2021-2022 Departmental Results Report: Horizontal initiatives - Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

General information

Name of horizontal initiative	Impact Assessment and Regulatory Processes
Lead department	Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Federal partner departments	Canada Energy Regulator Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada Indigenous Services Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada Health Canada Natural Resources Canada Transport Canada
Start date of the horizontal initiative	August 28, 2019
End date of the horizontal initiative	2022-23
Description of the horizontal initiative	The objective of the horizontal initiative is for impact assessments and regulatory processes in Canada to reflect a commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability and respect our partnership with Indigenous peoples. The horizontal initiative delivers more than 50 activities across the following six themes: Impact Assessment: includes an early planning phase to increase early engagement in project design, and consideration of a broader range of effects, including both positive and negative impacts on the environment and social, economic and health conditions. Partnering with Indigenous Peoples: providing meaningful opportunities for partnership with Indigenous peoples in support of the Government’s commitment to reconciliation and to move beyond meeting the legal duty to consult. Cumulative Effects, Open Science, and Evidence: developing a better understanding of the cumulative effects of resource development through regional and strategic initiatives, and sharing science products and evidence (data and Indigenous knowledge, as appropriate) with Canadians through an Open Science and Data Platform. Specifically related to Indigenous peoples, activities of this theme include: Implementing a Centre of Expertise on Environmental Assessment and Cumulative Effects that will support the “weaving together” of Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific knowledge; Developing approaches to make Indigenous knowledge available on the Open Science and Data Platform; Co-developing community-based monitoring programs, largely targeted toward Indigenous communities, that will likely incorporate Indigenous knowledge to inform monitoring; and Working with Indigenous communities on sharing information related to biodiversity data. Protection of Fish and Fish Habitat in Canada: restoring lost protections and incorporating modern safeguards to protect fish and fish habitat Canada. Protection of the Public Right to Navigation: protecting the public right to navigation on all navigable waters, while enabling reconciliation and new partnerships with Indigenous peoples and introducing modern safeguards to create greater transparency. Regulation of Energy: helping restore investor confidence, building public trust and advancing Indigenous reconciliation, while ensuring good projects go ahead and Canada’s energy resources get to markets responsibly.
Governance structures	This horizontal initiative is led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and supported by the aforementioned partner organizations. A Horizontal Initiative Oversight Committee (the Committee) is responsible for ensuring: the initiative is appropriately supported by timely, quality performance information; robust tracking and reporting for all funds of the initiative is performed in a coordinated manner that supports public and parliamentary reporting requirements; reporting is timely and accurate; issues are raised in a timely manner; and conflicts are resolved. The Committee will provide the oversight and direction of the Horizontal Initiative Framework, which will support delivery of the new system. The Deputy Head Oversight Committee (the Oversight Committee) is comprised of all partner organizations, with IAAC as the lead. Meetings will occur at least semi-annually, with more frequent meetings as required.
Total federal funding allocated (from start to end date) (dollars)	$1,016,524,439
Total federal planned spending to date (dollars)	$777,437,839
Total federal actual spending to date (dollars)	$645,169,954
Date of last renewal of the horizontal initiative	Not applicable
Total federal funding allocated at the last renewal, and source of funding (dollars)	Not applicable
Additional federal funding received after the last renewal (dollars)	Not applicable
Total planned spending since the last renewal	Not applicable
Total actual spending since the last renewal	Not applicable
Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation	2022–23
Performance Highlights	Canada Energy Regulator (CER) CER examined documents related to conditions of authorizations to verify that companies are taking the necessary steps to comply with these conditions. In 2021–22, there were 2,309 active conditions on facility authorizations, and compliance with those conditions was 100 per cent. The CER enhanced its ability to support Crown consultation activities beyond adjudicative processes. The CER has the responsibility of being the Crown Consultation Coordinator, undertaking consultation activities to support and complement consultation taking place within adjudicative processes. The organization clarified its regulatory requirements through improvement of and updates to the CER Filing Manual for decommissioning and abandonment applications. Draft updates have been released for public comment, including sections related to supply and markets, confidentiality, and variance applications. The organization released several new products and tools to improve public accessibility of its adjudication processes, including a new Participation Portal aimed at guiding participants through the Intervener or Commenter processes. The CER also developed BERDI (Biophysical, Economic, Regional Data & Information), a tool to provide broader internal access to data contained in historic Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessments. The CER is undertaking the first-ever comprehensive review of its principal regulation for the oversight of pipelines, the OPR. With the advice and support of the Indigenous Advisory Committee, the CER is enhancing how Indigenous perspectives can be incorporated into every level of the organization and its work through co-design and co-development. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) In support of environmental decision-making, the Northern Participant Funding Program funded the participation of 19 Indigenous and northern groups and five (5) individuals in four (4) environmental/impact assessments in Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. The program also supported four Indigenous organizations, helping them build their capacity to provide input in future environmental/impact assessments from a traditional knowledge and community planning perspective. The program also hosted 12 virtual engagement sessions where 39 groups attended across the three (3) territories and the Eeyou Marine Region to ensure participants understood how the program worked and program staff were able to strengthen relationships with its recipients. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Work has already advanced to lay the foundations for marine spatial planning (MSP) across Canada. In British Columbia, DFO is engaging with Indigenous communities and the Province to advance MSP in the waters off Canada’s Pacific North and South Coast. In Eastern Canada, discussions have commenced between federal, provincial, and Indigenous governments to inform the development of spatial plans in two bioregions: the Newfoundland and Labrador shelves and the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy (MSP Website). The Government of Canada is working to ensure Indigenous People can act as partners as a priority in MSP. To date, between April 2019 and March 2022, DFO has committed $12.4 million of targeted investments to Indigenous People across Canada to support their effective and sustained engagement in MSP, by directly fostering increased capacity and participation in governance, data collection and stewardship (FOPO April 2022). Health Canada (HC) In 2021–22, HC provided expertise to inform project assessments under the Impact Assessment Act on the following topics: contamination of country foods; health risks related to noise impacts, water quality and air quality; public health emergency management of toxic exposure events; human health risk assessment methodology; and health impact assessment methodology. Health Canada also coordinated the provision and incorporation of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s expertise on social determinants of health into project assessment documents. This expertise is reflected in finalized assessment documents published on public registries. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) ISC continues to meet its target of at least one community based baseline study per year. Funding for approximately 35 projects ($4.97 million in funding) has been provided to date, to support the assessment, monitoring and management of cumulative effects by Indigenous communities. The website was updated and improved, including the creation of a “knowledge center”: a repository of information relevant to ICCE mandate. In 2021–22, ICCE launched a major initiative aimed at understanding the needs of Indigenous communities across Canada, as they relate to cumulative effects. The needs assessment is a national project that will provide a picture of what the needs are and how Indigenous communities want to work with ICCE throughout the country. Received positive responses to participant questionnaires indicating that approximately 90% of communities who received services through the Centre are satisfied with the services they received. Created an inventory of cumulative effects experts and practitioners accessible on their website through an interactive map to allow Indigenous communities to locate resources on cumulative effects in their area and/or based on their interests. Networking and information-sharing initiatives included the ICCE annual conference, held virtually, saw approximately 300 people registered (more than double previous registration). Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) In 2021–22, NRCan provided, within established timelines, specialist and expert information to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to support 58 projects under the Impact Assessment regime. On March 9, 2021, NRCan and ECCC jointly announced the successful released of the Open Science and Data Platform to the public. Since then, OSDP has provided access to a wide range of content from various content providers: 144,000 records including scientific publications and reports (NRCan, ECCC, DFO, and HC). By leveraging the Federal Geospatial platform, it provided datasets from 15 federal partners, seven (7) provinces and one (1) territory, and 12,896 project assessments and permitting from federal regulators: Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, and Transport Canada, as well as from the Government of British Columbia Major Project Inventory. Users’ feedback has been part of the Open Science and Data Platform planning, development and delivery since its inception in 2018 and will continue to be front-and-centre in the enhancement of the OSDP in order to meet overall outcomes of the IA regime, users’ needs and experiences as well as the Policy on Service and Digital. On-going engagement with internal and external users will allow us to acquire and act on feedbacks through the planned releases in 2022–23. At NRCan, the Cumulative Effects, Open Science and Evidence theme has developed into a cross-sector cumulative effects research community including integrated science-policy approach to information and knowledge in support of Impact Assessment regime. Canadian Forest Service: New pan-Canadian ground plot and photo plot datasets released publically in Summer 2021 (through Open Science and Data Platform). Several additional contributed P/T forest inventory datasets have been successfully harmonized to common standards.
Contact information	Stewart Lindale Director, Planning, Results and Executive Services 160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor Ottawa ON K1A 0H3 613-957-0434 stewart.lindale@canada.ca

