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2008-09
Departmental Performance Report

Parks Canada

Supplementary Information (Tables)

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Table of Contents

• Sources of Respendable and Non-respendable Revenue
• User Fees/External Fees
• Details on Project Spending
• Details on Transfer Payments Programs
• Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits
• Internal Audits and Evaluations

Sources of Respendable Revenue ($000)

Program Activity	Actual 2006-07	Actual 2007-08	2008-09
			Main Estimates	Planned Revenue	Total Authorities	Actual
Public Appreciation and Understanding
Interpretation Programs	785
	785	0	0	0	0	0
Visitor Experience
Entrance Fees	48,958	50,199	54,761	54,761	52,527	52,527
Camping Fees	14,748	16,713	15,750	15,750	16,576	16,576
Lockage and Mooring Fees	2,548	2,688	3,048	3,048	2,472	2,472
Pools	3,847	4,099	3,603	3,603	3,871	3,871
Interpretation Programs	0	796	935	935	735	735
Other Recreational Fees	3,060	2,962	4,261	4,261	3,089	3,089
	73,161	77,457	82,358	82,358	79,270	79,270
Townsite & Throughway Infrastructure
Municipal Service Fees	2,716	2,890	2,676	2,676	3,121	3,121
	2,716	2,890	2,676	2,676	3,121	3,121
Other Revenue
Real Property Rentals and Business Fees	17,248	17,624	17,614	17,614	20,954	20,954
Miscellaneous	13,587	9,357	8,352	8,352	10,891	10,891
	30,835	26,981	25,966	25,966	31,845	31,845
Total Respendable Revenue	107,497	107,328	111,000	111,000	114,236	114,236

a) Note: 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 numbers for Interpretation Programs reflect the revised Program Activity Architecture, in which Interpretation Programs have moved to Visitor Experience.

Totals may not agree due to rounding

2008-09 User Fees Reporting Table 2-A: User Fees Act

A. User Fee	Fee Type	Fee-setting Authority	Date Last Modified	2008-09					Planning Years
				Forecast Revenue ($000)	Actual Revenue ($000)	Estimated Full Cost ($000)	Performance Standard	Performance Result	Fiscal Year	Forecast Revenue ($000)	Estimated Full Cost ($000)
Entry Fees	Other Products and Services	Parks Canada Agency Act	Increased in 2008	$54,761	$52,527	$150,097	85% of visitors are satisfied	93% of sampled locations exceed the standard	2009-10	$52,525	$141,100
									2010-11	$52,525	$140,581
									2011-12	$52,525	$140,517
Camping Fees	Other Products and Services	Parks Canada Agency Act	Increased in 2008	$15,750	$16,576	$27,726	85% of visitors are satisfied	93% of sampled locations exceed the standard	2009-10	$16,575	$26,064
									2010-11	$16,575	$25,969
									2011-12	$16,575	$25,957
Lockage and Mooring fees	Other Products and Services	Parks Canada Agency Act	Lockage and Mooring fees increased in 2008	$3,048	$2,472	$26,369	85% of visitors are satisfied	100% of sampled locations exceed the standard	2009-10	$2,470	$24,789
									2010-11	$2,470	$24,698
									2011-12	$2,470	$24,686
Pools	Other Products and Services	Parks Canada Agency Act	Increased in 2003	$3,603	$3,871	$5,003	85% of visitors are satisfied	For the 2008 cycle, no locations with this service were surveyed.	2009-10	$3,870	$4,703
									2010-11	$3,870	$4,686
									2011-12	$3,870	$4,684
Municipal Services	Other Products and Services	Canada National Parks Act	Water and sewer fees increased in 2001; remainder in 2003. Garbage fees increased in 1996.	$2,676	$3,121	$17,874	For water, the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (2002) is the current standard. For wastewater, PCA will meet Federal Guidelines (1976) for effluent quality and work towards setting and meeting PCA leadership standards that are based on the receiving waters of each community. Garbage collection frequencies will be established in consultation with Community Councils and Business Community.	Water quality Guidelines are met or exceeded; wastewater effluent quality meets or exceeds Federal Guidelines.	2009-10	$3,120	$11,427
									2010-11	$3,120	$10,588
									2011-12	$3,120	$10,558
Other Revenues	Other Products and Services	Parks Canada Agency Act	Business licences increased in 1994; Other fees increased in 2008.	$13,548	$9,252	$46,388	85% of visitors are satisfied	93% of sampled locations exceed the standard	2009-10	$9,250	$43,583
									2010-11	$9,250	$43,420
									2011-12	$9,250	$43,399
Total				$93,386	$87,819	$273,457			2009-10	$87,810	$251,665
									2010-11	$87,810	$249,941
									2011-12	$87,810	$249,801

B. Date Last Modified

Multi-year fees for entry, camping, lockage and mooring and other revenues (excluding business licences) were approved in June 2005 for the years 2005-2006 to 2008-2009. New revenues are to be directed to maintain and improve associated services and facilities.

