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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

The information presented in this section is organized by Infrastructure Canada’s Program Activity Architecture for 2008-09, which consists of the following three program activities:

• Infrastructure Investments – Consists of all infrastructure programming delivered through transfer payments as well as the related program management and monitoring functions. The activity contributes to the construction, renewal and enhancement of public infrastructure in Canada and builds capacity for addressing infrastructure issues in partnership with others.
  
• Policy, Knowledge and Partnership Development – Consists of activities undertaken in policy development, knowledge, research and analysis, and partnership development. The activity develops policies and strategic initiatives based on research and strong partnerships to address existing and emerging challenges and opportunities.
  
• Internal Services – Encompasses the Office of the Deputy Head, Corporate Services, Communications, and Legal Services.

Details on departmental plans under the first two of these program activity areas are provided in this section. Background information on the Internal Services program activity is presented in Section IV of the report, Other Items of Interest.

Infrastructure Investments

Under this Program Activity, Infrastructure Canada manages two categories of funds providing investments in Canada’s priority infrastructure needs: three funds that directly support the new Building Canada plan; and five established initiatives scheduled to wind down (“sunset”) over the next several years.

The expected result of this Program Activity is to maximize economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits for Canadians through investments in public infrastructure in a coordinated manner with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, and First Nations.

Table 8: Financial and Human Resource Requirements, Infrastructure Investments, 2008-09 to 2010-11

Financial Resources (in $ thousands)

2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
2,893,941	4,536,510	4,144,129

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
173	-	-

1. Building Canada Plan

As outlined in Budget 2007 and reaffirmed in the October 2007 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada’s new long-term infrastructure plan will provide an unprecedented $33 billion in total funding over seven years through to 2014 to support the development of world-class modern infrastructure. Building Canada is a comprehensive, long-term plan to collaborate with provinces, territories, municipalities and the private sector on the largest infrastructure development program undertaken in Canada in more than 50 years.

Infrastructure Canada has overall responsibility for overseeing and coordinating the plan across participating departments. Infrastructure Canada will be responsible, within the Transport, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio, for delivering the following key elements of the plan³:

• $8.8 billion for the new Building Canada Fund (BCF), which will go towards major projects as well as projects in smaller communities;
  
• $25 million a year in base funding to each province and territory, for a total of $2.275 billion over seven years; and
  
• $11.8 billion for the Gas Tax Fund (GTF), which focuses on investments in environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure that promote national objectives of cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, as well as capacity building to support the development of ICSPs.

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3 Transport Canada is responsible for several key elements of the plan: $2.1 billion for the new Gateways and Border Crossings Fund; and $1 billion in funding for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative. For more information on the plan, see www.buildingcanada.gc.ca

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Infrastructure Canada will work in a coordinated manner with federal departments and regional development agencies, and provincial, territorial and municipal governments to implement the Building Canada plan. The Government of Canada plans to move quickly to conclude agreements with provinces and territories to implement the plan.

Building Canada Fund (BCF)

The BCF will total $8.8 billion over seven years, focusing on projects that deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits to all Canadians. The BCF provides a national framework within which to address regional infrastructure priorities. Investments will target the strategic national priorities of core national highway system routes, drinking water, wastewater, public transit and green energy. Other eligible investment priority areas include environmental projects (solid waste management), projects that support economic growth and development (short-line rail and short-sea shipping, connectivity and broadband, tourism and regional and local airports), as well as projects that contribute to the ongoing development of safe and strong communities (disaster mitigation, culture, sport, local roads and bridges, and brownfield redevelopment). Funding will be used to support public infrastructure owned by provincial, territorial and municipal governments and entities, as well as the private and non-profit sectors where appropriate.

As committed in Budget 2007, funding will be allocated for projects in the various provinces and territories based on their population (as of the 2006 Census). The program will operate through two components: the Major Infrastructure Component (MIC) and the Communities Component. All projects will be cost shared, with the maximum federal contribution to any single project being 50%. In general, municipal infrastructure projects will be cost-shared on a one-third federal funding basis. For projects where the asset is owned by a private for-profit entity, the maximum federal contribution will be 25%.

