In fiscal year 2007–08, a total of 120,000 litres of E85 was dispensed at the Booth Street pool. The amount of E85 dispensed at Booth Street is equivalent to 20% of the total quantity of fuel consumed by NRCan vehicles (600,000 litres) across Canada. Corporate Management
Complete and commence implementation of the draft NRCan Green Procurement Implementation Plan. (SDS 3.2.4.1) Completion of document. During this reporting period, the department further developed aspects of the plan to implement green procurement in the department including training, guidelines, target-setting, for example.

Completed the overarching draft implementation plan and liaised with other key stakeholders to prepare for finalizing and commencement of implementation over the next reporting period. Progress was made on foundational items for the plan:

  1. Specific reference to NRCan's responsibility to comply with the Policy on Green Procurement was included in the updated departmental environmental operations policy statement, which was endorsed by senior management in October 2007. (Reference to the Policy on Green Procurement requirement has also been incorporated into the updated Vehicle Fleet Management Policy.)
  2. Completed draft NRCan Green Procurement Guideline and held focus groups with key user groups.
 Corporate Management
Develop commodity specific performance targets to be implemented during the remainder of this SDS time frame. (SDS Target 3.2.4.2) Completion of performance targets.

Annual dollar value spent or quantity purchased, and number of contracts issued against the procurement target established.

Identification of environmental outcomes.

 Input was gathered on potential commodity areas for performance targets through a number of broad employee engagement activities over the spring months, including a Green Procurement Target-setting Workshop on May 17, 2007. Other ideas were submitted through the NRCan Green Operations web site, the Green Zone.

These ideas were compiled, analysed, and three areas were found to be appropriate for initial target-setting ideas: paper, internal printing and travel.

Proposed target areas were presented to DMC and achieved endorsement in principle. Completion of this target development will be delayed; finalization of firm performance targets will commence in the next reporting period.

 Corporate Management
In conjunction with other key federal departments, develop an industry managed extended producer responsibility implementation plan for end-of-life, government wide, federal information technology (IT) equipment. (SDS Target 3.2.4.3) Completion of implementation plan. Although this program was originally developed and managed by NRCan, it is currently being managed by PWGSC's Office of Greening of Government Operations (OGGO). (Note: As NRCan is no longer the lead on this file, it is proposed to terminate this action plan from reporting requirements under NRCan's SDS.) Minerals and Metals – Policies enhance the productivity and sustainability of the minerals and metals industries



11. Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits

Response to Parliamentary Committees

On August 22, 2007 the Minister of Natural Resources presented to the House of Commons the Government's response to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources' report entitled The Oil Sands: Towards Sustainable Development that was presented to the House on March 26, 2007. The response addresses all of the report's recommendations in detail. This was the only response provided by the Department to a parliamentary committee during 2007‑08 and the first since April 1, 2004.

The response to the Oil Sands report can be found on this web site: http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?COM=10803&Lang=1&SourceId=214070. See DPR, Energy Program Activity "A fair, efficient and competitive oil, natural gas and petroleum products marketplace that is consistent with Canada's social and environmental goals".

Response to the Auditor General

Nil.

External Audits

OAG audit on the Market Development Incentive Payments (MDIP) – The audit findings confirm that NRCan "has complied, in all significant respects, with sections 14 and 15 of the Memorandum of Agreement, as amended by the joint announcement, during the year ended March 31, 2006".

KPMG audit of the Geomatics Canada Revolving Fund – KPMG opined that the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the GCRF as of March 31, 2008, and the results of its operations and the changes in its financial position for the year then ended in accordance with the accounting principles for revolving funds of the Government of Canada. This is the fourteenth consecutive year since the inception of the GCRF that external auditors have issued an unqualified opinion on the financial statements of the Fund.



12. Internal Audits


1. Name of Internal Audit 2. Audit Type 3. Status 4. Completion Date
NRCan Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Audit Assurance Completed January 2007
Audit of Compliance with the Export and Import of the Rough Diamonds Act Assurance Completed March 2007
Audit of Health and Safety Program in Laboratories Assurance Completed March 2007
Audit of the Financial Management Control Framework at the Pacific Forestry Centre Assurance Completed May 2007
Audit of the Financial Management Control Framework at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre Assurance Completed June 2007
Audit of the Financial Management Control Framework at the Sidney Sub-Division of the Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Division Assurance Completed August 2007
Audit of the Financial Management Control Framework at the Atlantic Forestry Centre (AFC) Fredericton Assurance Completed August 2007
Audit of the Management Control Framework for Membership Fees Assurance Completed October 2007
Audit of Specified Purpose Accounts Assurance Completed October 2007
Audit of Net Voted Revenue Assurance Completed October 2007
Horizontal Audit of Transfer Payments Assurance Completed October 2007
Audit of Improved Efficiency of New Commercial Buildings (IENCP) and Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP) Assurance Completed November 2007
Internal Audit of Hospitality Report Assurance Completed December 2007
Audit of Voice Telecommunications Assurance Completed December 2007
Follow-Up Audit of Accounting for the Costs and Liabilities Related to Contaminated Sites Assurance Completed December 2007
Audit of the Financial Management Control Framework of the Earth Sciences Sector at the Geological Survey of Canada – Atlantic Assurance Completed December 2007
Audit of Management of Cash Flow Assurance Completed February 2008
Audit of the Financial Management Control Framework at the Laurentin Forestry Centre (LFC) Assurance Completed March 2008
5. Electronic Link to Report: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/dmo/aeb/aeb-rpts-2007-e.htm

13. Internal Evaluations


1. Name of Evaluation 2. Program Activity 3. Evaluation Type 4. Status 5. Completion Date
Port Hope Area Initiative Energy Summative Complete June 2007
Energy Infrastructure Protection Division (EIPD) Energy Summative Complete August 2007
The Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative Sustainable Forest Summative Complete November 2007
Value to Wood Program Sustainable Forest Summative Complete June 2007
Canada Wood Export Program Sustainable Forest Summative Complete June 2007
Transportation Science and Technology Energy Summative Implementing N/A
Built Environment Science and Technology Energy Summative Implementing N/A
Earth Sciences Exploration for Energy Earth Sciences Summative Implementing N/A
Mines and Minerals Science and Technology Minerals and Metals Summative Implementing N/A
CFS Climate Change Minerals and Metals Summative Implementing N/A
6. Electronic Link to Report: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/dmo/aeb/aeb-rpts-e.htm
7. Electronic Link to Evaluation Plan: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/dmo/aeb/aeb-rpts-e.htm



14. Travel Policies

NRCan follows the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's:

  • Special Travel Authorities; and
  • Travel Directive, Rates and Allowances.