COVID-19: appearance before the Standing Committee (November 4, 2020)
ECCC COVID-19
Issue
What has been the impact of COVID-19 on ECCC operations and what have you done to prepare the workplace for the safe return of employees? How much has it cost?
Points to register
- ECCC provides critical services to Canadians and is required to maintain operations during COVID-19. However, to ensure this happens in a safe manner, the Department has invested in equipment and processes to ensure the workplace is safe for those critical services employees that remained onsite.
- Weather forecasting offices were retrofitted with measures to maintain social distancing and necessary PPE to ensure continued operations. These offices use specialized equipment for everything from monitoring water levels in the spring, to wildfires, severe weather such as tornadoes, as well as hurricanes through the summer and fall.
- The National Environmental Emergencies Centre is using a hybrid model with staff rotating in the office to maintain physical distancing while monitoring for emergencies 24/7 and providing assistance using specialized tools.
- In support of government efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve of the pandemic, ECCC, in collaboration with Parks Canada, temporarily suspended visitor services and access at all national wildlife areas to align with the guidance of public health authorities.
- Beginning in June 2020, the Department gradually opened select NWA’s with modifications to mitigate health and safety risks, while providing Canadians access to the health and wellness benefits of being outdoors in nature.
- The expenditures totaling $1.5M have been incurred between March and September.
Background/current status
As part of return to work planning efforts, ECCC considers opportunities for accommodating flexible workplace options, and new strategies for ensuring employee health and wellbeing throughout the process of reintegration.
For ECCC employees that are already accessing the workplace, measures are in place to ensure their health and safety.
As more and more employees are planning to reintegrate the workplace, maximum occupancy by building and floor have been determined based on criteria such as OHS regulations, National Building Code requirements and physical distancing measures.
Only a subset of ECCC employees are expected to return to the workplace. To ensure the health and safety of ECCC employees, occupancy will be managed via the mandatory use of a booking app that is currently being tested and expected to go into production in the next few weeks. The planning and preparation for the eventual and gradual return to our work sites has been well underway since the beginning of summer.
This preparation has included the various branches working together to ensure consistent application of COVID-19 prevention measures in consultation with our various bargaining agents and occupational health and safety (OHS) committees throughout the department.
ECCC also installed TBS approved signage and floor markers throughout our buildings to support staff with physical distancing. To further promote health and safety, we have implemented measures that are in-line with guidance from health authorities and central agencies including enhanced cleaning measures, hand cleaning and disinfections stations and training for all employees working on site.
ECCC is limiting the number of employees on every floor of every worksite, in order to ensure that physical distancing can be maintained according to building capacity. All buildings, occupancy is considerate of building specific factors as well as broadly applicable criteria such as OHS regulations, National Building Code requirements and physical distancing measures.
Up to 96% of the workforce is operational despite challenges related to COVID-19.
- Approximately 1583 positions have been identified as mission critical and critical support services.
- Approximately 1337 of these employees continued to work on site during the pandemic.
- Approximately 80% of ECCC employees are working remotely.
COVID-19 related impacts on Parks Canada’s revenues
Issue
- Parks Canada Supplementary Estimates B includes funding to address the revenue shortfall that the Agency experienced in the first six months of the fiscal year due to the impact of the pandemic on revenues from visitation and rent relief provided to commercial tenants.
Points to register
- Parks Canada is a special operating agency and retains the revenues earned from fees. These revenues are reinvested in service delivery and help Parks Canada provide greater opportunities for visitors across the country.
- In support of government efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve of the pandemic, Parks Canada temporarily suspended visitor services and access at all national parks and national historic sites from March 19 to June 1, 2020, to align with the guidance of public health authorities.
- Beginning June 1, the Agency gradually restored visitor services at select locations with modifications to mitigate health and safety risks, while providing Canadians access to the health and wellness benefits of being outdoors in nature.
- Visitor services and paid experiences were reduced in summer 2020 and only locations that could be operated safely were open to visitation. This, combined with a preference among visitors for safer, low cost outdoor activities (e.g. hiking and enjoying day-use areas) are all factors that are impacting the Agency’s annual revenues for 2020-21.
- This financial support to partially address Parks Canada’s revenue shortfall allowed the Agency to effectively sustain operations, manage COVID-19 risks for visitors and employees, and continue to address uncertainty by continually adapting visitor services and operations so that Canadians could safely enjoy the wellness benefits of access to the outdoors in national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas.
- Furthermore, the Agency also sought and received authority and funding to provide rent relief to hard hit commercial operators within Parks Canada places to parallel the support provided under the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program. This support has been a critical help to tourism businesses in Parks Canada places across the country.
Background / current status
- Parks Canada generates approximately $177 million in revenue annually, primarily from visitor services, commercial real property agreements, and the sale of permits and other goods and services. These revenues are used to support core and ongoing operations.
- In Supplementary Estimates B for Parks Canada there is up to $74.1 million to partially address its anticipated visitation and commercial leases and licences of occupation revenues’ shortfall associated with the first six months of 2020-21. Specifically, this funding is composed of the following two elements:
- First, up to $68.4 million was identified as the revenue that was at risk of not being generated from visitor services from April 1 to September 30, 2020. This amount represents a maximum that could be made available to the Agency. It will be reduced by the amount of revenue collected and by a portion of the shortfall that the Agency will fund internally from savings incurred.
- Second, up to $5.7 million was earmarked to provide for the remission of rent to commercial tenants in national parks and historic sites to parallel the Canadian Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program.
- The Agency is finalizing its financial reports on revenue collected and savings and the amount to be provided will be confirmed with the Treasury Board Secretariat shortly.
- The Agency is continuing to monitor the potential risk of revenue loss for the remainder of the fiscal year and continues to assess the financial impact on commercial operators and mitigation measures.
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