National consultations were held prior to the User Fees Act in 2003-2004. Parks Canada consulted locally with the public and stakeholders through meetings with advisory and client groups and through direct mailings. On a corporate level, Parks Canada consulted with national stakeholders and interest groups and conducted a national public opinion poll and focus group sessions. Notice was also provided on the Parks Canada website on proposals for fee increases.

There was widespread acceptance of the fee proposal on the condition that Parks Canada honours its commitment to invest the related revenue growth to rebuild deteriorated visitor facilities. To address concerns raised by users during consultations, Parks Canada made three major adjustments to its multi-year fee strategy prior to approval:
- The phase-in period for implementation was extended from three to four years for all visitor services in order to stagger price increases and reduce the cumulative impact of increasing all fees at the same time.
- To respect Parks Canada’s commitment to provide 18 months advance notice, implementation of proposed new commercial group fees was deferred until April 1, 2007 and the phase-in period extended from two to three years (2007, 2008 and 2009).
- The business licence fee proposal was withdrawn from the fee submission. A revised business licence proposal will reflect further research of municipal charging practices across Canada.

Following consultations, a comparison of Parks Canada's proposed fees with those charged by parks organizations in other countries was conducted. This research was carried out in the summer of 2004 and was incorporated into the submission. The Parks Canada's multi-year fee strategy was tabled in Parliament in March 2005 pursuant to the User Fees Act.

On July 1, 2006 and again on January 1, 2008, the Government of Canada implemented a one percent reduction to the GST. This affected all fees as the GST is included in all of Parks Canada approved fees. These reductions are not reflected in the date last modified column as they were not established through the full process, only reduced consistent with Government of Canada direction.

Municipal services, water, sewer and garbage fees are formula-based to allow for cost recovery. They may increase or decrease each year in response to changing costs. The exception, Riding Mountain, is not formula-based but is ready to proceed with consultation to make the change.

C. Additional Notes

The section for Real Property and Business Fees has been removed from the table in this reporting cycle, seeing that these fees are rights and privileges and as such not subject to the User Fees Act. The total forecasted revenue and expenditures for 2008-09 has been reduced to reflect this modification. In 2008-09, Real Property and Business Fees revenues was $ 20,953,900.

2008-2009 User Fee Reporting Template 2-B: External Fees

External Fee	Service Standard	Performance Results	Stakeholder Consultation
Entry Fees	85% of visitors are satisfied	93% of sampled locations exceed the standard	Standard is based on a long standing measure2
Camping Fees	85% of visitors are satisfied	93% of sampled locations exceed the standard	Standard is based on a long standing measure2
Lockage and Mooring Fees	85% of visitors are satisfied	100% of sampled locations exceed the standard	Standard is based on a long standing measure2
Pools	85% of visitors are satisfied	For the 2008 cycle, no locations with this service were surveyed.	Standard is based on a long standing measure2
Municipal Services	For water, the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (2002) is the current standard. For wastewater, PCA will meet Federal Guidelines for effluent quality and wastewater (1976) and work towards setting and meeting PCA leadership standards that are based on the receiving waters of each community. Garbage collection frequencies will be established in consultation with Community Councils and Business Community.	Water quality Guidelines are met or exceeded; wastewater effluent quality meets or exceeds Federal Guidelines.	Canadian drinking water guidelines were established in 2002. Federal guidelines for wastewater effluent were established in 1976 and Parks Canada leadership targets established in 1997. The leadership targets are used as the basis for consultation with communities. Garbage collection standards have evolved over time in response to individual community needs and specific frequency of pickups is set in consultation with users.
Other revenues	85% of visitors are satisfied	93% of sampled locations exceed the standard1	Standard is based on a long standing measure2

