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Minister’s Message

Through a network of 42 national parks, 158 national historic sites, and 3 national marine conservation areas, Parks Canada invites Canadians and people around the world to engage in personal moments and in the inspiring discovery of our treasured natural and historic places.

Over the years, Parks Canada has built its worldwide reputation as one of the most competent and knowledgeable heritage conservation organizations. As well, its role as a key leader in sustainable tourism opportunities is valued in the tourism industry. However, our world is changing and Parks Canada is facing a wide array of challenges influencing both the condition of Canada’s special places and the leisure and tourism trends and expectations of the Canadian public.

Our government is committed to ensuring that our national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas remain protected while offering Canadians meaningful learning opportunities and inspiring visitor experiences. In doing so, Parks Canada endeavours to provide the best opportunities for Canadians to experience and connect with the inspiring stories of our rich and diverse heritage and to provide economic growth in communities across the country.

To achieve its mandate, Parks Canada works hand in hand with Aboriginal, government, community, tourism and business partners. As demonstrated through Budget 2009, our Government is committed to rise to the economic challenges we are facing and is providing new funding for Parks Canada projects geared at achieving a common goal: protecting Canada’s future. These projects include the completion of the twinning of the Trans-Canada highway in Banff National Park of Canada to increase passenger safety and ease traffic flows; upgrading national historic sites, including a number of sites connected with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812; and improving and enhancing Parks Canada’s visitor facilities as they are powerful factors in support of tourism and regional economic development.

By working together, we can achieve our important mandate: to ensure that Canada’s exemplary system of national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas — the natural and cultural features that have defined our country’s destiny and forged our Canadian identity — will continue to enrich our lives and the lives of future generations.

Paper copy signed by

The Honourable Jim Prentice, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Canada abounds with natural and historic sites that are inspiring, evocative and, above all, irreplaceable. Parks Canada protects a selection of these sites because they help us explore the history of our vast country and understand what it means to be Canadian. For Parks Canada, it is as important to protect these invaluable sites as it is to present them to Canadians and tourists from around the world, who, year after year visit our national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas, bringing home a host of cherished memories.

The protection of these sites is linked closely to our ability to help the public connect with these places of discovery and help them enjoy countless opportunities to experience them, whether alone or with family and friends.

Together, these sites represent a legacy of inestimable value that reflects who we are. To ensure it is passed on to our grandchildren, our Agency builds partnerships with citizens across Canada, works at harmonizing our work with public expectations, and implements sustainable approaches and methods.

These sites — jewels of the Canadian tourism industry — contribute to national and regional economic growth, provide exciting opportunities for Aboriginal people, rural areas and Northern Canada, and inspire our children to become the next generation of guardians and promoters of our heritage.

By inviting Canadians to experience the inspiring sites we protect on their behalf, we hope they will develop strong personal connections and a lasting desire to protect these powerful historic and natural symbols of our nation.

While protecting Canada’s natural areas and historic sites, and while recounting the stories of men and women who helped shape our nation and values, we contribute to our country’s economic health, and we help protect our country’s future. The new funding announced in Budget 2009 brings about a mixture of challenges and opportunities and I stand confident that the Parks Canada Agency will manage to deliver lasting results.

Across the country, employees work fervently to preserve the legacy of the Canadian visionaries who created the world’s first national parks service. I commend these employees for their excellent work, their know-how and their passion. However, everyone has a role to play in the stewardship of Canada’s superb natural and historic treasures. It is up to all Canadians to join in the stewardship of Canada’s wonderful historic and natural treasures.

Paper copy signed by

Alan Latourelle
Chief Executive Officer
Parks Canada Agency

Section I: Parks Canada Agency Overview

Raison d’Être

The mandate of the Parks Canada Agency is presented in the Parks Canada Agency Act:

On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations.

Parks Canada, which was established as a separate Government of Canada Agency in 1998, is responsible for the following legislation:

• the Parks Canada Agency Act;
• the Canada National Parks Act;
• the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act;
• the Historic Sites and Monuments Act;
• the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act;
• the Historic Canal Regulations pursuant to the Department of Transport Act;
• the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act; and
• the Species at Risk Act.

Parks Canada’s Chief Executive Officer reports directly to the Minister of the Environment.

Responsibilities

Parks Canada manages national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas on behalf of Canadians. Parks Canada is a proud steward of these heritage places and protects and presents them for the benefit and enjoyment of Canadians while ensuring that they remain unimpaired for present and future generations.

National parks and national marine conservation areas are representative examples of Canada’s terrestrial and marine regions. They offer to Canadians a variety of recreational activities and learning experiences as well as a unique opportunity to personally connect with their land.