Shared outcomes: Impact assessment and regulatory processes in Canada reflect a commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability and respect our partnership with Indigenous peoples

Name of theme	Impact Assessment	Partnering with Indigenous Peoples	Cumulative Effects, Open Science, and Evidence	Protection of Fish and Fish Habitat in Canada	Protection of the Public Right to Navigation	Regulation of Energy	Internal Services
Theme outcome(s)	Timely and predictable impact assessment processes Impact assessment decisions are based on science and evidence and consider environmental, economic and social impacts	Opportunities for meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples in impact assessment and regulatory processes	The understanding of the cumulative effects of development is improved The understanding of cumulative effects informs environmental management, including impact assessments	Responsive and integrated regulatory, planning, partnership and monitoring activities support the sustainability of fish and fish habitat in Canada	A system that protects the public right to navigation on all navigable waters, enables reconciliation and new partnerships with Indigenous peoples, and includes modern safeguards to create greater transparency	Regulatory framework is robust, current and regulatory requirements and expectations are clear and publicly available Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders provide feedback that engagement with the Canada Energy Regulator is meaningful Harm to people or the environment, throughout the lifecycle of energy-related activities, is prevented	Not applicable
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada	$108,344,451	$81,595,595	$32,850,267	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$35,785,094
Canada Energy Regulator	Not Applicable	$15,301,006	$6,850,000	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$28,398,101	$4,940,045
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada	Not Applicable	$12,449,181	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$859,920
Environment and Climate Change Canada	$15,622,538	Not Applicable	$77,356,815	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$7,050,642
Fisheries and Oceans Canada	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$62,738,222	$263,569,574	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$24,941,254
Health Canada	$29,168,322	Not Applicable	$1,807,664	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$2,742,081
Indigenous Services Canada	$795,540	$3,309,248	$15,331,658	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$903,926
Natural Resources Canada	$7,948,382	Not Applicable	$63,294,750	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	$7,926,152	$6,966,152
Transport Canada	$10,451,406	$4,921,605	$2,476,316	Not Applicable	$58,909,290	Not Applicable	$20,919,239

Performance information

Horizontal initiative overview

Name of horizontal initiative	Total federal funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending (dollars)	2021–22 Actual spending	Horizontal initiative shared outcome(s)	2021–22 Performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Target(s)	Date to achieve target	2021–22 Actual results
Impact Assessment and Regulatory Processes	$1,016,524,439	$240,336,344	$217,766,178	Impact assessment and regulatory processes in Canada reflect a commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability and respect our partnership with Indigenous peoples	Percentage of impact assessments completed within the timeline established at the end of the planning phase	90%	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote1
					Percentage of proponent impact statement reports submitted in accordance with the impact statement guidance	70%	March 2021	Not Available^Footnote2
					Number of partnership agreements each year (formal agreements, other agreements) across implicated departments/agencies	Target to be determined once a baseline is established in 2022-23	March 2022	IAAC: See Note^Footnote3
							March 2022	DFO: 0^Footnote4
					Percentage of Impact Assessment Reports provided to decision-makers that are evidence-based (economic, environmental, social, health, science, Indigenous knowledge, GBA+, cumulative effects, as appropriate)	100%	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote5
					Percentage of users who indicate they accessed the open science and data platform to: facilitate participation in IA and/or regulatory processes; understand and/or better manage cumulative effects; consider Indigenous Knowledge open information; other	Target to be determined once Open Science and Data platform is launched	To be determined once target is established in 2020–21	On track^Footnote6
					In the medium and long term, track the degree to which the assessment of impacts are accurate and mitigation measures are effective	80%	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote7
						100% compliance with conditions attached to facility authorizations	March 2022	100%
						100% of development projects occurring in or near water effectively mitigate (or offset) impacts to fish or fish habitat, by March 31, 2020	March 2020	0^Footnote8
					Percentage of participants in selected impact assessment and regulatory process engagement/ consultation activities (including but not limited to: open houses, comment periods, review panel hearings, etc.) that indicate that they had the opportunity to provide input	New Indicator: Target to be determined once a baseline is established in 2020–21	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote9

Theme 1 details

Name of theme	Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 Federal theme planned spending	2021–22 Federal theme actual spending	Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target	2021–22 Actual results
Impact Assessment	$172,330,639	$40,706,898	$37,466,722	Timely and predictable impact assessment processes	Percentage of impact assessments that adhere to legislated time limits (e.g. Integrated assessments – 300 days, naming of panel – 45 days, Early Planning – 180 days, etc.)	100%	March 2022	100%^Footnote10
Impact Assessment	$172,330,639	$40,706,898	$37,466,722	Impact assessment decisions are based on science and evidence and consider environmental, economic and social impacts	Percentage of impact assessment decisions that are based on science and evidence and consider environmental, economic and social impacts	100%	March 2021	Not Available^Footnote11

