Evaluation of the Community Ecosystem Partnerships Program: chapter 6

6.0 Recommendations and Management Response

The following recommendations are directed to the RDG, West and North, and the RDG, Atlantic and Quebec, as the senior departmental officials responsible for the management of the CEP program.

Recommendation 1: The RDG, West and North, in consultation with the RDG, Atlantic and Quebec, should consider the development of an overarching strategic plan and associated performance measurement strategy that would allow the program to better communicate its overall objectives and report on its results.

The evaluation found that performance information is being collected by the AEI and to some extent by the Okanagan-Similkameen PE. No formal performance measurement strategy, however, exists for the CEP program, nor was there evidence of a clearly defined strategic direction for the program overall. The absence of well-defined strategic objectives and an associated performance measurement strategy thus impedes the program’s ability to communicate its intended objectives, and to measure and report on its performance. An overarching strategic plan should consider clearly articulating the program’s national delivery, oversight and objectives, while an associated performance measurement strategy should consider the development of a program-wide logic model, a standard set of performance indicators and targets against which to compare observed progress, a reporting strategy, and an approach to tracking CEP-specific expenditures separately from other regional activities in departmental systems.

Management Response to Recommendation 1:

Statement of Agreement/Disagreement with the Recommendation

The Regional Director General - West and North, on behalf of Environment Canada's Community Ecosystem Partnerships Program, agrees with this recommendation.

Management Action

CEP program management will develop an overarching strategic plan for the CEP Program to clearly define program objectives and the overall approach to achieving these objectives.

CEP program management will work with departmental planners, performance measurement experts, and financial management advisors to ensure that a comprehensive performance measurement strategy is developed and implemented for the CEP program in the post-Budget 2012 implementation context. This will help to ensure that the program can better demonstrate its results.

This work will build upon and be aligned with other performance measurement work that is already underway, as the West and North and Quebec and Atlantic regions have been collaborating on input to departmental planning processes for 2015-2016, including the Program Alignment Architecture, Program Descriptions, and Performance Measurement Framework, and implementation strategies under the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS).

As a result of recent changes to the AEI program, the Atlantic and Quebec Region completed the development of a logic model and performance management strategy in September 2014. The activities, outputs, outcomes and indicators identified through that process will support the development of a CEP Program Performance Measurement Strategy.

Recommendation 2: The RDG, Atlantic and Quebec, should revisit the current closed contributions funding process in the AEI to determine whether program objectives would be better served by a competitive process that is open to a wider range and number of applicants.

In its current form, CEP funding in the Atlantic and Quebec Region is only available to a closed roster of 18 organizations. Although the current closed funding structure yields certain benefits in terms of increased efficiency of delivery (the organizations in the roster are well informed of the requirements and process for funding applications), this approach is seen by many interviewees as an impediment to building partnerships and engaging new funding partners, leveraging resources, promoting quality proposals, and encouraging innovation. Since the currently funded organizations tend to work in the same geographic locations, the present approach also limits the program's ability to address changing priorities outside of those areas. An open request for proposals process in AEI would contribute to greater transparency of funding and better align the CEP program with other Government of Canada G&C initiatives.

Management Response to Recommendation 2

Statement of Agreement/Disagreement with the Recommendation

The Regional Director General, Atlantic and Quebec, agrees with this recommendation.

Management Action

Changes to the AEI G&C program have been implemented for the 2015-2016 funding year and are expected to address this recommendation. The changes are designed to more strategically use the AEI to better address Environment Canada priorities and to achieve greater environmental results for the Atlantic Ecosystem. The objectives of the changes to the AEI program are to:

• enhance internal coordination to better address Environment Canada priorities,
• strengthen external partnerships including engaging other governments in identifying priorities for investment, and
• enhance competition and transparency by broadening eligibility to more organizations.

With a Call for Proposals issued on September 18th, eligibility was expanded through an open and competitive process. Eligible recipients now include all Atlantic Canadian non government organizations, coalitions and networks of organizations, research and academic Institutions, and Aboriginal governments and organizations.

Under a competitive process, funding will be provided for the strongest projects that address program criteria, including the requirement that they: achieve or lead to measurable environmental results, improve the capacity for a comprehensive ecosystem based approach, build partnerships through collaboration with other organizations, leverage funding from other sources, and/or disseminate knowledge and results.

Going forward, prior to an annual call for proposals, Environment Canada will engage internal stakeholders and external stakeholders in a collaborative process to determine key priority areas for investment. That process is aimed at achieving greater results by focusing investments in areas that advance EC priorities and are aligned with provincial government priorities in Atlantic Canada.

Recommendation 3: The RDG, West and North, should develop and implement an operational plan for the Okanagan-Similkameen PE to better align program objectives, delivery model, expected roles, and available resources within this ecosystem.

Following the cost-savings initiatives stemming from Budget 2012, the Okanagan-Similkameen PE resources have been reduced without a corresponding change to regional program activities or objectives, thus creating a lack of alignment between inputs and objectives. The evaluation further found a lack of engagement with departmental partners to clearly communicate the program's role in the region and ensure that a coordinated departmental ecosystem-based approach is implemented. Developing and implementing an operational plan that clearly outlines a revised program delivery model in the Okanagan-Similkameen would serve to provide a realistic planning tool that better aligns program objectives, activities, resources, and roles and responsibilities, and clearly communicates the program's key priorities, objectives and expected role in the Region to departmental partners and external stakeholders. This in turn would be expected to encourage projects that are more directly linked to CEP program objectives, and improve coordination of CEP and other stakeholder activities.

Management Response to Recommendation 3

Statement of Agreement/Disagreement with the Recommendation

The Regional Director General - West and North, on behalf of Environment Canada's Community Ecosystem Partnerships Program, agrees with this recommendation.

Management Action

CEP program management in the West and North will develop an operational plan for the program in the Okanagan, in consideration of available resources, the overarching strategic plan of the CEP, and other relevant departmental programs.

The operational plan will demonstrate clear linkages to the overall CEP program performance measurement strategy, help to focus program activities in the Okanagan, and will be used to help ensure that both internal and external partners share an understanding of the program's objectives, priorities, and role in the ecosystem.