Each national historic site tells its own story and contributes to our understanding of Canada as a whole. They are special places where visitors can learn about the persons and events that shaped Canada as we know it today and where they can experience Canada’s history. Parks Canada ensures that the system of national historic sites–comprised of places, persons and events of national historic significance–reflects the country’s evolving history. The system is developed in collaboration with Canadians to define important aspects of Canada’s history.

In some cases, Parks Canada’s heritage activities are focused on formal designations by the Government of Canada and, where mandated, providing support for the preservation and presentation of designated heritage properties that are managed by others. These include many national historic sites, heritage railway stations, heritage lighthouses, federal heritage buildings, archaeological sites, the gravesites of Canadian Prime Ministers and Canadian heritage rivers.

Parks Canada assumes a leadership role in built heritage conservation through the Historic Places Initiative. This collaboration involves all levels of government–local, provincial, territorial and federal– and it has created the tools such as the Canadian Register of Historic Places and the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada to enable Canadians to learn about, value, enjoy and conserve our country’s historic places.

Parks Canada also contributes to international heritage conservation through its leadership and participation in international conventions, programs, and agreements, notably the World Heritage Convention. To better support its international efforts, Parks Canada is creating an International Programs Secretariat to serve as a focal point for its international activities.

There are approximately 22 million person-visits annually to the heritage places administered by Parks Canada. Agency expenditures support over 31,000 jobs in the Canadian economy, including employment in many communities across the country directly associated with a national park or national historic site.

Parks Canada’s long-term goal is to establish at least one national park and one national marine conservation area in each of Canada’s terrestrial and marine regions. The system of national parks, presented in figure 1, represents Canada’s terrestrial regions. As of March 31, 2008, there are 42 national parks representing 28 of Canada’s 39 terrestrial regions making the system over 70 per cent complete. The system of national historic sites represents places, persons and events of national historic significance. The long-term goal is for the system to represent the breadth and diversity of Canadian history. As of March 31, 2008, Canada’s system of national historic sites (including historic canals) consists of 935 places of national historic significance. Of these, 158 are administered directly by Parks Canada as displayed in figure 2. The system also includes 612 national historic persons and 395 national historic events. The system of national marine conservation areas, as shown in figure 3, represents Canada’s marine regions spanning its three oceans and the Great Lakes. This system is in the early development stages. Including the recently established Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, three of Canada’s 29 marine regions are represented making the system 10 per cent complete.

Figure 1: The System of National Parks of Canada

Figure 2: National Historic Sites of Canada administered by Parks Canada

Figure 2: National Historic Sites of Canada administered by Parks Canada (cont’d)

Figure 3: The System of National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada

Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture

Figure 4 presents Parks Canada’s revised Program Activity Architecture (PAA). Revisions include the removal of the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund at the sub sub activity level under Heritage Resources Conservation after the program came to an end in 2008, and the addition of Outreach Education and External Communications and Stakeholder and Partner Engagement at the sub activity level under Public Appreciation and Understanding. The titles for three sub activities under Visitor Experience were also clarified. Visitor Activities and Services, for National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas, is now referred to as Visitor Service Offer. These revisions better reflect the Parks Canada Agency strategic outcome and programs.

Figure 4: Parks Canada Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture

Planning Summary

Strategic Outcome: Canadians have a strong sense of connection, through meaningful experiences, to their national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas and these protected places are enjoyed in ways that leave them unimpaired for present and future generations.
 

Performance Indicators*	Targets*
Percentage of national parks with maintained or improved overall ecological integrity	Maintain or improve the overall ecological integrity in all national parks from March 2008 to March 2013
Overall average of commemorative integrity rating	Improve the overall average commemorative integrity rating from 6.0/10 in March 2008 to 6.6/10 in March 2013
Percentage of Canadians that report a personal connection to Parks Canada administered places	Increase the percentage of Canadians that report a personal connection to Parks Canada administered places by March 2014

*National marine conservation areas are in their early development stages and their performance framework is still to be developed.

Parks Canada’s level of performance in relation to the priorities and expected results outlined in this plan will be assessed using the performance rating system provided by Treasury Board. It is as follows: exceeded, met all, mostly met, somewhat met or not met.