Theme 1 horizontal initiative activities

Departments	Link to department’s Program Inventory	Horizontal initiative activity (activities)	Total federal funding allocated to each horizontal initiative activity since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Actual spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity expected result(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity target(s)	Date to achieve horizontal initiative activity target	2021–22 Actual results
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada	Assessment, Administration, Conduct and Monitoring	Compliance and Enforcement	$3,508,417	$935,215	$877,206	Impact Assessment Decision Statements are complied with	Percentage of projects that are in compliance with decision statement conditions	90%	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote12
		Early Planning	$14,984,539	$3,904,747	$3,601,898	Clear and predictable assessment process guidance that provides certainty to proponents, other jurisdictions, Indigenous peoples and the public, and opportunity for stakeholders to influence project designs	Percentage of project descriptions that result in a change in project design based on input from stakeholders, and type of change made (e.g., major, minor)	At least 50%	March 2022	40%^Footnote13
		Early Planning	$14,984,539	$3,904,747	$3,601,898		Percentage of Tailored Impact Statements that reflect issues of importance identified in the Planning Phase	100%	March 2022	100%
		Registry, Public Participation and Transparency	$36,712,354	$7,826,513	$7,863,599	Canadians have access to information and records on impact assessments and have opportunities to provide input and to meaningfully participate	Percentage of assessments where input from the public has been documented in impact assessment reports and considered in decisions	Target to be confirmed in 2020–21	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote14
	Assessment, Administration, Conduct and Monitoring	Impact Assessment, Monitoring and Follow-up (includes science and evidence work stream)	$53,139,141	$12,987,368	$11,930,826	Science, evidence and fact-based impact assessments and timely decisions that promote positive effects and minimize adverse effects through mitigation measures	Percentage of projects in which mitigation measures in decision statements have proven to be effective	90%	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote15
Environment and Climate Change Canada	Environmental Assessment (indicator owner) Species at Risk Water Quality and Ecosystems Partnerships Hydrological Services	Scientific Expertise and Advice	$15,622,538	$4,287,672	$3,912,290^Footnote16	Reduced environmental impact from projects subject to impact assessment	Percentage of impact assessments for which ECCC advice influenced changes to the project design or operations to mitigate potential for adverse environmental impacts	Target to be determined once baseline is established in 2020–21 (Annual target is 100%)	March every two years once baseline is established in 2020–21	100%
Environment and Climate Change Canada		Scientific Expertise and Advice	$15,622,538	$4,287,672	$3,912,290^Footnote16	Timely ECCC expert advice is provided to Early Planning and/or Impact Assessments	Percentage of requests for ECCC expertise and advice that are responded to within established timelines	100%	March 2021	99%^Footnote17
Health Canada	Health Impacts of Chemicals Food and Nutrition	Expertise on potential health impacts	$29,168,322	$5,939,366	$5,202,565^Footnote18	Expert advice influenced Early Planning, Impact Assessment and/or Follow-up and Monitoring	Percentage of Early Planning, Impact Assessment and/or Follow-up and Monitoring influenced by Health Canada expertise	90%	March 2021	100%
Health Canada	Health Impacts of Chemicals Food and Nutrition	Expertise on potential health impacts	$29,168,322	$5,939,366	$5,202,565^Footnote18	Timely HC expert advice is provided to Early Planning and/or Impact Assessments	Percentage of requests for HC expertise and advice that are responded to within established timelines	100%	March 2021	100%
Indigenous Services Canada	Environmental Public Health	Subject matter expertise to review/comment on impact of environmental contaminates/changes on things such as country foods and First Nations diets	$795,540	$164,108	$145,620^Footnote19	First Nations and the federal government have capacity to engage in the investigation of environmental hazards	Percentage of requests for input into impact assessments that have been met	90%	March 2021	100%
Indigenous Services Canada	Environmental Public Health		$795,540	$164,108	$145,620^Footnote19	Timely ISC expert advice is provided to Early Planning and/or Impact Assessments	Percentage of requests for ISC expertise and advice that are responded to within established timelines	100%	March 2021	100%
Natural Resources Canada	Cumulative Effects	Science and technology expertise and advice - Forest ecosystems	$557,636	$139,409	$62,293	Timely NRCan expert advice is provided to Early Planning and/or Impact Assessments	Percentage of NRCan requests for expertise and advice that are responded to within established timelines	100%	March 2020	100%
	Geoscience for sustainable development of natural resources	Science and technology expertise and advice - Geoscience (geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology)	$3,628,533	$772,262	$784,037
	Provision of federal leadership in the minerals and metals sector Energy Safety and Security, and Petroleum Resources	Economic expertise and advice - energy and mineral resource markets and development	$3,762,213	$895,934	$881,994
Transport Canada	Aviation Safety Oversight Marine Safety Oversight Rail Safety Oversight Transportation of Dangerous Goods Oversight Environmental Stewardship of Transportation	Departmental Engagement in Project Reviews with components related to Transport Canada’s Mandate.	$10,451,406	$2,854,304	$2,204,393^Footnote20	Transport Canada advice informs the impact assessment of a project	Percentage of impact assessments where Transport Canada is involved, in which Transport Canada advice is evident in impact assessment documentation, including early planning documents or Impact Assessment reports	100%	March 2021	100%
Transport Canada			$10,451,406	$2,854,304	$2,204,393^Footnote20	Timely TC expert advice is provided to Early Planning and/or Impact Assessments	Percentage of requests for TC expertise and advice that are responded to within established timelines	100%	March 2021	100%

Theme 2 details

Name of theme	Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 Federal theme planned spending	2021–22 Federal theme actual spending	Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target	2021–22 Actual results
Partnering with Indigenous Peoples	$117,576,635	$31,668,416	$30,439,935	Opportunities for meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples in impact assessment and regulatory processes	Percentage of impact assessments and regulatory processes that engage indigenous groups as per engagement plan	100%	March 2021	Not Available^Footnote21
Partnering with Indigenous Peoples	$117,576,635	$31,668,416	$30,439,935		Percentage of project impact assessment decisions that articulate how the indigenous perspectives were addressed	100%	March 2021	Not Available^Footnote22

Theme 2 horizontal initiative activities

Departments	Link to department’s Program Inventory	Horizontal initiative activity (activities)	Total federal funding allocated to each horizontal initiative activity since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Actual spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity expected result(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity target(s)	Date to achieve horizontal initiative activity target	2021–22 Actual results
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada	Indigenous Relations and Engagement	Indigenous Consultation	$44,210,609	$13,054,382	$12,229,959	Increased opportunities for partnerships in impact assessments and policy development	Participation rates by type of opportunity for Indigenous governing bodies to participate in Impact Assessments	Target to be established once baseline established in 2020–21	March 2022	See Note^Footnote23
	Indigenous Relations and Engagement	Indigenous Consultation	$44,210,609	$13,054,382	$12,229,959		Number/percentage of Indigenous groups participating in Impact Assessments that are satisfied with procedural aspects of consultation	Target to be established once baseline established in 2020–21	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote24
	Indigenous Relations and Engagement	Indigenous Capacity	$17,340,658	$5,270,583	$5,369,610				March 2022	Not Available^Footnote24
							Number/percentage and type of opportunities for Indigenous communities to influence the development of policies [compared to baseline of 2016]	Increase in opportunities to input to policy development, compared to 2016	March 2021	See Note^Footnote25
							Number and type of established relationships (i.e., MOUs, Policy Dialogue funding) [compared to baseline of 2016]	Increase in established relationships for policy work compared to 2016	March 2022	See Note^Footnote26
	Indigenous Relations and Engagement	Indigenous Policy Engagement	$20,044,328	$4,718,677	$4,569,581				March 2022	See Note^Footnote26
	Indigenous Relations and Engagement	Indigenous Policy Engagement	$20,044,328	$4,718,677	$4,569,581	Indigenous interests are considered in IA decisions	Percentage of impact assessments in which Indigenous knowledge or input provided by Indigenous peoples are considered	100%	March 2021	100%^Footnote27
Canada Energy Regulator	Indigenous Engagement	Enhanced Indigenous Lifecycle Engagement	$15,301,006	$3,076,457	$3,780,775^Footnote28	Input provided by Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders influences our decisions and our work	Evidence that input from Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders influences our decisions and our work	Target to be determined once baseline is established in 2019–20	March 2021	Narrative^Footnote29
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada	Northern and Arctic Environmental Sustainability	Northern Participant Funding Program	$10,014,066	$2,283,748	$2,275,424	Indigenous partners and northern stakeholders are engaged in the assessment process and their perspective is included in decision making	Percentage of affected groups/individuals engaged in assessment process	100%	March 2020	100%
							Percentage of assessment processes with continuous engagement of affected groups	Set after first year, year over year increase	March 2020	100%
							Percentage of determinations in which perspectives of recipients of the Northern Participant Funding Program are considered by co-management boards	100%	March 2020	100%
	Consultation and Accommodation	Advice and expertise on Indigenous consultation and accommodation	$678,663	$226,221	$226,221	Increased opportunities for partnerships in impact assessments and policy development	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada indicators above	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada targets above	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada data to achieve target above	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
	Consultation and Accommodation	Expertise and advice on on-reserve land management and environment issues and processes	$391,710	$130,570	$130,570
	Northern and Arctic Environmental Sustainability Northern Strategic and Science Policy	Indigenous and Northern-focused scientific and technical advice and expertise to support assessments	$1,364,742	$454,914	$290,293^Footnote30
Indigenous Services Canada	Environmental Public Health	Funding source to support First Nations communities in the development of and the undertaking of their own baseline studies and to support capacity building in advance of an assessment	$1,250,000	$250,000	$250,000	First Nations and the federal government have capacity to engage in the investigation of environmental hazards	Number of community based baseline studies conducted to support impact assessments	6	March 2023	1^Footnote31
Indigenous Services Canada	Land, Natural Resources and Environmental Management	Regional expertise and support to Crown Consultation lead and Indigenous groups	$2,059,248	$0	$531,363^Footnote32	Increased opportunities for partnerships in impact assessments and policy development	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada indicators above	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada targets above	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada data to achieve target above	See Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Transport Canada	Indigenous Partnerships and Engagement	Indigenous Consultation within the Impact Assessment System	$4,921,605	$1,293,036	$786,139^Footnote33	Specialist or expert information or knowledge supports and informs consultations across all phases of an impact assessment	Percentage of impact assessments in which Transport Canada supports Indigenous consultations where Transport Canada has identified a need to participate in the impact assessment	100%	March 2021	100%