Notes

1. For further details please see Program Activity 4: Visitor Experience.
2. Parks Canada has been using visitor satisfaction at surveyed sites as a measure of performance since 1996. The 85 percent satisfaction standard has been well established and communicated through the Agency’s corporate planning and reporting documents since 1999. In 1998, Parks Canada also introduced a Quality Service Guarantee that applies to all visitor services for which fees are paid. This initiative ensures that visitors have an immediate recourse if they are not satisfied with the quality of service provided or do not believe that they received value for fees. Through the Guarantee, the concern is immediately addressed up to and including a refund of a portion or entire fee paid. This achieves the spirit of accountability for performance as contemplated by the User Fees Act, and exceeds the Act’s requirements by refunding the user-fee immediately to a dissatisfied client.

Details on Project Spending (in millions of dollars)
This table identifies the Agency's projects that are exceeding the delegated project approval level and the amount of resources expended.

Program Activity	Current Estimated Total Cost	2006-07 Actual	2007-08 Actual	2008-09
				Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual
Heritage Resources Conservation
Quebec City – Dufferin Terrace Stabilization & Major Repairs	11.6	4.3	3.6	0.6	1.7	0.2
Central Ontario – Bolsover Dam Replacement	16.3	0.4	0.0	4.0	15.6	0.2
Public Appreciation and Understanding
Quebec City – Old Port of Quebec Interpretation Centre enhancements	24.0	2.9	15.5	2.4	4.7	3.6
Townsite & Throughway Infrastructure
Banff NP – Trans Canada Highway twinning	87.0	28.2	20.8	19.2	27.9	20.8

Details of Transfer Payment Programs ($000)

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Contribution in support of the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund
Start Date: 2003 - 2004
End Date: October 31, 2008
Purpose of Transfer Payment Program: Engage a broad range of businesses in the task of preserving Canada's heritage properties
Expected results: Participation of private sector partners (taxable Canadian corporations) in preserving Canada’s heritage through rehabilitation of historic properties for commercial or rental use.
Expected outcomes: Better preservation and protection of Canada’s historic places and greater public and private sector awareness of the importance of conservation and of the significance of Canada’s historic places. Ensuring that more historic properties are “given a function in the life of communities” through use for commercial or rental purposes.
Program Activity: Heritage Resources Conservation	Actual Spending 2006-07	Actual Spending 2007-08	Planned Spending 2008-09	Total Authorities 2008-09	Actual Spending 2008-09	Variance
Total Contribution	2,315	1,982	10,000	10,595	10,595	595

 

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Historic Places Initiative Class Contribution Program
Start Date: 2002 - 2003
End Date: March 31, 2011(with renewal every 5 years)
Purpose of Transfer Payment Program: To provide direct support for provinces and territories to participate in the development of the Canadian Register of Historic Places and the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, and to engage municipalities, stakeholders and the general public in the conservation of historic places.
Expected results: Ongoing population and maintenance of the Canadian Register of Historic Places; refinement and dissemination of national Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places; partnership between Parks Canada and provincial and territorial authorities to identify, preserve and protect Canada's historic places; and creation of the basis for further initiatives to encourage preservation and protection of Canada's historic places.
Expected outcomes: Better preservation and protection of Canada's historic places; and greater public awareness of the importance of conservation and of the significance of Canada's historic places.
Program Activity: Heritage Resources Conservation	Actual Spending 2006-07	Actual Spending 2007-08	Planned Spending 2008-09	Total Authorities 2008-09	Actual Spending 2008-09	Variance
Total Contribution	6,320	5,693	7,049	5,870	5,870	($1,179)

 

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Cost Sharing Class Contribution Program
Start Date: 1987
End Date: March 31, 2013
Purpose of Transfer Payment Program: to assist recipients in conducting activities aimed at conserving the commemorative integrity of certain non-federally administered national historic sites.
Expected results: to reduce the threat to National Historic Sites (NHS), to engage the NHS owners and to help NHS owners find and retain more financial partners to help conserve NHS, establish familiarity and broader use of national conservation standards and guidelines.
Expected outcomes: Better preservation and protection of Canada’s NHS coupled with greater public and institutional awareness of heritage conservation.
Program Activity: Heritage Resources Conservation	Actual Spending 2006-07	Actual Spending 2007-08	Planned Spending 2008-09	Total Authorities 2008-09	Actual Spending 2008-09	Variance
Total Contribution		900		100	100	100

 