The MIC will target larger, strategic projects of national and regional significance. Two-thirds of funding under the MIC component, on a national basis, will be directed to the above-mentioned national priorities. Projects under the MIC will be identified on the basis of merit through a discussion with provinces and territories and through the infrastructure framework committee (IFC). All projects will be required to meet criteria targeting environmental, economic and quality of life objectives.

To address the unique infrastructure pressures facing smaller communities, the Communities Component will focus investments on projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000 (as of the 2006 census). Projects will be selected through an application-based process and, like projects under the MIC, will be evaluated on the extent to which they meet environmental, economic and quality of life objectives. This will significantly help smaller communities address their infrastructure pressures and serve as a complementary instrument to GTF funding.

Provincial-Territorial (P/T) Base Fund

The Building Canada plan provides $25 million annually to each province and territory over seven years, for a total of $175 million for each jurisdiction. This represents an expenditure of $2.275 billion over seven years. The P/T Base Fund provides significant flexibility to provinces and territories to support their infrastructures priorities, including all of the categories under the BCF, as well as non-core national highway system infrastructure and the safety-related rehabilitation of infrastructure in all BCF eligible categories.

Funding will be cost-shared with provinces (50% federal share) and territories (75%) to maximize investment by all orders of government, but, similar to the GTF, federal funding will be provided up-front and on a regular basis, and does not have to be utilized in the year in which it was provided. This ensures additional financial flexibility to provinces and territories as part of Building Canada. All provinces and territories will benefit from this investment in modern public infrastructure, particularly smaller jurisdictions, which generally have lower population densities.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to:

• conclude Framework Agreements under the current BCF and P/T Base Fund with those jurisdictions not yet covered by an agreement;
  
• complete Memoranda of Understanding with federal partners to deliver BCF and P/T Base funds;
  
• adjust the First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF) to deliver BCF to First Nations; and
  
• ensure sound administration of the BCF and P/T Base Fund.

Gas Tax Fund (GTF)

The GTF committed $5 billion from 2005-06 to 2009-2010 of funding to municipalities through agreements with provinces and territories and to on-reserve First Nations communities. Budget 2007 added $8 billion in new funding and extended the GTF from 2010 to 2014 at $2 billion per year. Building Canada will provide direct funding to municipalities of $11.8 billion from 2007-08 to 2013-14.⁴

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4 The funding over the seven fiscal years is: 2007-08, $800 million; 2008-09, $1 billion; 2009-10, 2 billion; and from 2010-14, $8 billion.

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Eligible investments include capital expenditures in environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure such as water, wastewater, solid waste, public transit, community energy systems, and local roads and bridges.

The GTF also provides funding to increase the capacity of communities to undertake long-term planning. Funding for planning capacity is complemented by a requirement for communities to develop ICSPs, which are long-term plans aimed at addressing issues facing cities and communities for their improved sustainability.

The GTF seeks to provide maximum flexibility to provinces and municipalities in terms of its administration, while harnessing a unique collaborative partnership between three orders of government (federal, provincial and municipal) to produce better overall results. For munici-palities, this means an up-front flow of stable, predictable funding for projects, and includes the financial flexibility to pool, bank and borrow against the funding for their infrastructure investments.

This flexibility is balanced by agreements that set out a rigorous shared accountability regime that enables the Minister to report to Parliament on how the funds are being spent, and in particular how those expenditures relate to Government of Canada priorities for the economy, the environment and prosperous communities.

Recent examples of infrastructure projects supported under the GTF include:

• the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority has dedicated $49.1 million of Gas Tax funds towards the purchase of 199 buses in 2008; the total cost of the project is $139 million with the transportation authority covering the remaining costs;
  
• $5.5 million in funding to the City of Regina, SK, for solid waste infrastructure in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
  
• more than $1.3 million under the Community Energy category for six projects in the City of Greater Sudbury, ON, to improve the energy efficiency of municipal buildings;
  
• about $163,000 in funding to the Town of Qualicum Beach, BC, to provide ultraviolet water disinfection technology for a critical water supply source; and
  
• $38,000 to Qamani’tuuq (Baker Lake) in Nunavut to upgrade a pump house providing clean, safe water to the Kivalliq Region.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to:

• manage the implementation of GTF agreements, including the coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories and municipalities for its administration;
  
• implement the shared performance management framework for outcomes reporting as well as develop a strategy for national GTF reporting;
  
• complete a management response on the implementation evaluation of the GTF;
  
• conduct an internal audit of the adequacy and effectiveness of the management control framework of GTF;
  
• conduct joint evaluations of the program with signatories to assess the success and effectiveness of the program to date; and
  
• amend GTF agreements to add the new Gas Tax funding committed in Budget 2007 for 2010-14.