Theme 3 details

Name of theme	Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 federal theme planned spending	2021–22 Federal theme actual spending	Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target	2021–22 Actual results
Cumulative Effects, Open Science, and Evidence	$262,705,692	$62,397,749	$59,552,676	The understanding of the cumulative effects of development is improved.	Number of times products are accessed from the Open Science and Data Platform Products could include datasets, science products and Indigenous knowledge open information	Cumulative views and downloads exceeds baseline from the time of the OSDP public release, on March 9, 2021 onward. Baselines, established in 2021–22, are as follow: 50,000 for all page views, and 1,000 total downloads.	March 2023	On track^Footnote34
The understanding of cumulative effects informs environmental management, including impact assessments.	Percentage of impact assessments informed by regional assessments or marine spatial plans – in regions where such assessments or plans have been conducted	Target to be determined once baseline is established in 2019–20	March 2021	Not Available^Footnote35

Name of theme

Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal

2021–22 federal theme planned spending

2021–22 Federal theme actual spending

Theme outcome(s)

Theme performance indicator(s)

Theme target(s)

Date to achieve theme target

2021–22 Actual results

Cumulative Effects, Open Science, and Evidence

$262,705,692

$62,397,749

$59,552,676

The understanding of the cumulative effects of development is improved.

Number of times products are accessed from the Open Science and Data Platform

Products could include datasets, science products and Indigenous knowledge open information

Cumulative views and downloads exceeds baseline from the time of the OSDP public release, on March 9, 2021 onward.

Baselines, established in 2021–22, are as follow: 50,000 for all page views, and 1,000 total downloads.

March 2023

On track^Footnote34

The understanding of cumulative effects informs environmental management, including impact assessments.

Percentage of impact assessments informed by regional assessments or marine spatial plans – in regions where such assessments or plans have been conducted

Target to be determined once baseline is established in 2019–20

March 2021

Not Available^Footnote35

Theme 3 horizontal initiative activities

Departments	Link to department’s Program Inventory	Horizontal initiative activity (activities)	Total federal funding allocated to each horizontal initiative activity since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Actual spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity expected result(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity target(s)	Date to achieve horizontal initiative activity target	2021–22 Actual results
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada	Assessment, Administration, Conduct and Monitoring	Regional and strategic assessment delivery	$32,850,267	$8,118,795	$8,462,772	Information, science and evidence are generated to inform early planning and impact assessments resulting in mitigation measures that minimize adverse effects	Completion of regional assessments	Three (3) regional assessments	March 2023	1^Footnote36
Canada Energy Regulator	Pipeline Information	Integrated Open Science and Data Platform	$6,850,000	$92,216	$0^Footnote37	Canadians access and use energy information for knowledge, research or decision making	Number of CER datasets and information products made available via the Open Science and Data Platform	Target to be determined once a baseline is established in 2020–21	March 2022	Not Available^Footnote38
Environment and Climate Change Canada	Environmental Assessment Program Migratory Birds and Other Wildlife program Substances and Waste Management program	Open science and data	$19,062,403	$4,050,876	$3,870,754	ECCC information related to cumulative effects is publicly available	Number of ECCC datasets and scientific findings, which could potentially contribute to the understanding of cumulative environmental effects, made available via the Open Science and Data Platform	100% of ECCC datasets and scientific findings are available via the OSDP	Annually, once baseline is established in March 2020	259^Footnote39
	Environmental Assessment program Migratory Birds and Other Wildlife program	Regional assessments	$26,625,563	$7,078,234	$6,492,855	Regional assessments reflect ECCC expertise and advice	Percentage of ECCC expert input and advice incorporated into regional assessment reports	Target to be determined once first regional assessment report is made public	March 2023	Not applicable^Footnote40
	Environmental Assessment Migratory Birds and Other Wildlife	Strategic assessments	$27,880,149	$6,018,834	$5,369,279^Footnote41	Strategic assessments increase certainty to project proponents and decision makers by providing guidance on how the Government of Canada accounts for selected issues (such as climate change) during project-specific impact assessments	Percentage of initial project descriptions for which one or more strategic assessments provides relevant guidance to inform the IA process	Target to be determined once baseline is established in 2020–21	March 2022	100%^Footnote42
	Environmental Assessment	Cumulative Effects Coordination	$3,788,700	$758,155	$779,684	Impact assessment and cumulative effects-related processes are effective and efficient	Percentage of major milestones, as established in the cumulative effects work plan, to implement the Government of Canada’s cumulative effects approach that have been met	Target to be determined once baseline is established in 2020–21	March 2022	Not applicable^Footnote43
Fisheries and Oceans Canada	Marine Planning and Conservation	Marine Spatial Planning in Four Marine Areas	$62,738,222	$14,916,069	$13,463,632	Ocean regulators and users use information relating to the conservation and management of the marine environment to make decisions	Number of conservation and/or management plans developed (Note: regulators and users are involved in the process of decisions and use information in development of plans)	Four (4) Marine Spatial Plans	March 2024	0^Footnote44
Health Canada	Health Impacts of Chemicals	Expertise on human health impacts	$1,807,664	$381,024	$367,992	Relevant health expertise is integrated into assessment of cumulative impacts of development	Percentage of assessments of cumulative impacts in which expertise provided by Health Canada influenced the assessment	90%	March 2021	100%
Indigenous Services Canada	Land, Natural Resources and Environmental Management	Indigenous Centre of Expertise for Cumulative Effects Management	$15,331,658	$6,882,044	$6,876,536	Lands and resources in Indigenous communities and the North are sustainably managed	Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects established as a standalone organization with governance mechanisms	The Centre is operational	March 2021	Not applicable
							Number of First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities who have accessed services and tools supporting their work on cumulative effects through the Centre’s website or at its conferences/workshops	200 First Nations, Inuit or Metis communities and/or organizations	March 2023	Target met^Footnote45
							Percentage of First Nation communities satisfied with services received through the Centre	80% of First Nations, Inuit or Metis communities and/or organizations are satisfied with the Centre’s services	March 2023	90%^Footnote46
Natural Resources Canada	Core Geospatial Data Program Geoscience for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources	Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP)	$26,881,188	$5,502,184	$4,383,684^Footnote47	The understanding of the cumulative effects of development is enabled through publically available information	Number of datasets and science products made accessible via the OSDP	800 datasets and science projects	March 2023	On track^Footnote48
	Innovative Geospatial Solutions Sustainable Forest Management	Open Science and Data - NRCan contribution	$15,504,940	$3,441,030	$4,230,729^Footnote49	Current and future cumulative effects and project impact assessments have access to data describing the status and trends of critical ecosystem parameters	Number of baseline datasets made accessible via the OSDP	Seven (7) regional datasets in year 3	March 2022	Target met^Footnote50
		Open Science and Data - NRCan contribution	$15,504,940	$3,441,030	$4,230,729^Footnote49		Number of baseline datasets made accessible via the OSDP	Seven (7) national datasets in year 5	March 2023	On track^Footnote51
	Geoscience for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources Program Cumulative Effects	Regional Assessments - NRCan contribution	$9,945,755	$2,141,785	$1,917,453^Footnote52	NRCan expertise and research contributes to regional assessments of cumulative effects	Number of regional assessments to which NRCan contributes	Two (2) regional assessments.	March 2023	On track^Footnote53
	Geoscience for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources	Marine Geoscience	$10,962,867	$2,452,831	$2,905,517	NRCan marine geoscience products inform Marine Spatial Planning	Number of marine geoscience expeditions and associated data releases that inform DFO-led Marine Spatial Planning	Eight (8) marine expeditions and associated NRCan data releases	March 2023	On track^Footnote54
Transport Canada	Environmental Stewardship of Transportation	Transport Canada supports the Marine Spatial Planning initiative.	$2,476,316	$563,672	$431,790^Footnote55	TC knowledge is used by Ocean regulators and users relating to the conservation and management of the marine environment	Percentage of Marine Spatial Initiative plans developed that were informed by Transport Canada knowledge	100%	March 2024	0%^Footnote56