Program Activity		Planned Spending**					Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14
1.	Heritage Places Establishment	24,031	23,817	22,203	21,074	21,074	Clean and Healthy Environment Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage
2.	Heritage Resources Conservation	200,604	193,212	192,647	188,839	188,803	Clean and Healthy Environment Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage
3.	Public Appreciation and Understanding	26,683	26,450	25,354	24,705	24,548	Clean and Healthy Environment Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage
4.	Visitor Experience	227,360	226,477	226,442	226,434	226,362	Clean and Healthy Environment Vibrant Canadian Culture and Heritage
5.	Townsite and Throughway Infrastructure	97,086	86,549	81,385	61,385	56,385	Safe and Secure Communities
6.	Internal Services	79,270	79,097	78,889	78,889	78,889	—
Total Planned Spending		655,035	635,603	626,921	601,327	596,062	—
Full-Time Equivalents		4,417	4,417	4,417	4,414	4,414	—

**Due to rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

Parks Canada Agency Funding Profile

For the 2009-10 fiscal year, Parks Canada’s budget to meet the expected results of its program activities and contribute to its strategic outcome amounts to $655 million.

Figure 5 illustrates Parks Canada’s funding level trend from 2006-07 to 2013-14. Two trends are represented: the core funding and the total funding.

For the 2006-07 to 2008-09 period, the total funding includes all Parliamentary appropriation and revenue sources: Main Estimates, Supplementary Estimates, Treasury Board Vote 10, 15 and 30 and revenues from user fees and rights and privileges. It also includes carry forward adjustments. For the 2009-10 to 2013-14 period, the total funding corresponds to the planned spending and revenues. Supplementary funding and carry forward adjustments are not all known at this point and are therefore not all reflected, which explains why Parks Canada’s total funding appears to be decreasing beyond 2009-10.

From 2006-07 to 2007-08, the major increases to Parks Canada’s total funding were due to one-time amounts received for the Québec City 400th anniversary celebrations and the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway through Banff National Park of Canada. In 2008-09, the Government of Canada set aside $100 million over five years for the twinning of an additional 14 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway through Banff National Park of Canada.

The core funding excludes carry forward adjustments and supplementary funding for specific projects. It illustrates the baseline funding Parks Canada receives from Parliamentary appropriation and revenue sources.

As shown in figure 5, since 2006-07, Parks Canada’s core funding level has continued to increase due to new funding received for the improvement of ecological integrity in national parks; for the protection of species at risk; the Historic Places Initiative; and asset recapitalization. This new funding is stabilizing in 2009-10. As well, in 2008-09, Parks Canada received a reallocation of $8 million for fire suppression. Due to abnormally wet weather conditions and fewer wildfires this past summer, Parks Canada spent $6 million of these funds in 2008-09 and will carry forward $2 million into fiscal year 2009-10.

Figure 6 displays the allocation of Parks Canada funding by program activity. Parks Canada funding is primarily allocated to Program Activities 2 and 4 as they relate to the operations of the heritage places administered by the Agency. It should be noted that, as per Treasury Board Secretariat’s directive, the funding allocated to Internal Services is now being displayed separately rather than being incorporated in program activities. Parks Canada plans to spend $79.3 million on Internal Services, which corresponds to 12% of its total funding. Figures 5, 6 and 7 do not include new Budget 2009 funding. This new funding is shown in figure 8.

Figure 5: Parks Canada Agency Funding Level Trend 2006-07 to 2013-14

Figure 6: 2009-10 Allocation of Funding by Program Activity

Figure 7: Voted and Statutory Items (in millions of dollars)

Vote # or Statutory Item (S)	Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording	2008-09 Main Estimates	2009-10 Main Estimates
25	Program expenditures	455.0	464.9
30	Payment to the New Parks and Historic Sites Account	0.5	0.5
(S)	Expenditures equivalent to revenues resulting from the conduct of operations pursuant to section 20 of the Parks Canada Agency Act	111.0	111.0
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	44.0	42.9
Total		610.5	619.3

Figure 8: Budget 2009 Funding Allocated to Parks Canada

New Funding Allocation	$ Millions
Upgrades to national historic sites, including a number of sites connected with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, as well as for national historic places owned by not-for-profit groups that receive support through Parks Canada's National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program	75
Improvements and enhancements to Parks Canada's visitor facilities, such as campgrounds and visitor centres	75
Completion of the Trans-Canada Highway twinning through Banff National Park of Canada from Lake Louise Village to the British Columbia border	130
Total	280