2. “Sunsetting” Programs

The second category of infrastructure investment funds consists of five older initiatives scheduled to wind down (“sunset”) over the next several years: the Infrastructure Canada Program (ICP); the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF); the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF); the Border Infrastructure Fund (BIF); and the Public Transit Fund (PTF).

Infrastructure Canada Program (ICP)

The $2.05-billion ICP was created in 2000 to enhance infrastructure in Canada’s urban and rural communities, and improve quality of life through investments that protect the environment and support long-term community and economic growth.

As of March 31, 2007, virtually all ICP funding was committed, and 3,883 projects across Canada had been approved. Some limited funding remains in ICP for Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The ICP (with the exception of the First Nations component) was extended to March 31, 2011 to allow all agreements and projects to be completed, though no additional funding will be provided.

A minimum of 50% of federal expenditures has been devoted to such projects as water and wastewater systems, solid waste management and recycling, and capital expenditures to retrofit or improve the energy efficiency of buildings and facilities owned by local governments. Other priorities include local transportation infrastructure, cultural and recreational facilities, rural and remote telecommunications and affordable housing.

Funding for the ICP was transferred to the five federal delivery partners responsible for program delivery: Western Economic Diversification Canada (for projects in the Western provinces); Industry Canada (for Ontario projects); Canada Economic Development – Quebec (for Quebec projects); Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (for projects in the Atlantic provinces); and, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (for First Nations and the three territories). Detailed reporting on ICP expenditures is the responsibility of these organizations.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to:

• continue to oversee the sound administration of the ICP program in cooperation with federal delivery partners;
  
• follow up with its federal delivery partners on program audit reports where recommendations for corrective actions are required; and
  
• conduct an internal audit of the ICP program.

Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF)

MRIF was allocated $1 billion for small-scale municipal infrastructure projects designed to promote improved quality of life in both urban and rural communities. The MRIF was augmented with an additional $200 million in January 2007.

Its long-term commitment to public infrastructure will help promote sustainable economic growth, innovation and healthy communities. Additionally, an average of 50% of funding under the MRIF across Canada is to target “green infrastructure” projects that improve the quality of life and economic opportunities of communities. “Green infrastructure” projects are defined as local projects that improve the quality of the environment and contribute to the quality of human life in such areas as water, wastewater and solid waste management, public transit, and environmental energy improvements.

The fund is cost-shared, with the Government of Canada contributing, generally, one-third of a project’s eligible costs. MRIF agreements have been signed with all provinces and territories. As of March 31, 2007, about 54% of funding has been committed to 963 projects under MRIF.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to:

• continue with the sound administration of the MRIF program in cooperation with its federal delivery partners;
  
• conduct an internal audit of the management control framework of the MRIF program; and
  
• complete a management response on the mid-term evaluation.

Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF)

CSIF is directed to projects of major federal and regional significance in areas that are vital to sustaining economic growth and enhancing the quality of life of Canadians. These investments are made in cooperation with the provinces, territories, municipalities, and the private and non-profit sectors. Maximum federal funding is set at 50% of total eligible project costs, except for broadband and northern infrastructure projects, where funding can go up to a maximum of 75%. Since the CSIF was established in 2001, 65 projects have been announced totaling more than $4 billion in federal contributions.

CSIF’s delivery model is based on a partnership arrangement between Infrastructure Canada and other federal departments that have a direct mandate in a given field or departments and agencies that have a regional development mandate. Infrastructure Canada is responsible for identifying CSIF projects and conducting due diligence on them. The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities recommends the projects for Treasury Board approval. Infrastructure Canada and the delivery partners negotiate contribution agreements with recipients and the delivery partners implement the project. Interdepartmental Memoranda of Understanding are then negotiated to clarify accountabilities.