Name of Transfer Payment Program: General Class Contribution Program (GCCP)
Start Date: 2006-2007
End Date: March 31, 2011 (with renewal every 5 years)
Purpose of Transfer Payment Program: The GCCP is atypical in that it is not a program within itself; rather, it is a funding authority available to Agency managers. From time to time, Agency managers with programming responsibilities may determine that, given their priorities, available resources, other program delivery mechanisms already in place, and the players and environment in which they deliver their programs, use of a contribution agreement is the most effective means of achieving program objectives.
Expected results: More Canadians recognizing, appreciating and being engaged in the values of natural and cultural conservation. Stakeholders being further engaged in terms of interest and involvement of common objectives towards ecological or cultural integrity. Access to a better knowledge base on commercial, ecological or aboriginal issues of mutual interest for informed decision making and dialogue for Parks Canada managers and stakeholders. Heritage assets are protected, secured and researched. Targeted audiences are educated in such areas as ecology, safety and other issues.
Expected outcomes: The expected outcomes mirror the Parks Canada mandate of engaging Canadians in preserving and presenting Canada's rich diversity of cultural and natural heritage.
Program Activity	Actual Spending 2006-07	Actual Spending 2007-08	Planned Spending 2008-09	Total Authorities 2008-09	Actual Spending 2008-09	Variance
Heritage Places Establishment	116	1,027	382	1,250	1,250	868
Heritage Resources Conservation	1,523	1,673	926	1,850	1,850	925
Public Appreciation and Understanding	1,715	674	717	1,001	1,001	284
Visitor Experience	250	577	100	621	621	521
Townsite & Throughway Infrastructure	12	40	37	43	43	6
Total Contribution	3,616	3,991	2,162	4,765	4,765	2,604

Totals may not agree due to rounding

Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits

Parliamentary Committees There were no recommendations to Parks Canada Agency from Parliamentary Committees in 2008–2009.

The Auditor General Annual Report on Sustainable Development Strategies (Chapter 4, December 2008 CESD Report Tabled in February 2009). The chapter reviewed the implementation of one commitment from each of the 2007-2009 Sustainable Development Strategies of 11 federal organizations, including Parks Canada. The assessment concluded that Parks Canada was one of eight of the 11 organizations examined that had structures and processes in place to effectively plan, implement, and monitor the selected commitments, and could also demonstrate some achieved results. Safety of Drinking Water: Federal Responsiblities (Chapter 1, CESD Report Tabled March 2009). The chapter reviewed, among other topics, the implementation of the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality and a multi-barrier, risk-based approach to water quality systems in five national parks and 27 historic sites managed by the Agency. The assessment did not identify any issues as to how risks to the quality of drinking water were identified and managed at Parks Canada facilities.

External Audits The Office of the Auditor General completed an external audit of the 2007-2008 Financial Statements of Parks Canada Agency.

Internal Audits and Evaluations (2008-2009)

A. Internal Audits
Name	Audit Type	Status	Completion Date	Electronic Link
Audits of Financial/Administrative Controls at:
National Parks Directorate	Key financial and administrative Controls	Complete	Sept 16, 2008	http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/53/index_e.asp
Office of DG East		Complete	July 24, 2008	http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/50/index_e.asp
Offices of DG North & West		Complete	July 24, 2008	http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/49/index_e.asp
Follow-up Audit Northern Ontario Field Unit		Complete	Sept 16, 2008	http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/52/index_e.asp
Follow-up Audit Western Quebec Field Unit		Complete	April 1, 2009
Value and Ethics Control Framework	Assurance	Complete	December 9, 2008	http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/54/index_e.asp
Fire Management Emergency Funds	Assurance	Complete	June 11, 2009
Revenue Management	Assurance	In-Progress
Fleet Vehicle / Vessel Management	Assurance	In-Progress
B. Evaluations
Name	Evaluation Type	Status	Completion Date	Electronic Link
Evaluation Framework for Through Highways Management Program	Framework	In-progress
Evaluation Framework For Visitor Activities and Services	Framework	In-progress
Evaluation of Issues Related to National Historic Sites of Canada Cost-Sharing Program	Relevance and Importance	Complete	August 2009	http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/51/index_e.asp
Evaluation of the Parks Canada Asset Management Program	Implementation/Relevance/ Performance	Complete	August 2009
Electronic Link to Parks Canada’s Internal Audit and Evaluation Plan: http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/rpts/rve-par/48/index_e.asp