Parks Canada Agency Priorities

Program Priorities	Type	Description
Establishing National Parks and National Marine Conservation Areas	On-going	Parks Canada will continue its efforts to create two national parks and one national marine conservation area by March 2010, and make demonstrable progress on four national park and two national marine conservation area proposals thus contributing to the protection of Canada’s natural heritage while ensuring strong economic development.
Achieving EI Results on the Ground in Canada’s National Parks	Previously committed to	Parks Canada will continue to lead active management projects in national parks to improve key ecological integrity indicators. Investments will be made in a strategic manner to achieve results on the ground.
Investing Strategically in Historic Assets	Previously committed to	Parks Canada will make targeted investments in the national historic sites it administers in order to improve the elements of commemorative integrity rated in poor condition.
Increasing Public Awareness and Engagement	On-going	A greater percentage of Canadians will report awareness and understanding of the heritage places managed by Parks Canada. As well, more Canadians will be aware of the increasing number of opportunities created for their involvement.
Improving Visitor Experience	On-going	Targeted Parks Canada initiatives will attract a greater number of visitors to national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas as experiential travel destinations through a Parks Canada focused approach on the creation of visitor experience opportunities.
National Historic Sites Renewal	New	Parks Canada will develop a national historic sites renewal strategy to assess the present state of the program, enhance awareness of it, citizen engagement with it and the connection of Canadians to it.
Management Priorities	Type	Description
Renewing the Parks Canada Workforce	Previously committed to	Parks Canada faces challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified employees and in maintaining a workforce reflective of the diversity of the Canadian population. Parks Canada will continue to take actions to address these challenges. For example, it will develop and implement an Agency diversity program and an Agency renewal approach.
Asset Management	Previously committed to	Parks Canada will enhance its governance systems, internal policies and procedures in order to comply with the new Treasury Board Policy on Investment Planning.

* Type is defined as follows: previously committed to—committed to in the first or second fiscal year prior to the subject year of the plan; ongoing—committed to at least three fiscal years prior to the subject year of the plan; and new—newly committed to in the year of the plan.

Corporate Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Parks Canada faces both challenges and risks to achieving its corporate objectives. Challenges are issues with which the Agency is currently dealing. Risks, on the other hand, are potential events with which the Agency may have to contend in the future. To deal effectively with its challenges and risks, Parks Canada has implemented an integrated approach to risk management.

During 2008, Parks Canada developed its first Corporate Risk Profile (CRP). The CRP provides discussion of the Agency’s current corporate risks, including their drivers, consequences and current controls. The following is a summary of the CRP as it pertains to five key corporate risks and their mitigation measures.

Visitation to Canada’s national parks and national historic sites is variable from year to year. Over the last five years, there has been no growth in visitation to national parks while national historic sites have experienced significant declines. As a result of these trends, Parks Canada has recognized as two key corporate risks that its service offer might be less attractive or of less interest to Canadians in comparison to other parks, cultural attractions and other leisure activities, and that support from local communities, stakeholders, NGOs and the Canadian public may not be sufficient to sustain and advance Parks Canada’s programs.

To mitigate these two key corporate risks, Parks Canada created a directorate responsible for external relations and visitor experience and will continue to reinvest and increase its capacity in these areas. Policies and guidelines for partnering, media relations protocols, and a web content management system will be developed. Parks Canada will also develop and implement a national branding plan and launch a national awareness campaign. Marketing practices will be integrated into business practice. In addition, Parks Canada will develop a national historic sites renewal strategy to assess the present state of the program, enhance awareness of it, citizen engagement with it and the connection of Canadians to it.

Support from Aboriginal peoples is critical to Parks Canada’s ability to meet its corporate objectives. Aboriginal peoples have long been supporters of Canada’s national parks and national historic sites systems. The potential loss of Aboriginal support, which could derive from the complexity of Aboriginal affairs, has therefore been recognized as a key corporate risk. The Agency will continue to work closely with Aboriginal groups within the framework of land claim agreements, Court decisions and establishment agreements for its heritage places. However, Parks Canada recognizes that building trusting relationships must go beyond meeting legal obligations. Parks Canada will develop a guide for the development of formalized Aboriginal advisory relationships, which integrates the concept of Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes with national park management. The Agency will also work with other federal government departments in the development of federal Aboriginal policy, in response to Supreme Court decisions related to Aboriginal rights, setting of federal priorities and meeting federal objectives for Aboriginal economic development.

The ability to effectively capture and manage data and information is critical to Parks Canada, as it is to any organization. Parks Canada has recognized this as a key corporate risk. In order to mitigate its Information Management risk, Parks Canada will develop a Records Disposition Authority, deliver the first phase of its Information Management and Access to Information and Privacy Awareness training, and establish an Enterprise Information Committee. To meet requirements outlined in the Government Security Policy, Parks Canada will ensure Business Continuity Planning and Departmental Security Programs are developed.

In order to deliver its programs and support functions, Parks Canada must recruit and retain qualified employees. Parks Canada recognizes job market pressures as a key corporate risk. The Agency faces human resource challenges, stemming in part from the need to hire skilled staff to work in remote locations, to provide services to Canadians in both official languages, and build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the Canadian population. To mitigate this risk, Parks Canada will develop and implement an Agency-wide diversity program and a renewal approach.

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