Theme 4 details

Name of theme	Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 Federal theme planned spending	2021–22 Federal theme actual spending	Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target	2021–22 Actual results
Protection of Fish and Fish Habitat	$263,569,574	$61,712,142	$56,811,592	Responsive and integrated regulatory, planning, partnership and monitoring activities support the sustainability of fish and fish habitat in Canada	Number of spatial or area-based reports on the state of fish and fish habitat in Canada	Three (3) Reports	March 2023	0^Footnote57

Theme 4 horizontal initiative activities

Departments	Link to department’s Program Inventory	Horizontal initiative activity (activities)	Total federal funding allocated to each horizontal initiative activity since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Actual spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity expected result(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity target(s)	Date to achieve horizontal initiative activity target	2021–22 Actual results
Fisheries and Oceans Canada	Fisheries Protection	Fish and Fish Habitat Protection	$125,950,156	$29,608,203	$29,109,744	Negative impacts on Canada’s oceans and other aquatic ecosystems are minimized or avoided	Percentage of development projects occurring in or near water that effectively avoid, mitigate or offset impacts to fish and fish habitat	100%	March 2022	96%^Footnote58
	Conservation and Protection	Compliance & Enforcement	$33,747,755	$7,370,062	$6,763,424	Coastal and freshwater fish and fish habitat are protected from unlawful exploitation and interference	Number of hours dedicated by fishery officers to coastal and freshwater fish and fish habitat protection compliance and enforcement activities	73,000 hours (dedicated by fishery officers to coastal and freshwater fish and fish habitat protection; compliance and enforcement activities are restored to historical baseline (73,000 hours in 2004))	March 2023	40,417^Footnote59
	Aquatic Ecosystem Science	Science-based Analysis	$30,889,079	$7,267,888	$6,737,888	Scientific information on freshwater fish, fish habitat and effectiveness of relevant management measures is available to inform management decisions	Number of published Science Advisory Reports, CSAS Research Documents or Science Responses related to freshwater habitat or effectiveness of relevant management measures	≥ four (4) per year	March 2022	4^Footnote60
	Fisheries Protection	Partnering with Indigenous People – Consultation, Engagement and Partnering (including Capacity Building)	$72,982,584	$17,465,989	$14,200,537	Impacts on Aboriginal and Treaty rights and Indigenous knowledge inform authorization/permits decisions	Percentage of decisions (authorizations/permits) made by DFO that consider impacts on Aboriginal and Treaty rights, including appropriate accommodation measures to mitigate those impacts	100%	March 2022	82%^Footnote61
							Percentage of decisions (authorizations/ permits) made by DFO that consider Indigenous knowledge	100%	March 2022	7%^Footnote62
						Participation of Indigenous groups/ communities in development of regulatory, policy, process or program initiatives relative to the management of fish and fish habitat	Number of Indigenous groups/communities providing input/feedback to initiatives	> 100 per year	March 2022	86^Footnote63
						Participation of Indigenous groups/communities in the management of fish and fish habitat	Number of arrangements/plans to enhance fish and fish habitat technical capacity	> 40 per year	March 2021	79
							Number of partnering arrangements with Indigenous groups in the management of fish and fish habitat (e.g. project reviews, monitoring)	10	March 2023	0^Footnote64

Theme 5 details

Name of theme	Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 Federal theme planned spending	2021–22 Federal theme actual spending	Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target	2021–22 Actual results
Protection of the Public Right to Navigation	$58,909,290	$12,763,940	$5,753,092	A system that protects the public right to navigation on all navigable waters, enables reconciliation and new partnerships with Indigenous peoples, and includes modern safeguards to create greater transparency	Percentage of non-compliances found through oversight activities that are resolved through corrective action or enforcement	100%	March 2023	87%^Footnote65
					Percentage of decisions made under the Canadian Navigable Waters Act that have considered Indigenous input on projects	100% of projects that could have an adverse effect on the rights of Indigenous peoples	March 2020	100%
					Percentage of applications where Transport Canada makes publicly available its reasons for not adding waterways to the Schedule	100%	March 2023	Not available^Footnote66

Theme 5 horizontal initiative activities

Departments	Link to department’s Program Inventory	Horizontal initiative activity (activities)	Total federal funding allocated to each horizontal initiative activity since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Actual spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity expected result(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity target(s)	Date to achieve horizontal initiative activity target	2021–22 Actual results
Transport Canada	Navigation Protection Program	Restoring Lost Protections	$11,097,762	$2,646,252	$3,243,994^Footnote67	The public right to navigation is protected on all navigable waters in Canada	Percentage change in the number of applications for approval of projects submitted to Transport Canada annually	50% increase relative to 2017–18 baseline	March 2020	32% reduction^Footnote68
	Navigation Protection Program	Restoring Lost Protections	$11,097,762	$2,646,252	$3,243,994^Footnote67		Percentage of years in which navigable waters are added to the list of Scheduled waters	100% of years from 2019–2023	March 2023	33%^Footnote69
	Indigenous Partnerships and Engagement	Partnering with Indigenous People	$36,410,367	$8,164,742	$852,262^Footnote70	Transport Canada mandate is delivered in a manner consistent with emerging federal reconciliation principles and objectives	Number of co-management agreements signed	Average of one (1) new agreement signed per year over a four year period	March 2023	0^Footnote71
	Indigenous Partnerships and Engagement	Partnering with Indigenous People	$36,410,367	$8,164,742	$852,262^Footnote70		Percentage of eligible Indigenous applicants who receive participation funding	90%	March 2019	88%
	Navigation Protection Program	Establishing Open, Accessible and Transparent Processes	$11,401,161	$1,952,946	$1,656,836^Footnote72	Canadians have a forum for allowing their navigation related concerns to be addressed	Percentage change in the number of projects posted to the public Registry	20% increase relative to baseline (to be established using data from 2019–20)	March 2021	879 (baseline)^Footnote73
	Navigation Protection Program	Establishing Open, Accessible and Transparent Processes	$11,401,161	$1,952,946	$1,656,836^Footnote72		Percentage of navigation concerns submitted to Transport Canada that are reviewed	100%	March 2020	100%^Footnote74

Theme 6 details

Name of theme	Total federal theme funding allocated since last renewal	2021–22 federal theme planned spending	2021–22 Federal theme actual spending	Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target	2021–22 Actual results
Regulation of Energy	$36,324,253	$6,084,319	$4,020,492	Regulatory framework is robust, current and regulatory requirements and expectations are clear and publicly available	Percentage of surveyed stakeholders that agree that regulatory requirements and expectations are clear	75%	March 2021	Not Applicable^Footnote75
				Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders provide feedback that engagement with the Canada Energy Regulator is meaningful	Percentage of participants in engagement activities who indicate that the engagement was meaningful	75%	March 2021	72%^Footnote76
				Harm to people or the environment, throughout the lifecycle of energy-related activities, is prevented	Number of incidents related to regulated infrastructure that harm the environment	0	March 2020	20^Footnote77
					Percentage of unauthorized activities on regulated infrastructure that involve repeat violators	15%	March 2020	10%

