2020–2021 Departmental Plan: Disclosure of transfer payment programs of $5 million or more

Start date

2018

End date

Ongoing

Type of transfer payment

Contribution

Type of appropriation

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

Fiscal year for terms and conditions

2018-19

Link to departmental result(s)

Assessment that considers input from Indigenous peoples, the public and stakeholders

Link to the department’s Program Inventory

Impact Assessment Policy Development Program, and Assessment Delivery Program

Purpose and objectives of transfer payment program

Participant Funding Program: provides limited financial contributions to individuals, incorporated not-for-profit organizations and Indigenous groups to help prepare for and participate in key stages of impact assessments undertaken by the Agency or by review panels.

Policy Dialogue Program: supports the provision of external advice and participation in the development of policies, methodologies, tools, and practices related to impact assessment, regional assessments, and strategic assessments.

Indigenous Capacity Program: supports the development of local and regional Indigenous knowledge and capacity to effectively participate in, or undertake project impact assessments, regional assessments, policy engagement, impact assessment monitoring and follow-up activities, and IAA-related activities.

Expected results

Participant Funding Program: better informed decision-making through the active participation of the public and Indigenous groups with knowledge or expertise relevant to project impact assessments.

Policy Dialogue Program: effective engagement of the public and Indigenous peoples in the development of guidance, regulations and legislation that will contribute higher quality assessments, an expanded community of practice, and the development of policies, guidance, regulations, and legislation that will facilitate the implementation of the impact assessment system.

Indigenous Capacity Program: increased capacity of Indigenous communities to engage in, and lead consultations on, regional and strategic assessments, policy engagement, and monitoring and follow-up activities.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

Not applicable, new program

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Not applicable

Fiscal year of next planned evaluation

To be determined. An evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Results and section 42.1 of the Financial Administration Act, as part of the Agency’s annual risk-based evaluation planning exercise.

General targeted recipient groups

• Not-for-profit organizations
• Aboriginal recipients
• Individuals

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

Public: The public is notified about the availability of funding through public notices posted in various news outlets and on the Agency’s website. News releases are also provided to media in the region relevant to the proposed designated project.

These public notices and news releases provide the following information:

• Brief description of the proposed project;
• Purpose of the participant funding;
• Phase or phases of the impact assessment for which funding will be made available;
• Deadline to submit applications;
• Process to obtain application forms; and
• How to obtain information on the Participant Funding Program.

Indigenous: The Agency maintains regular contact with Indigenous communities, both formally (letters, meetings) and informally (telephone calls, emails), throughout the life of a project. Indigenous communities potentially affected by a project are contacted and notified of opportunities to participate in consultation activities. Communities who believe they may be potentially affected by a project may also contact the Agency.

Consultation work plans are prepared jointly with potentially affected communities, and feedback is solicited at key points in the process, such as during the planning phase, on the Impact Statement Guidelines, the draft Impact Assessment Report, and potential impact assessment conditions.

Feedback is also solicited in the case of review panels for the panel agreement and terms of reference, the assessment during public hearings, the panel report, and potential conditions.

Indigenous communities who are not identified by the Agency as being potentially affected by a project may find information on the availability of participant funding on the Agency’s website and may choose to apply for funds made available for public participation.

Start date

1990

End date

2022-23

Type of transfer payment

Contribution

Type of appropriation

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

Fiscal year for terms and conditions

2018

Link to departmental result(s)

Assessment that considers input from Indigenous peoples, the public and stakeholders

Link to the department’s Program Inventory

Assessment Delivery

Purpose and objectives of transfer payment program

The program provides financial contributions for recipients to participate in an environmental assessment by a review panel or by the Agency.

Expected results

• Comments from Indigenous groups and the public are taken into account in an environmental assessment process
• Contributes to an open, balanced environmental assessment
• Strengthens the quality and credibility of an environmental assessment process

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

2015-16

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Continuation

Fiscal year of next planned evaluation

Not applicable.

An evaluation will be conducted for the contributions to support the participation of the public and Indigenous groups in impact assessment and policy dialogue, and to support the development of Indigenous knowledge and capacity related to impact assessments and related activities – Participant Funding Program, Policy Dialogue Program and Indigenous Capacity Program

General targeted recipient groups

• Not-for-profit organizations
• Aboriginal recipients
• Individuals

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

Public: The public is notified about the availability of funding through public notices posted in various news outlets and on the Agency’s website. News releases are also provided to media in the region relevant to the proposed designated project.

These public notices and news releases provide the following information:

• Brief description of the proposed project;
• Purpose of the participant funding;
• Phase or phases of the impact assessment for which funding will be made available;
• Deadline to submit applications;
• Process to obtain application forms; and
• How to obtain information on the Participant Funding Program.

Indigenous: The Agency maintains regular contact with Indigenous communities, both formally (letters, meetings) and informally (telephone calls, emails), throughout the life of a project. Indigenous communities potentially affected by a project are contacted and notified of opportunities to participate in consultation activities. Communities who believe they may be potentially affected by a project may also contact the Agency.

Consultation work plans are prepared jointly with potentially affected communities, and feedback is solicited at key points in the process, such as during the planning phase, on the Impact Statement Guidelines, the draft Impact Assessment Report, and potential impact assessment conditions.

