ARCHIVED - 2008-09 - Main Estimates

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Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Department
Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation

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Ministry Summary

Vote	(thousands of dollars)	2008-2009	2007-2008	Difference
		Main Estimates	Main Estimates
	Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
	Department
1	Operating expenditures	81,862	79,093	2,769
5	Grants and contributions	238,346	279,191	(40,845)
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	8,017	8,045	(28)
	Total Department	328,225	366,329	(38,104)
	Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation
10	Payments to the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation	8,650	8,650	. . . . .
	Total Agency	8,650	8,650	. . . . .
Note: Details in the “Ministry Summary” and “Program by Activities” tables may not add to totals due to rounding.

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Department

Strategic Outcome

Competitive and sustainable Atlantic enterprises, with emphasis on those of small and medium size.

Program Activity Descriptions

Fostering the development of institutions and enterprises, with emphasis on those of small and medium size

Notwithstanding recent overall economic progress, some significant challenges remain and great opportunities exist for development. One of the most telling indicators of this is that, in a number of sectors, productivity remains significantly lower than in leading countries and other regions of Canada. Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) will work in partnership with Atlantic enterprises, stakeholders, industry and institutions to improve the growth and productivity of the Atlantic economy, leading to increased competitiveness, earned incomes and job creation.

ACOA works to improve the region's capacity for economic growth through a variety of strategically focused mechanisms, including assistance to enterprises, with particular emphasis on small and medium sized enterprises, to help them start, expand, or modernize their businesses, and establish and expand export activities; partnering with universities and other institutions to increase the region's research and development capacity, commercialization and productivity; and promoting and participating in the region's transition to the knowledge economy.

Strategic Outcome

Dynamic and sustainable communities for Atlantic Canada.

Program Activity Descriptions

Fostering the economic development of Atlantic communities

The Atlantic economy is built on the region's many geographic, linguistic, and cultural communities. From small remote villages to larger urban centres, the opportunities and challenges vary significantly. Communities are the fundamental building blocks on which economies are built. Given their importance in an economic development framework, ACOA focuses targeted efforts and strategies toward community development as one of the key pillars of its overall strategy for the region. ACOA supports Atlantic communities in their efforts to develop the resources they need to take full responsibility for their own economic development. ACOA works in co-operation with other levels of government, other federal government departments, non-government organizations, and community groups to lever support and co-ordinate economic development. This requires a flexible, holistic approach, based on the realities of a given community's capacities, strengths and challenges. Community development is a bottom up process that helps develop the tools, resources and initiatives that support individual and unique strategic development.

Infrastructure Programming

The provision and maintenance of quality public infrastructure provides the foundation for economic development and is critical for economic prosperity. Providing and effectively managing potable water, waste treatment facilities, highways, municipal roads and bridges and transit systems, all impact on economic growth, and many also have strong environmental implications. This requires programming designed to renew and build infrastructure in rural and urban municipalities in Atlantic Canada, through investments that protect the environment and support long-term economic growth. ACOA, working with Infrastructure Canada and the provinces, oversees/ensures the flow of federal funds allocated to each region through the various infrastructure funding streams. The priorities for Infrastructure Canada programs are green municipal infrastructure and local transportation infrastructure.

Strategic Outcome

Policies and programs that strengthen the Atlantic economy.

Program Activity Descriptions

Policy

ACOA's policy work provides a well grounded base of understanding for the development of ACOA's strategic priorities and initiatives; for program design; and as input to national policy development and federal-provincial relations. This includes the development of policies, frameworks and advice.

The policy function is carried out by ACOA officials at its head office, regional offices, and the Ottawa office. It is supported by internal and external research on significant Atlantic economic issues; through ongoing analysis of issues and trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the region; and through stakeholder engagement. ACOA's policy function is supported by a dedicated research program, the Atlantic Policy Research Initiative (APRI), which funds region-wide research projects, and is designed to contribute to building the critical mass of public policy research capacity in Atlantic Canada.

Advocacy

ACOA's advocacy function is twofold. It aims to advance the region's interests in national policy and program development in order to ensure government initiatives are more responsive to the needs of Atlantic Canada. It also pursues regional industrial benefits from public sector procurement, particularly major Crown projects, to improve the position of Atlantic industries.

ACOA's advocacy function ensures the region's interests are understood and considered by the federal government's decision makers, and that regional stakeholders are kept well informed of government actions and opportunities that are relevant to the economic interests of Atlantic Canada.

ACOA's advocacy activity influences national decision making processes by engaging in the policy-making process with other departments. Furthermore, it advocates proactively on behalf of the region, by ensuring that the Government of Canada is informed on the issues and priorities essential to Atlantic Canada's interests.

Co-ordination

ACOA's co-ordination function engages a range of economic partners to address the economic priorities of the Atlantic region through a coherent approach to development. ACOA is mandated by its legislation to "[co-ordinate] policies and programs of the Government of Canada in relation to opportunities for economic development of Atlantic Canada." Through working collaboratively with other departments and stakeholders, it develops horizontal strategies and initiatives that address developmental challenges and opportunities confronting economic development in the Atlantic region.