Theme 6 horizontal initiative activities

Departments	Link to department’s Program Inventory	Horizontal initiative activity (activities)	Total federal funding allocated to each horizontal initiative activity since last renewal	2021–22 Planned spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Actual spending for each horizontal initiative activity	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity expected result(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity performance indicator(s)	2021–22 Horizontal initiative activity target(s)	Date to achieve horizontal initiative activity target	2021–22 Actual results
Canada Energy Regulator	Infrastructure, Tolls and Export Applications Stakeholder Engagement	Alternative Dispute Resolution	$3,357,057	$834,375	$697,954^Footnote78	Complaints are resolved in a timely manner	Percentage complaints resolved within established service standards	80%	March 2020	100%
	Stakeholder Engagement Infrastructure, Tolls and Export Applications	Enhanced Stakeholder Engagement	$5,519,997	$1,298,248	$1,193,908	Engagement reflects the diversity of views of stakeholders across the country	Percentage of targeted stakeholders engaged as part of annual plans	100%	March 2021	100%
	Regulatory Framework	Implementation	$6,234,051	$325,081	$0^Footnote79	Changes that will be required for the Canadian Energy Regulator (CER) to function efficiently and comply with the CER Act are in place upon coming into force of C-69	Percentage of changes required implemented as planned	100%	March 2020	Not Applicable^Footnote80
	Company Performance	Delegated Decision Making	$5,022,436	$1,526,597	$871,685^Footnote81	Regulated companies operate facilities in compliance with regulatory requirements and project specific conditions throughout the full lifecycle	Percentage of non-compliances and corrective actions implemented within timelines	90%	March 2020	96%
	Regulatory Framework Management System and Industry Performance	Offshore Renewable Energy - Internal Capacity	$1,458,643	$212,148	$110,816^Footnote82	Internal capacity acquired to support development of Offshore Renewable Energy regulatory framework and processes	Percentage of resources planned that are hired and trained to support the development of Offshore Renewable Energy regulatory framework and processes	100%	March 2020	50%^Footnote83
	Participant Funding	Participant Funding Program	$5,534,189	$1,340,359	$396,782^Footnote84	Program delivery is timely and efficiently managed	Percentage of Participant Funding Program service standards met	80%	March 2020	100%
	Participant Funding	Participant Funding Program	$5,534,189	$1,340,359	$396,782^Footnote84	Program delivery is timely and efficiently managed	Percentage of applicants who are satisfied with the services provided by the CER in its administration of the Participant Funding Program	80%	March 2020	98%
	Pipeline Information	Easily Accessible Information Online	$1,271,728	$17,120	$246,309^Footnote85	Pipeline maps, visualizations, social media, and other tools are used to make pipeline information accessible and interactive	Increased amount of CER energy pipeline data and information published each fiscal year conveyed through interactive tools	Increase year over year	March 2020	Not Applicable^Footnote86
Natural Resources Canada	Energy Safety and Security, and Petroleum Resources	Legislative and policy development - National Energy Board Modernization	$3,290,141	$0	$0	Improved public and investor trust and the protection of the environment in the development of energy infrastructure in Canada	Timely policy and technical advice that shapes the development and implementation of the legislation (Bill C-69)	100% of technical and policy advice provided for decisions	March 2020	No Longer Applicable^Footnote87
							Number of regulations completed under the CER Act	Four (4) priority regulations are developed and implemented for Coming-into-Force	March 2020	No Longer Applicable^Footnote88
							Number of regulations completed under the CER Act	Up to ten (10) regulations developed after Coming-into-Force	March 2022	Target Met^Footnote89
							Number of policy commitments implemented under the CER Act	Three (3) priority policy commitments are developed and implemented for Coming-into-Force	March 2020	No Longer Applicable^Footnote90
							Number of policy commitments implemented under the CER Act	As many as six (6) other policy commitments are developed after Coming-into-Force	March 2021	Target Met^Footnote91
							Number of senior positions, including the Chief Executive Officer, recruited and staffed for the new modern energy regulator	As many as fifteen (15) Governor-in-Council appointments are made to fill senior positions	March 2020	No Longer Applicable^Footnote92
						Advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and engage stakeholder in the implementation of the CER Act	Number of Indigenous groups engaged and indicate that they had the opportunity to adequately share their views and perspectives	> 35 per year	March 2021	On track^Footnote93
							Number of provinces and territories, energy industry groups, and civil society groups engaged	> ten (10) per year	March 2021	On track^Footnote94
	Electricity Resources	Legislative and policy development – offshore renewables	$4,636,011	$530,391	$503,038	Provide the regulatory authorities for the CER to regulate the construction and operation of offshore renewable power lines and associated infrastructure	Number of regulations under CER Act for offshore renewable energy project development that provides regulatory certainty for industry	CER has one (1) or more offshore renewable energy regulations for project development	March 2023	On track^Footnote95
	Electricity Resources	Legislative and policy development – offshore renewables	$4,636,011	$530,391	$503,038	Negotiate, and implement in legislation as appropriate, with willing provinces the joint management of offshore renewable energy projects	Number of federal legislation passed by Parliament to establish joint management regimes with provinces, where appropriate	One (1) or two (2) Joint-Management Acts passed	March 2023	On track^Footnote96

Total spending, all themes

Theme	Total federal funding allocated since the last renewal	2021–22 Total federal planned spending	2021–22 Total federal actual spending
Impact Assessment	$172,330,639	$40,706,898	$37,466,722
Partnering with Indigenous Peoples	$117,576,635	$31,668,416	$30,439,935
Cumulative Effects, Open Science, and Evidence	$262,705,692	$62,397,749	$59,552,676
Protection of Fish and Fish Habitat	$263,569,574	$61,712,142	$56,811,592
Protection of the Public Right to Navigation	$66,940,787	$12,763,940	$5,753,092
Regulation of Energy	$36,324,253	$6,084,319	$4,020,492
Total, all themes	$919,447,580	$215,333,464	$194,044, 509

Footnotes

Footnote 1

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 2

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent.

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Footnote 3

In April 2019, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Science and Knowledge and Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC) were established. Multi-year contribution agreements were created to support the preparation and participation of each committee member in committee meetings. Information on the committees, including summaries of their meetings, can be found at: https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-assessment-agency/advisory/advisory-groups.html

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Footnote 4

Result not met due to limited resources to support development of these arrangements, limited policy work and interest only from a limited number of Indigenous groups/communities.

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Footnote 5

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 6

In 2021–22, 74% of unique returning users accessed the Open Science and Data Platform (as per the performance indicator).

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Footnote 7

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 8

Result not met due to limited resources to support development of these arrangements, limited policy work and interest only from a limited number of Indigenous groups/communities.

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Footnote 9

At this time, there is no data to report on this shared indicator, as the methodology is not finalized at the time of reporting.

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Footnote 10

Three project issued Notice of Commencement in 2021-22 and the Minister issued a substitution decision for one project, all within the 180-day time limit set by the IAA.

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Footnote 11

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 12

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 13

In 2021–22, five detailed project descriptions were accepted by the Agency, of which two made changes to project design based on input received in the Planning phase. The proponent of the GCT Deltaport Expansion - Berth Four Project removed a potential short sea shipping component of the project (major change). The proponent of the Waterloo Airport Runway Project proposed a minor change to the project design to avoid canopy clearing in a provincially significant wetland and a butterfly conservatory.

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Footnote 14

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 15

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 16

The surplus is mainly due to the pandemic, causing delays in staffing and procurement, as well as affecting travel plans.

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Footnote 17

Target was almost met and comparable to previous results for this indicator. Minor delays were communicated with the Agency; however, a new deadline was not renegotiated for a small number of requests. Most delays were caused due to the large number of requests received at the same time and the overload of work for the experts concerned or additional time needed to assess complex science issues.

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Footnote 18

The variance between planned and actual spending is mainly due to pandemic-related travel restrictions and contract delays.

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Footnote 19

The variance is due to the fact that planned travel did not take place (mainly due to travel restrictions in place during COVID-19 pandemic).

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Footnote 20

The variance can be primarily attributed to a reduced need for hiring given the number of major projects under CEAA, 2012, and transition of projects to the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) did not result in a measurable increase. As such, TC did not undertake as much hiring as anticipated; however, workload and staffing requirements are expected to align with allocated resources in future years.

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Footnote 21

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 22

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 23

PFP funding was provided to support the participation and consultation of 152 different Indigenous governing bodies in 42 different assessments across the country.

