ARCHIVED - The National Battlefields Commission - Report

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SECTION II - Analysis by Program Activities

Strategic Outcome:
The Battlefields Park of Quebec is a prestigious, accessible, safe and educational historic and urban site.

The role of the National Battlefields Commission is to make Battlefields Park a prestigious national site, maintain its historic integrity and ensure that its urban mission receives equal consideration, allow for its safe use, and provide activities and relevant services in line with historic, cultural, recreational and natural aspects.

Program Activities:

2.1   Conservation and Development

As part of this activity, the NBC preserves the legacy and integrity of the Battlefields Park for future generations by maintaining infrastructure, the horticultural landscape and a secure site for Canadian and foreign users and visitors.

Conservation and Development
2009-2010 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-2010Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
2,749	3,074	2,170	23	23	0

Expected Results	Performance Indicator	Target	Performance Status	Performance Summary
Improve park infrastructure to ensure its long-term preservation and maintain landscapes in good condition.	General state and the overall integrity of the park and its landscapes.	Maintain the general state and make improvements to the infrastructure between now and 2013.	Satisfactory for all planned projects.	Certain infrastructure has been improved, such as the workshop structure and the entrance to Des Braves Park was reconfigured. It was not possible to carry out any renovations to the Commander’s House since it has not been transferred from the Department of National Defence.

Benefits for Canadians

This program activity makes it possible for the NBC to offer people one of the world’s most prestigious historic parks in an urban setting and the opportunity to safely use and enjoy it.

Canadians and foreign visitors were able to enjoy, in complete safety, amenities, infrastructure and services provided, such as pedestrian pathways, cross-country ski trails, historic buildings, flower gardens, green spaces and monuments.

For the fifth year, the NBC took part in the Communities in Bloom Competition. Battlefields Park was a finalist in the Special Attractions category of the 2009 National Edition and received a perfect five-bloom mark as well as a special commendation for an exceptional innovation, the Info-plan terminal. The judges were impressed with the park’s overall cleanliness and the horticultural quality and exemplary maintenance of the flower displays.

The NBC received a special award from the Regroupement des stations de ski de fond de la region de Québec for developing and maintaining cross-country ski trails. The NBC worked with partners such as the Société des amis des plaines for the purpose of providing cross-country skiing lessons and equipment rentals, making Battlefields Park a full-service centre for tourists and Quebec City residents.

Performance Analysis

The NBC continued its maintenance and surveillance of the buildings, equipment and grounds in order to ensure that the park was clean and safe for users and visitors. It carried out a number of special projects to improve safety for park visitors and employees, which included strengthening of the cliff along Champlain Boulevard and solidifying the structure of the building that houses Maintenance Services.

In addition, the NBC developed a ten-year plan for the restoration of the park’s street lamps to ensure their longevity and the safety of the park. The entrance to Des Braves Park was reconfigured in anticipation of the 250^th anniversary of the Battle of Sainte-Foy in 2010-2011.

The NBC was planning to acquire the Commander’s House, a property belonging to the Department of National Defence, in order to permanently house its administrative offices, where they are presently leased. Since the property has not yet been transferred, renovations could not be carried out.

The Great Celebration of Nature was a great success, owing to both the large number of contributors who presented over 30 different kiosks and to the number of people (approximately 4,000) who sought advice on horticultural matters and visited the greenhouses.

While the NBC has environmental projects under way, such as the production and use of compost and mulch, it was in 2009-2010 that the commitment to a sustainable development action plan could be made as a result of allocating resources for that purpose. Building on an evaluation of the activities already under way will facilitate NBC establishment of a sustainable development action plan that will guide both purchasing decisions and work habits. In addition to the appointment of a land-use advisor, the NBC purchased a hybrid vehicle and had a new, more efficient, economical and less polluting natural gas heating system installed in the greenhouses.

Lessons Learned

In terms of human resources, the NBC appreciated having the opportunity to work with the union representatives to resolve a labour conflict by jointly hiring an external consultant who facilitated the establishment of neutral ground from which solutions could be identified.

2.2   Public Education and Services

The purpose of this activity is to raise awareness about the history of the site and its cultural, recreational and natural assets in a manner that emphasizes its dual purpose as a historical site and an urban park. In support of this activity, the NBC is committed to continuous improvements, welcomes visitors, provides quality exhibitions, activities and public services, and disseminates information to Canadian and foreign users and visitors.

Public Education and Services
2009-2010 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-2010 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
822	822	1,005	17	17	0

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Summary
Promote the history of Canada’s first national historic park and its cultural, recreational and natural assets.	The level of quality public and educational services.	Maintain the quality of services.	Fully satisfactory. According to an in-house survey, 90% of users and visitors were satisfied. This percentage is comparable to the previous year.	The NBC provided quality public and educational services, as the results of the client satisfaction survey demonstrate.
		Increase the dissemination of information in 2009 and 2010 about the historic events of 1759 and 1760.	Fully satisfactory.	Over 50 different interpretative activities are provided to a diverse clientele: primary schools, secondary schools (in classrooms or in the park), day care services, playgrounds; all activities focused primarily on history. Public interpretative activities and exhibitions, book publications, and a seminar were held or produced specifically for the 250th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. A Memorial to Combatants was unveiled (September 13, 2009) in memory of French and British soldiers, as well as their allies, who fought on the Plains of Abraham 250 years ago.

Benefits for Canadians

This program activity provides opportunities for Canadians to learn more about the history of Canada’s first national historic park and the historic events that occurred there. Through exhibitions, publications, educational and interpretative activities, guided tours, concerts and other promotional activities, Canadians and foreign visitors were able to learn about or to increase their knowledge of the historic battles of Quebec City that took place 250 years ago.