In order to achieve a co-ordinated approach, ACOA works in partnership with Atlantic provincial governments, communities, and a range of private and public sector stakeholders. Co-ordination takes place at all levels, from decision making to the day-to-day liaison at the working level. ACOA's co-ordination activity on emerging and priority issues includes work with Federal Regional Councils, the other regional development agencies, federal sector departments, Industry Canada, Human Resources and Social Development, federal-provincial tables, round tables, and expert panels.

Program by Activities
(thousands of dollars)		2008-2009 Main Estimates			2007-2008
		Budgetary		Total	Main
	Operating	Grants	Contributions		Estimates
			and other
			transfer
			payments
Fostering the development of institutions and enterprises,
with emphasis on those of small and medium size	56,693	1,000	156,447	214,140	205,863
Fostering the economic development of Atlantic
communities	21,224	1,000	78,707	100,931	100,819
Policy	4,724	. . . . .	1,192	5,916	7,723
Advocacy	4,102	. . . . .	. . . . .	4,102	4,095
Co-ordination	2,217	. . . . .	. . . . .	2,217	2,266
Infrastructure Programming	919	. . . . .	. . . . .	919	5,071
Special Adjustment Measures	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	. . . . .	40,492
	89,879	2,000	236,346	328,225	366,329
Transfer Payments
(dollars)			2008-2009	2007-2008
		Main Estimates		Main Estimates
Grants
Grants to organizations to promote economic cooperation and
development			2,000,000		. . . . .
Total grants			2,000,000		. . . . .
Contributions
Contributions under the Business Development Program*			97,746,000	111,001,000
Contributions for the Atlantic Innovation Fund			68,000,000		65,000,000
Contribution for the Innovative Communities Fund			55,500,000		42,300,000
Contributions under the Community Futures Program			12,700,000		12,600,000
Contributions for the International Business Development Program			1,700,000		1,800,000
Contributions under the Atlantic Policy Research Initiatives			700,000		798,000
Total contributions			236,346,000	233,499,000
* This contribution was formerly shown as three separate items, one of which was displayed with two sub-components: Regular Programming ($64,000,000)
and Programming under the Atlantic Investment Partnership for Trade, Investment, Entrepreneurship and Business Skills Development ($21,000,000).
Items not required
Contribution for the Saint John Shipyard Adjustment Initiative			. . . . .		40,200,000
Contributions to the Atlantic provinces under the Infrastructure Canada
Program			. . . . .		3,492,000
Grants to non-profit organizations to promote economic cooperation and
development			. . . . .		2,000,000
Total items not required			. . . . .		45,692,000
Total			238,346,000		279,191,000

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Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation

Strategic Outcome

Community economic development for Cape Breton and Mulgrave.

Program Activity Descriptions

Delivery Agent

As a Crown corporation, Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) has broad powers and a flexible mandate that make it ideally suited to provide services for the Government of Canada. The flexibility inherent in the Corporation allows it to deliver services and programs more efficiently and provides a greater range of mechanisms to achieve desired ends. ECBC is responsible for the delivery of the programs of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) on Cape Breton Island. In 1995, ECBC and ACOA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which ECBC delivers ACOA's programs for Cape Breton Island and the Mulgrave area. The MOU was renegotiated with ACOA for an additional five year term effective April 1, 2005. In November 2000, ECBC entered into an MOU with the Cape Breton Growth Fund Corporation (CBGF) to provide administrative and operational support. ECBC assigns staff to support the Board of Directors and the operations of the CBGF.

Support to Business

ECBC's objective for support to business is to grow the economy by encouraging private sector investment in projects that enhance the competitiveness of commercial enterprises and increase trade opportunities to produce long-term, sustainable jobs. Plans and priorities under this initiative include: Access to Capital, Human Resource Initiative and an E-Commerce Initiative for the Tourism Industry.

Support to Communities

The key objective for support to communities is to help communities plan and implement community development projects that have a direct link to long-term, self-sustaining economic activity. The Corporation undertakes a number of initiatives in this area including: community capacity building, festivals and events, convention and sporting events, community revitalization, and the Greater Cape Breton Partnership.

Investment

The key objective for investment is to attract new business investment to Cape Breton Island. Some of the initiatives that will be undertaken will include the production of investment-related promotional material as well as investment-attraction missions.

Advocacy

The key objective for this program activity is to advocate for Cape Breton Island interests, priorities and concerns in government decisions. The advocacy role is aimed at increasing Cape Breton Island's presence at inter- and intra-governmental meetings and is meant to advance the interests, priorities and concerns of Cape Breton Island in government project selection, decisions and actions.

Policy and Research

The key objective for policy and research is to help provide a sound basis for the Corporation's policy priorities and programs. Activities related to policy and research include research that is internally driven, research that is carried out with external partners and attendance at various seminars relating to economic development policy. Research is carried out in a number of areas including economic analysis, sector and issue analysis, and planning and performance management.

Program by Activities

(thousands of dollars)		2008-2009 Main Estimates			2007-2008
		Budgetary		Total	Main
	Operating	Capital	Less:		Estimates
			Revenues
			credited
			to the vote
Support to Business	6,772	277	745	6,304	6,304
Support to Communities	1,396	85	60	1,421	1,421
Investment	414	21	15	420	420
Policy and Research	414	21	15	420	420
Advocacy	74	21	15	80	80
Delivery Agent	28,005	. . . . .	28,000	5	5
	37,075	425	28,850	8,650	8,650

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