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Footnote 24

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 25

185 contribution agreement were put in place to support two national initiatives under the Policy Dialogue Program. One (1) policy document released for comment (Indigenous knowledge Policy Framework).

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Footnote 26

Advisory committee meetings: six (6) TAC meetings; eight (8) IAC meetings. 11 TAC agreements; 11 IAC agreements; six (6) additional agreements were put in place for further policy collaboration under Streams 1 and 4.

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Footnote 27

The Agency engaged with Indigenous peoples on all projects in the Planning phase and considered Indigenous knowledge and input in the decision on whether or not an IA was required, and in developing the Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines.

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Footnote 28

Funding for eight positions re-allocated to Indigenous Engagement from Implementation, Delegated Decision Making, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Participant Funding, and Internal Services. This is offset by approximately two vacancies throughout the fiscal year and underspending of O&M funding mainly due to lack of travel for engagement as a result of the pandemic.

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Footnote 29

Recognizing that the CER’s existing participation process could be more accessible, the CER undertook targeted engagement to support the development of a new Participation portal on the CER website. Feedback from this engagement was incorporated into the Participation Portal redesign including cutting the number of steps to register or comment; removing the need to create an account if you were participating in a hearing as a commenter; and making the language easier to understand and read. CER also continue to learn from its work with the IAMCs, and engagement with Indigenous peoples broadly. For example, concerns around Sites of Indigenous Significance have driven change within the CER and regulated companies on how chance finds of cultural heritage are protected.

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Footnote 30

Due to COVID-19 health measures and restrictions in northern communities, no travel have been done in 2021–22. Engagement with Inuit organizations has been done virtually when possible. There is an error in the 2021–22 Departmental Plan’s Supplementary Information Table for the Horizontal Initiative. For this activity, the planned spending for 2021–22 should be $454,914.

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Footnote 31

Since 2018–19, Indigenous Services Canada conducted five (5) out of the targeted six (6) community based baseline studies to support impact assessments.

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Footnote 32

There is an error in the 2021–22 Departmental Plan’s Supplementary Information Table for the Horizontal Initiative. For this activity, the planned spending for 2021–22 should be $463,142. The difference between the planned and actual spending is mainly due to additional resources needed to coordinate designated projects under the IAA.

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Footnote 33

The pandemic continued to impact Indigenous consultation processes for a number of major projects impacting any need for anticipated additional hiring and all but eliminating the need for funds to travel to what can be remote consultation meetings. However, workload and staffing requirements are expected to align with allocated resources in future years.

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Footnote 34

A baseline was established in 2021–22 given that the Open Science and Data Platform was publically released on March 9, 2021. As such, the baseline is as follow: 50,000 for all page views, and 1,000 total downloads. All pages views 2021–22: 31,292 (59,433 since public release); Total downloads 2021-22: 765 (1,366 since public release)

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Footnote 35

As of March 31, 2022, the Agency had not received an Impact Statement from a proponent and therefore had not started the impact assessment phase for any project.

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Footnote 36

Offshore Oil and Gas Exploratory Drilling East of Newfoundland and Labrador is the only regional assessment completed to date. Two other regional assessments (Ring of Fire and St. Lawrence River) were ongoing in 2021–22.

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Footnote 37

Information development projects related to this activity have been centralized into a group within Internal Services.

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Footnote 38

CER is still in the process of preparing a relevant and indigenous-considerate dataset to release to this platform, via BERDI.BERDI data on OSDP to be made available on the release planned for January 2023.

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Footnote 39

There is no set target for this indicator, as a target cannot be set on the number of scientific knowledge products produced by ECCC scientific experts, since these are released as they are available following years of research, etc. However, the Program is pleased with the results achieved. The results for this indicator were anticipated to decrease over time following the initiation of the OSDP in 2019 as backlogged knowledge products produced by ECCC were uploaded and this year’s reporting result now more closely reflects recently developed knowledge products and knowledge products of increased value to the public and stakeholders being uploaded to the OSDP. Since this is a numerical target, the indicator is being revised as part of the 2022 IA Renewal Treasury Board Submission and will be reported as a percentage that will be a more representative and meaningful result with the ability to establish a target. This will be adjusted and approved through the 2022 IA Renewal Treasury Board HRF process for 2023-24.

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Footnote 40

No Regional Assessments were conducted in 2021-22. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada initiated the regional assessment of the St. Lawrence River region in the pre-planning phase but request(s) for expert input/advice has not commenced and is anticipated to commence in the 2022-23 fiscal year after the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada concludes its discussions with the Government of Quebec.

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Footnote 41

The surplus is mainly due to the pandemic, causing delays in staffing and procurement, as well as affecting travel plans.

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Footnote 42

A target was not previously set, however 100% was achieved.

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Footnote 43

The interdepartmental Cumulative Effects ADM Committee did not endorse a cumulative effect Work plan in 2021-22. This Committee supported a cumulative effects work plan in early 2022-23 that will guide future reporting on results for this indicator. In 2021-22, ECCC led the development of several key deliverables to develop an understanding of the range of the Government of Canada’s work on cumulative effects. This included delivery of federal cumulative effects workshop series as well as providing secretariat support and advice to the interdepartmental Cumulative Effects ADM Committee and the Cumulative Effects Directors Working Group Committee.

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Footnote 44

2021-22 result extracted from iResults

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Footnote 45

Networking and information-sharing initiatives included the ICCE annual conference, which was held virtually with approximately 300 people registered (more than double previous registration). Two (2) workshops to raise awareness on services and tools offered by ICCE were held in the North: one in Yellowknife and one in Iqaluit.

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Footnote 46

According to responses to participant questionnaires, approximately 90% of communities who received services through the Centre (through community funding or through attending conferences/workshops) are satisfied with the service they received.

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Footnote 47

The variance should be a surplus of $257,300 (coding error) and is due to adjustments to the delivery plan/schedule of the Open Science Data Platform.

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Footnote 48

The Open Science and Data Platform provides access to the following records (datasets and science products): 125,505 science publications (NRCan, ECCC, DFO and HC), 4,956 datasets (F/P/T), and 12,896 projects assessments and permitting (from regulators’ registries: IAAC, TC, DFO and BC major project inventory).

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Footnote 49

(According to Central Finance SFA, the actual spending for this year is actually only ~3,370,000 leaving us with a lapse of ~70K, 42K of which is attributable to CCMEO) CFS explanation: Expenditures were less than the budget for Impact Assessment and Regulatory Processes (IARP) due to several factors, including funding transfers for indirect support services that, while not directly attributed to the program, support Open Science and Data.

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Footnote 50

Regional datasets related to vegetation, permafrost, dynamic surface water and wetlands were released for 2021–22 reporting period, making this target met.

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Footnote 51

New pan-Canadian ground plot and photo plot datasets released publically in Summer 2021 (through Open Science and Data Platform). Several additional contributed provincial and territorial forest inventory datasets have been successfully harmonized to common standards.

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Footnote 52

The variance is due to adjustments to the delivery plan/schedule of the Open Science Data Platform.

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Footnote 53

NRCan has responded on-time to 100% of requests from IAAC concerning Regional Assessment (RA): these requests have pertained to RAs for the Offshore Oil and Gas Exploratory Drilling East of Newfoundland and Labrador, Ring of Fire, Offshore Wind in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, St. Lawrence River and a Request for a RA in the Salish Sea.

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Footnote 54

Nine (9) marine expeditions and associated data releases completed in 2021–22.

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Footnote 55

The variance can be primarily attributed to a reduced need for additional hiring given the MSP Initiative continues largely in the planning and preparation phase. TC is expecting to utilize the funding fully going forward.

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Footnote 56

Transport Canada continues to support DFO in the Marine Spatial Planning Initiative; however no marine spatial plan was finalized in 2021–22 and the target date to achieve this indicator has not yet been reached.

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Footnote 57

2021–22 result extracted from iResults.