Most CSIF funding has been committed, except for limited funding remaining in Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Recent examples of infrastructure projects supported under the CSIF include a $46 million upgrade of wastewater infrastructure in Brockville, ON, and more than $20 million to improve broadband access to 43 northern communities.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to:

• continue working with the provinces and territories to identify the projects that will be funded by the remaining uncommitted funds, as well as seeking Treasury Board approval for these projects, and developing the related contribution agreements;
  
• continue with the sound administration of the CSIF program in cooperation with federal delivery partners;
  
• respond to the CSIF Internal Audit Report completed in December 2007 and implement the action plan prepared in response to the recommendations;
  
• complete the mid-term evaluation begun in 2007-08 to assess program design and management and determine results achieved to date; and
  
• complete a management response on the mid-term evaluation.

Border Infrastructure Fund (BIF)

The BIF was established in 2002 as a $600-million fund to target the six largest surface border crossings between Canada and the United States, as well as several other crossings. It has provided funding for investments in physical infrastructure, intelligent transportation system infrastructure, and improved analytical capacity. The fund reflects the importance of Canada’s border crossings and highway approaches to economic growth, trade and security both nationally and internationally. Infrastructure Canada manages the BIF with Transport Canada serving as the implementing partner under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding.

More than 97% of the BIF funding has been committed with major projects being undertaken in New Brunswick, the British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and Southern Ontario. Funding under these programs has already started to decrease congestion at Canada’s busiest border crossings.

An internal audit of BIF to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the management control framework was completed in December 2007. In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to implement the action plan prepared in response to the recommendations.

A mid-term evaluation for BIF to assess program design and management and determine results achieved to date, begun in 2007-08, will be completed in 2008-09.

Public Transit Fund (PTF)

The PTF was established in 2005 as a one-year $400 million transfer program to provide funding for improved public transit services. It offers the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smog in urban areas by improving services and offering Canadians greater flexibility in their transportation options.

The PTF is similar in structure and design to the GTF. It offers provinces and municipalities the same kind of flexibility, while establishing shared accountability and reporting mechanisms. Eligible investments include capital expenditures for local public transit infrastructure projects falling into one of the following categories: rapid transit infrastructure; rolling stock; intelligent transport systems; active transportation infrastructure; and para-transit.

Recent examples of infrastructure projects supported under the PTF include: more than $630,000 to support the establishment of a “smart card” fare collection system in Timmins, ON; and $5.2 million to support an extension of the Greater Victoria Douglas Street Busway system, including the development of bike lanes, in Victoria, BC.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada plans to:

• manage the implementation of PTF agreements, including the coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories and municipalities for its administration;
  
• conduct an internal audit of the adequacy and effectiveness of the management control framework of PTF; and
  
• conduct joint evaluations of the program with signatories to assess the success and effectiveness of the program to date.

Policy, Knowledge and Partnership Development

This Program Activity consists of activities undertaken in: policy development; knowledge, research and analysis; and partnership development. The outcomes of this activity are:

• the development of policies and strategic initiatives that are based on research and the input from strong partnerships to address infrastructure challenges and opportunities; and
  
• research, analysis and policy development that strengthen the effectiveness of infrastructure investments.

Under this Program Activity, Infrastructure Canada works in close partnership with provinces, territories, municipal government and the private sector, respectful of jurisdictions and expertise and in a spirit of open federalism.

Table 9: Financial and Human Resource Requirements, Policy, Knowledge and Partnership Development, 2008-09 to 2010-11

Financial Resources (in $ thousands)

2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
16,314	232	232

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
84	-	-

Policy

Infrastructure Canada maintains a policy function that: develops innovative policies and programs; identifies and assesses needs with respect to infrastructure; evaluates investments priorities; and, develops policy options. The policy development activity requires a high degree of collaboration with other federal departments and agencies, as well as with provinces, territories, municipalities, municipal associations, First Nations, international organizations, and the private sector.

Infrastructure Canada’s planned policy-related activities in 2008-09 include the following:

• provide high quality policy analysis and advice on infrastructure issues to support a growing economy, a cleaner environment and prosperous communities;
  
• support the implementation of the Building Canada plan;
  
• implement a performance measurement framework and improve the department’s capacity to report to Canadians;
  
• support the analysis and development of federal policies impacting infrastructure initiatives and other issues related to cities and communities, in collaboration with other federal departments and other stakeholders; this includes, for example, the integration of Infrastructure Canada’s objectives with other Government of Canada initiatives, such as Environment Canada’s work on climate change adaptation; and
  
• provide support to the Government of Canada’s Private Public Partnership (P3) approach as outlined in the Building Canada plan.