Feedback is also solicited in the case of review panels for the panel agreement and terms of reference, the assessment during public hearings, the panel report, and potential conditions.

Indigenous communities who are not identified by the Agency as being potentially affected by a project may find information on the availability of participant funding on the Agency’s website and may choose to apply for funds made available for public participation.

Start date

1978

End date

2022-23

Type of transfer payment

Contribution

Type of appropriation

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

Fiscal year for terms and conditions

Most recent agreements (renewal) signed between Canada and Quebec in March 2002 outlining terms and conditions. James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (1975) establishes obligations for funding.

Link to departmental result(s)

Science, evidence and fact based assessment resulting in mitigation measures that minimize adverse effects

Link to the department’s Program Inventory

Assessment Delivery

Purpose and objectives of transfer payment program

Maintain and provide funding for the secretariats supporting the James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment, and the Kativik Environmental Advisory Committee.

Expected results

Each committee prepares a 5-year strategic plan with yearly actions. They each provide a year-end activity report with results.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

2007-08

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Continuation

Fiscal year of next planned evaluation

Not applicable. Less than $5 million in average actual annual expenditures and there have been no changes in programming or context since last evaluation.

General targeted recipient groups

Other: James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment, and the Kativik Environmental Advisory Committee

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

Not applicable

Start date

2019-20

End date

2022-23

Type of transfer payment

Grant

Type of appropriation

Appropriated through the Estimates

Fiscal year for terms and conditions

2019-20

Link to departmental result(s)

Assessment that considers input from Indigenous peoples, the public and stakeholders

Link to the department’s Program Inventory

Assessment Delivery

Purpose and objectives of transfer payment program

Provides financial grants for recipients to participate in an environmental assessment conducted by a review panel or by the Agency.

Expected results

To encourage effective and efficient public and Indigenous peoples participation, which includes timely support of participation, ensuring that diverse public and Indigenous peoples’ advice, concerns and values related to impacts are taken into consideration before, during and after project IAs or in regional and strategic assessments.

To support the discharge of constitutional obligations and the Government’s commitments with respect to the rights of Indigenous peoples.

The expected result is to have a better informed decision-making through the active participation of the public and Indigenous groups with knowledge or expertise relevant to project impact assessments.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

No applicable – New funding mechanism under the Funding Programs

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Not applicable – New funding mechanism under the Funding Programs

Fiscal year of next planned evaluation

Not applicable. Less than $5 million in average actual annual expenditures.

General targeted recipient groups

• Not-for-profit organizations
• Aboriginal recipients
• Individuals

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

The Agency has authority from the Treasury Board to make participant funding available in the form of grants to eligible applicants during the Planning Phase of impact assessments.

Grants have fewer administrative and financial controls over them as compared to contribution agreements, and, therefore, can be provided quickly, but with less due diligence. As a result, they are most appropriate in situations where timelines are too short to allow for contribution agreements to be established, overall risk is low, and when important objectives can be achieved through their use.

In addition, using grants to ensure Indigenous groups have access to participant funding at the very earliest stages of an Impact assessment, such as the beginning of the Planning Phase, helps to support the Government’s priority of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Start date

2019-20

End date

Ongoing

Type of transfer payment

Grant

Type of appropriation

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

Fiscal year for terms and conditions

2018-19

Link to departmental result(s)

• Science, evidence and fact based assessment resulting in mitigation measures that minimize adverse effects
• Assessment that considers input from Indigenous peoples, the public and stakeholders

Link to the department’s Program Inventory

Impact Assessment Policy Development Program, and Assessment Delivery Program

Purpose and objectives of transfer payment program

Provides financial grants for recipients to participate in an environmental assessment conducted by a review panel or by the Agency.

Promotes and disseminates new and innovative research that furthers the practice of impact assessment, including regional/strategic assessments

Expected results

Stronger, evidence-based policy and guidance for impact assessment through an enhanced and more diverse knowledge base; and establishment of an impact assessment research network to foster continuous improvement and enable impact assessment to effectively serve as a tool for sustainable development.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

Not applicable, new program

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Not applicable

Fiscal year of next planned evaluation

Not applicable. Less than $5 million in average actual annual expenditures.

General targeted recipient groups

• Not-for-profit organizations
• Academia and public institutions
• Aboriginal recipients
• Individuals

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

The Agency’s new research program, comprised of grant and O&M funding, is the product of extensive consultations that were held with stakeholders and Indigenous communities through the Government’s EA and Regulatory Review. For FY 2019-2020, the full $400,000 of grant funding for the research program was used to fund a Knowledge Synthesis Grants on impact assessment administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), which includes its usual practices for consulting with potential applicants and recipients. The transfer payment program for grants for the remaining subsequent three years is under development, but will engage potential recipients in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the TPP and/or efforts that enable recipients to measure and report on results.

Total grants

1,500,000

2,500,000

2,500,000

2,500,000

Total contributions

13,025,184

16,439,140

19,672,274

18,953,903

Total other types of transfer payments

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Total program

14,525,184

18,939,140

22,172,274

21,453,903