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Footnote 58

Of the 757 monitoring activities undertaken by DFO, 29 compliance or effectiveness issues were unresolved as of March 31, 2022. DFO provides guidance and ensures corrective actions are undertaken to resolve identified issues.

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Footnote 59

With the new habitat protection provisions of the modernized Fisheries Act, there has been an increase in fishery officer engagement on habitat issues across the country. The significant changes to the Act required fishery officers to be trained on the new provisions and the role fishery officers would play. Those figures may be an underestimate and the program is reviewing the methodology to track metrics on habitat work.

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Footnote 60

For 2021–22, DFO is reporting the completion and publication of four CSAS documents (science advice) on freshwater habitat/effectiveness of management measures. Also, three other CSAS processes were held during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 FYs (ones on cumulative effects, death of fish and timing windows) and the publication of the documents from those meetings is imminent, which will result in the target for 2022–23 being exceeded. Note that the target was not met in 2020–21 due to delays in advisory meetings being held and postponement of the preparation of documents, mostly related to COVID-19 related delays. As mentioned for 2021–22, the program is on track to exceed the four publication target starting in 2022–23.

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Footnote 61

There may be some uncertainty about the need to address this requirement for authorizations considered in emergency situations.

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Footnote 62

Guidance to support implementation of the Fisheries Act provisions related to Indigenous knowledge is not yet available.

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Footnote 63

Input/feedback provided through 16 written submissions representing 86 Indigenous groups/communities Timelines and engagement opportunities for input/feedback to initiatives are limited and affecting ability of Indigenous groups/communities to provide informed written input and feedback.

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Footnote 64

Result not expected to be met until March 31, 2023.

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Footnote 65

All ’Compliance verification’ activities completed during the fiscal year, for which proper enforcement or measures were taken to resolve the issue, or the owner of the work resolved the issue. The 13% for which no enforcement action were taken when a non-compliance was identified can be explained by a delay between the enforcement action being taken and the data entry.

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Footnote 66

The process to gather requests to add waterways to the schedule was not in place in 2021–22. Therefore, no waterways were added nor refused to be added to the schedule, and no reason were needed to be provided.

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Footnote 67

Increased program activity and expenditures as a result of the resumption of construction activity following COVID-19 slowdown.

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Footnote 68

954 applications for approval received. The decrease can be explained by the COVID-19 pandemic, less projects to be approved, as well as new processes put in place with the CNWA that proponents can use instead of the application for approval if their project fits the criteria (public resolution process, no interference, and minor works).

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Footnote 69

Waterways have been added to the schedule 1/3 years that this indicator is tracked. The highest possible result is now 50%. The process to canvass Canadians on navigable waterways to add to the schedule did not occur during this fiscal year. Transport Canada is developing a process that will enable Canadians to apply to add navigable waters to the Schedule.

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Footnote 70

Transport Canada’s variance may be attributed to a continued lower than expected level of Indigenous consultation and engagement requirements due to the pandemic. These activities have continued to take place via computers, which have resulted in decreased travel expenditures and operational costs (e.g. booking venues). In addition, project-related activities have been less than expected which have also contributed to lower expenditures to support consultations, including with respect to staffing.

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Footnote 71

The pandemic continued to delay engagement with Indigenous communities and organizations on potential co-management opportunities.

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Footnote 72

Slight delays in the preparation of the cost recovery modules for the digital registry, to be finalized in the following year.

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Footnote 73

Projects posted open for comments: 879 - Applications for approval: 682 - Public resolution processes: 197. It was established that the baseline would be 2021–22, as the registry did not exist under previous acts.

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Footnote 74

60 submissions received comments during 2021–22 (including 56 applications for approval), which were all reviewed by officers before making a determination.

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Footnote 75

An amended indicator will be reported for fiscal year 2022–23.

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Footnote 76

Survey feedback identified a need to allow more time for engagement, greater transparency as to how input is used, and a desire to hear back how it was used. In addition, some respondents expressed a desire for more two-way dialogue, rather than only being given an opportunity to comment on a discussion paper. Some felt they would benefit more from hearing others’ perspectives. In its commitment to continuous improvement, the CER is exploring ways to improve on its approach to engagement planning and execution across the organization and are considering how it may better coordinate engagement to maximize participation from industry, Indigenous peoples, and stakeholders. The Centre of Expertise will offer training, coaching, best practices, coordination and tools to support more transparent and timely engagement.

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Footnote 77

The CER expects companies to work in a manner to safeguard the environment. A correlation is seen with construction. Approximately 65% of the events occurred during construction, most of these were related to releases of sediment or drilling mud. The CER continues to implement several oversight activities to mitigate risks, including targeted meetings with specific companies and adjustments to Compliance plans as incidents come in.

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Footnote 78

Funding for one position was re-allocated to the Indigenous Engagement activity.

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Footnote 79

Activity completed in 2019–20 fiscal year. Funding re-allocated to Indigenous Engagement activity.

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Footnote 80

Activity closed at the end of 2019–20 fiscal year.

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Footnote 81

One position vacant throughout the fiscal year and funding re-allocated to Indigenous Engagement for two positions.

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Footnote 82

One position vacant throughout the fiscal year.

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Footnote 83

One position is not hired to date, as the development of regulations is still in progress, with expected date to be published in Part 1 of the Canada Gazette for public comments in 2023.

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Footnote 84

The PFP is demand driven and actual spending is a function of the number of hearings, the number of Crown Consultation activities, the number of recipients, and the timing of participation opportunities. These factors are not known when funding allocations are approved. In fiscal year 2021–22, fewer recipients of contributions requested advances and fewer grant recipients signed prior to March 31, thereby shifting expenditures to next fiscal year.

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Footnote 85

Funding for two positions re-allocated from Internal Services.

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Footnote 86

Indicator discontinued.

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Footnote 87

This target is no longer applicable given that the Canadian Energy Regulator Act came into force on August 28, 2019. Final reporting was completed in 2019–20.

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Footnote 88

This target is no longer applicable given that the Canadian Energy Regulator Act came into force on August 28, 2019. Final reporting was completed in 2019–20.

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Footnote 89

Nine (9) regulations developed after Coming-into-Force.

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Footnote 90

This target is no longer applicable given that the Canadian Energy Regulator Act came into force on August 28, 2019. Final reporting was completed in 2019–20.

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Footnote 91

Target was met in 2020–21.

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Footnote 92

This target is no longer applicable given that the Canadian Energy Regulator Act came into force on August 28, 2019. Final reporting was completed in 2019–20.

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Footnote 93

Zero (0) Indigenous groups engaged in 2021–22, work progressed for this indicator as restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic lifted and resources became available. Progress on the intended engagement activities is continuing.

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Footnote 94

Zero (0) provinces, territories, energy industry groups and civil society groups engaged in 2021–22, work progressed for this indicator as restrictions from the COVID–19 pandemic lifted and resources became available. Progress on the intended engagement activities is continuing.

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Footnote 95

One (1) regulation requirements paper drafted and 2nd phase of pre-engagement completed. Substantial pre-engagement (multiple phases) conducted, which will inform regulation development in 2022–23.

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Footnote 96

One (1) legislative policy intent developed relating to the Joint-Management-Management Acts, government approval sought. Legislative policy intent developed relating to the Joint-Management-Management Acts, government approval sought.

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Page details

Date modified:: 2022-12-02

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2021-2022 Departmental Results Report: Horizontal initiatives - Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

General information

Shared outcomes: Impact assessment and regulatory processes in Canada reflect a commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability and respect our partnership with Indigenous peoples

Performance information

Horizontal initiative overview

Theme 1 details

Theme 1 horizontal initiative activities

Theme 2 details

Theme 2 horizontal initiative activities

Theme 3 details

Theme 3 horizontal initiative activities

Theme 4 details

Theme 4 horizontal initiative activities

Theme 5 details

Theme 5 horizontal initiative activities

Theme 6 details

Theme 6 horizontal initiative activities

Total spending, all themes

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