Knowledge

Understanding of infrastructure and communities issues has improved in recent years. However, there are gaps in the knowledge base to support policy development and decision-making with regard to infrastructure policies and investments.

As part of Building Canada, Infrastructure Canada will work with other governments, universities, international organizations, and experts to improve research, knowledge and capacity-building that will promote innovation and progress in delivering world-class public infrastructure and fill knowledge gaps. The federal government’s objective is to support horizontal infrastructure research that addresses fundamental and persistent knowledge gaps and emerging issues. This integrated approach seeks to:

• strengthen the information base for decision-making, including improving understanding of the state and impacts of public infrastructure, identifying internal and external conditions that shape Canada’s infrastructure needs, emphasizing applied research, technical excellence and sharing of best practices to increase the life expectancy of public infrastructure;
  
• improve understanding of long-term infrastructure issues, such as the impacts of climate change on construction techniques, how to adapt infrastructure to changes in climate, and improving environmental practices;
  
• support innovation and efficiency in the management, design, construction, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of infrastructure; this includes the assessment of new technologies, innovative land use, financing issues, asset management and interdependencies between asset types; and
  
• measure effectiveness of programs and infrastructure investments, new and existing systems and technologies; this includes addressing data gaps in areas such as asset management and infrastructure needs, improving performance indicators, and determining the economic, social and environmental impacts of infrastructure including productivity.

Infrastructure Canada is reorienting its research and analysis effort to help deliver key elements of Building Canada. These changes include:

• a shift from primarily high-level and exploratory research to more applied internal and external research with partners and end-users;
  
• increased economic analysis of infrastructure issues;
  
• better transfer of knowledge and research to external practitioners and internal decision-makers; and
  
• strengthened partnerships to better exchange information and knowledge, better advise on infrastructure priorities, leverage resources to produce higher quality research, and address knowledge gaps.

Partnership Development

Infrastructure Canada will continue to work in partnership with the provinces and territories, municipalities, First Nations and stakeholders to facilitate economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability of Canada’s communities through infrastructure initiatives.

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada will continue to strengthen its capacity to develop strategic policies based on sound knowledge and strong partnerships. Planned initiatives include:

• strengthening collaboration with provinces, territories and municipalities through, for example, federal-provincial/territorial framework agreements and the new Infrastructure Framework Committee to be established under the BCF;
  
• supporting research collaboration with the National Research Council and the National Round Table on Sustainable Infrastructure to enhance understanding of the state and performance of Canada’s core infrastructure;
  
• supporting the building of municipal capacity in the development of ICSPs;
  
• maintaining and enhancing strong partnerships with regional development agencies and other partners for the delivery of programs and projects;
  
• contributing to international activities related to infrastructure, including participating in conferences, delegations and initiatives; these include the World Urban Forum IV, UN-Habitat, OECD Territorial Reviews and the World Bank’s indicators initiative; and
  
• strengthening multi- and bilateral relationships with international organizations, provinces, territories, non-government organizations, including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and municipal associations.

Infrastructure Canada will continue to work with key international bodies on infrastructure issues and best practices. For example, over the past two years, the department has worked with the World Bank on an international project tracking social well-being through a series of global city indicators. Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver have joined a group of international cities in the first of two phases in this project. Phase 2 began in September 2007, and it is hoped that more of Canada’s medium to large-sized communities will take part in mapping out their city’s performance. Results of both Phases of this project are expected to be shared at the upcoming World Urban Forum in Nanjing, China, in 2008. Infrastructure Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto are collaborating on a review of Toronto as part of the project.

Performance Measurement and Evaluation

This section outlines the approach taken by Infrastructure Canada to monitor the performance of two Program Activities and to measure and report on the results achieved.

Infrastructure Investments

Infrastructure Canada has identified a set of key indicators against which to report, on an ongoing basis, the performance of its various infrastructure funding programs (Table 10).