Performance Analysis

1. Commemorating the 250^th anniversary of the battles

All commemoration activities planned throughout 2009-2010 were successful. New exhibitions, such as The Seven Years’ War presented at the Discovery Pavilion and Québec 1759-1760, Battlefield Between Two Empires presented at the Brown Basin, gave visitors an opportunity to increase their knowledge of these events. The general public was also able to attend in the State of War activity, which presented live and moving testimonials of what those living in the region experienced during the hostilities in 1756 and in June 1759. Furthermore, the State of War activity featured approximately 20 didactic interpretative workshops on a variety topic such as archaeology, cartography and military engineering. It included, events and demonstrations designed to provide a greater understanding of what life was like at that time, including military life, famine, the presence and role of Native peoples, among the destruction and bombardments.

The ceremony held on September 13 to unveil the Memorial to the Combatants was also an opportunity to host many patronymic descendants of soldiers who fought in the battle of 1759.

The NBC posted weekly historic capsules about the events of 1759 and 1760 on its Internet site at www.theplainsofabraham.ca.

As mentioned above (Risk Analysis – Section I), several projects came to fruition as a result of partnerships created with other institutions and organizations specifically for the 250^th anniversary of the battles of 1759 and 1760.

2. Regular Activities

An innovative exhibition entitled “Chefs d’oeuvre d’apprentis” (Student Masterworks) was presented at the Brown Basin building in co-operation with Secondary IV students from the Commission scolaire de la Beauce-Etchemin. The content of the exhibition was aligned with the New France era and its historic battles. The NBC, along with the Commission scolaire de la Beauce-Etchemin, received the Canadian Museums Association’s Museums and Schools Partnership Award for this exhibition.

The award received from the Canadian Museums Association for the establishment of a partnership with the Commission scolaire de la Beauce-Etchemin underscores the importance of creating and maintaining close ties with institutions and working in concert with them. The project made it possible to provide young people with tools for learning history in conjunction with their school program, consistent with the NBC’s mandate. The program was beneficial also as it permitted the NBC to present an exhibition of artefacts from the New France era and that of the historic battles of the Quebec City; which would not have taken place without this partnership.

Furthermore, a joint project with the Château Frontenac has made it possible to organize receptions at the Louis S. St. Laurent Heritage House, in order to increase its visibility. A joint project with the Comptoir de la Nouvelle-France called The Snowshoer’s Walk was also established to enable participants to discover the history of winter sports on the Plains of Abraham.

In the summer of 2009, the final season of archeological digs took place at the Murray Blockhouse site on Cap Diamant; these digs led to the discovery of artefacts and to the exact identification of the Blockhouse’s location. A study also helped identify the protection measures to be taken in 2010 in order to preserve these archaeological finds for the long term.

Lessons Learned

Given the controversy surrounding the project to re-enact and demonstrate the historic battles of 1759 and 1760, which was cancelled in 2009, the NBC developed an alternative program of new activities to commemorate the 250^th anniversary. A diverse series of historical and educational activities were held in connection with the battles of 1759 and 1760. They were accessible to everyone at a low cost and were considered a success. According to an in-house survey, 83% of participants found them to be satisfactory. The NBC recognizes the important of clearly explaining the nature of planned activities as soon as their programming is announced.

2.3   Internal Services

The NBC administers the Battlefields Park site and the budget allocated for that purpose in accordance with government policies and the NBC’s mandate, vision and enabling legislation. Internal services include administrative services, financial services such as revenue generation (specifically parking lots), property management and communications services.

Internal Services
2009-2010 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-2010 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
5,866	6,251	6,279	15	20	5

It should be noted that financial resources include payments in lieu of taxes. In 2009-2010, Internal Services was listed as a separate program activity. In previous years, the financial resources for internal services had been attributed pro rata to the program activities, with 60% for Conservation and Development and 40% for Public Education and Services. The difference of five FTEs is explained by an increase in services, which was made possible by increased revenues and the reorganization of certain sectors

Performance Analysis

In 2009-2010, revenues exceeded the target of $1,600,000, to reach $1,787,000. This represents a drop of 31% in comparison with 2008-2009, which was an exceptional year given the heavy client traffic and use of the Plains of Abraham as part of the 100^th anniversary of the NBC and the 400^th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.

An in-house survey on the management of parking lots showed that, 97% of clients were very satisfied or satisfied with the service provided with respect to access, safety and cost.

A review of the NBC’s land use policy included a number of pilot projects during events to test whether the conditions governing the use of the park were respected. Results of these pilots will enable the NBC to review the wording of the policy.

The NBC prioritized the promotion of both the public activities it offers as well as the unique commemoration activities marking the 250^th anniversary of the historic battles of Quebec City. The Commission organized a number of press events (the same number as in 2008), sent out releases on all activities (a 20% drop in comparison with last year’s exceptional anniversaries), advertised and produced a number of pamphlets and other printed documents. Moreover, the NBC took part in fairs and trade shows in order to promote the park’s activities.

It reached the target that it had set for itself, that is, to give visibility to all NBC activities, including the 250^th anniversary programming.

In order to promote its activities, the NBC entered into partnership agreements with various newspapers, such as Le Journal de Québec, Le Soleil, the Quebec Chronicle Telegraph and Voir, radio stations, including CITF Rock Détente, NRJ and FM 93, a few magazines and other publications, as well as with hotels in the Quebec City area.

The NBC launched a document disposal process in compliance with the Archives Act. Given the extra workload created by commemoration activities for the 250^th anniversary of the battles, the NBC did not make significant progress on the project as planned. The process is ongoing and will take several months to complete.

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