In 2007-08, Infrastructure Canada initiated the development of a horizontal approach for reporting that encompasses all infrastructure programs under its responsibility. In 2008-09, further work will be conducted in this regard, within the context of the development of a performance measurement framework for the department.

Measuring the outcomes of funding programs requires the conduct of periodic evaluation studies. Results-based Management and Accountability Frameworks (RMAFs) and Risk-based Audit Frameworks (RBAFs) have now been developed for all programs, including the new BCF. These frameworks define expected results for each program and appropriate measurement indicators. They help ensure effective management decision-making and demonstrate clear accountability in the program areas.

In 2006-07, Infrastructure Canada began a mid-term evaluation of the MRIF, which will be completed at the end of 2007-08. On the basis of this evaluation, the RMAF and RBAF for the MRIF will be updated, if necessary, to ensure that they maintain focus on measuring and reporting on outcomes throughout the lifecycle of the program.

The ICP, an older program nearing completion, operates under a Federal Governance and Accountability Framework that identifies roles and responsibilities. In collaboration with its ICP delivery partners, Infrastructure Canada developed an integrated RMAF-RBAF for the ICP extension, and completed the ICP mid-term evaluation. The results of these two processes indicated the need to be diligent to ensure program completion by the extended deadline, and the importance of working on a method to report outcome measures and of the ability to calculate cost effectiveness. In 2007-08, the Treasury Board of Canada approved the extension of the program up to 2011, and the department is working to improve performance measurement. Furthermore, the summative evaluation of ICP First Nations is being initiated in collaboration with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and should be completed in early 2008-09. The ICP summative evaluation, excluding the First Nations component, will be conducted in 2008-09.

Infrastructure Canada is negotiating with each jurisdiction on the core performance measures to be used for the various investment areas of the GTF. As well, Infrastructure Canada consulted other government departments, academia and key associations to share information and expertise on relevant performance measures for infrastructure investment. The GTF and PTF are outcomes-based programs designed to provide flexibility to municipalities to fund their local infrastructure priorities that meet national outcomes of cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Provinces, territories, municipalities and Infrastructure Canada share responsibility for reporting on the results of these investments.

In 2006-07, an Advisory Committee with representation from GTF signatories began to assess performance measures suitable for national reporting. A performance measurement framework has been developed and its implementation is underway to measure GTF results. In addition, an internal evaluation of the GTF program is being conducted in 2007-08 to assess the design, delivery and early results of the initiative and to ensure proper management systems are in place to guide the program in achieving its intended outcomes. Furthermore, the department’s Evaluation Group is currently working with signatories on the development of a core summative evaluation framework to be performed, jointly by Infrastructure Canada and GTF Agreement parties in 2008-09.

Mid-term evaluations in 2007-08 for CSIF and BIF to assess program design and management and determine results achieved to date will be completed in 2008-09. Both evaluations are being undertaken in collaboration with Transport Canada.

Further information on Infrastructure Canada’s evaluation plan is provided in Table 4 of the RPP’s Supplementary Information section, available electronically at the website of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/2008-2009/info/info-eng.asp

Table 10: Illustrative Performance Indicators for Infrastructure Programs⁵

Output indicators Number of project announcements Number of signed agreements Number of MOUs with other government departments and partners for delivery Number of projects approved

Intermediate results indicators Negotiation and completion of agreements and projects in an expeditious fashion Collaborative support of other government departments, provinces, territories and key partners Resources levered from partners Effective program management and oversight of agreements (e.g., risk management, monitoring and reporting, e-management)

Categories for ultimate results indicators Safe, reliable transportation Sustainable economic development Sustainable use and quality of water, and efficient wastewater treatment Safe and efficient borders Improved innovation and delivery of public services via connectivity Efficient and sustainable energy systems Improved capacity for integrated community sustainability planning New collaborative mechanisms

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5 This table is under review; a working group has been established within Infrastructure Canada to review and develop new performance indicators.

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Policy, Knowledge and Partnership Development

In 2008-09, Infrastructure Canada will make significant progress on a performance measurement framework to encompass the performance of all departmental activities and programs, including performance indicators, expected results and targets for the department’s policy, knowledge and partnership activities. The framework will help the department to better meet its reporting objectives.

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