ARCHIVED - Western Economic Diversification Canada

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Infrastructure Canada Program

Start date: October 10, 2000

End date: March 31, 2011

Description: This transfer payment program was designed to improve urban and rural community infrastructure in Canada.

Strategic Outcome: Economically viable communities in Western Canada with a high quality of life.

Results Achieved: Improve Canadians' quality of life through investments that enhance the quality of the environment, support long-term economic growth, and improve community infrastructure. Build a 21st century infrastructure through the use of technologies, new approaches and best practices.

Comment(s) on Variance(s): Variance is due to the reprofiling of 2007/2008 funds through Supplementary Estimates (B)

Audit completed or planned: An audit of Infrastructure Programs covering the period April 01, 2006 to March 31, 2008, was completed in February 2009.

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Community Futures Program

Start date: May 1995

End date: October 2, 2010

Description: This transfer payment program was designed to promote economic development and diversification in Western Canada and advance the interests of Western Canada in national policy, program and project development and implementation.

Strategic Outcome: SO 1- A competitive and expanded business sector in Western Canada and a strengthened western Canadian innovation system.

SO 2 - Economically viable communities in Western Canada with a high quality of life.

Results Achieved: Strategic community planning: working with communities to assess local problems, establish objectives, plan and implement strategies to develop human, institutional and physical infrastructures, entrepreneurship, employment, and the economy.

Business Services: Delivering a range of business, counseling and information services to small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Access to capital: Provide capital to assist businesses or to help entrepreneurs to create new businesses.

Comment(s) on Variance(s): WD invested at total of $10.0 M in the Community Futures Network Lending & Investment Pools in Alberta and British Columbia

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Western Diversification Program

Start date: 1987-1988

End date: On-going (program evaluation scheduled for 2011-2012)

Description: This program was designed to promote economic development and diversification in Western Canada and advance the interests of Western Canada in national policy, program and project development and implementation.

Strategic Outcome: SO 1- A competitive and expanded business sector in Western Canada and a strengthened western Canadian innovation system.

SO 2 - Economically viable communities in Western Canada with a high quality of life

SO 3 - Policies and programs that support the development of Western Canada

Results Achieved: - A strengthened western innovation system.

- An expanded business sector in Western Canada.

- Increased investment in strategic federal/regional economic development priorities that improves the viability, prosperity and quality of life in communities across Western Canada.

- A better understanding of Western Canada's needs, opportunities and aspirations inside and outside of the region leading to improved programs and services for western Canadians.

Comment(s) on Variance(s): Not applicable

Audit Completed or planned: An audit will be completed in 2009/2010.

Name of Recipient: Primrose Lake Economic Development Corporation

Start Date: March 30, 2007

End Date: March 31, 2027

Total Funding: $15,000,000

Description: Create a community controlled trust fund for economic development

Strategic Outcome(s): SO 2 - Economically viable communities in Western Canada with a high quality of life.

Summary of Results Achieved by the Recipient: Over the past year the Board was active at getting organized and completing the research and payout of the Elders component of the parallel agreement with the province. By year end a total of 192 Elders or their estates were recognized through this process. The Board also continued building Board capacity through providing governance training for its members, and began developing a policy framework to guide operations. All interest earned in the trust was re-invested in the trust at year-end or directed towards outstanding legal obligations associated with the establishment of the non-profit corporation and negotiations with the federal government.

Comments on Variance(s): Not applicable

Significant Evaluation findings by the recipient during the reporting year and future plan:
WD agreement requires that an evaluation be completed by March 2012.

Significant Audit findings by the recipient during the reporting year and future plan:
No audits performed to date. Date for an audit in the future has not yet been identified.

URL to Recipient's Site: Not applicable

Name of Horizontal Initiative: Western Economic Partnership Agreements

Name of Lead Department(s): Western Economic Diversification

Lead Department Program Activity: PA1 - Community Economic Planning, Development and Adjustment

PA2 - Business Development and Entrepreneurship

PA3 - Innovation

Start Date of the Horizontal Initiative:

August 2003 (Round II)
April 2008 (Round III)

End Date of the Horizontal Initiative:

March 2008 (Round II) - payments to March 2010
March 2012 (Round III) - payments to March 2014

Total Federal Funding Allocation (start to end date):

$100M (Round II)
$100M (Round III)

Description of the Horizontal Initiative (including funding agreement): WEPAs are four-year, $50M cost shared agreements between the federal government and each of the four western provinces to promote shared economic development priorities.

Shared Outcome(s): SO1 - Economically viable communities in Western Canada with a high quality of life.
SO2 - A competitive and expanded business sector in Western Canada and a strengthened western Canadian innovation system.
An evaluation of the previous WEPAs concluded that for every dollar invested by WD for WEPA initiatives, another $1.65 was leveraged from other government and non-government sources.  In addition, the Draft Final Report states that “generally, partners, management, and staff, as well as case study participants all spoke positively about the ability of cost-shared agreements (such as WEPAs) to promote collaboration, strengthen partnerships, and more strategically focus common priorities.â€

Governance Structure(s): A Management Committee that consists of one federal Co-Chair and one provincial Co-Chair carries out the administration and management of each of the WEPAs.

SDS Departmental Goals: Innovation Towards Sustainable Development (SD)

Federal SD Goal(s), including GGO goals: Clean water, clean air, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable communities.

SDS Departmental Goals: Greening of WD Operations

Federal SD Goal(s), including GGO goals: Governance for sustainable development

SDS Departmental Goals: External Greening

Federal SD Goal(s), including GGO goals: Not applicable

Has the department incorporated environmental performance considerations in its procurement decision-making processes?

Summary of initiatives to incorporate environmental performance considerations in procurement decision-making processes:

• Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) has incorporated lifecycle management of assets into its Asset Management Framework, and uses mandatory green procurement tools established by Public Works and Government Services Canada(PWGSC), e.g. standing offers.
• It was mandatory for WD procurement staff to complete on-line Green Procurement training. WD also shares information with staff, e.g. “Green Tipsâ€, procurement bulletins, green procurement tools.
• Green procurement commitments are included in WD's Sustainable Development Strategy and are not required for performance evaluation purposes.

Results achieved:

• Implemented use of electronic bid box.
• Increased awareness of “green†office supplies beyond paper and office equipment, and conducts bi-annual staff awareness events on “Greening in Governmentâ€.
• Mandatory use of “green†standing offers for the purchase of recycled photocopier paper and other office equipment, such as printers, photocopiers, computers and monitors, etc.

Contributions to facilitate government-wide implementation of green procurement:

Not applicable to WD.

Has the department established green procurement targets?

Are these green procurement targets the same as those identified in your Sustainable Development Strategy (Table 6)?

Summary of green procurement targets:

• Green procurement targets are based on pervious year operational requirements/purchases for green office supplies and the purchase/lease of green office equipment.

Results achieved:

• In 2008, WD's green procurement totalled $676K via contracts, purchase orders, acquisition card purchases and standing offer call-ups for personal computers, laptop computers, light bulbs, paper, office supplies, seating, shredding, e-waste disposal, toner cartridges, printers and photocopiers.
• 100% of letter and legal size photocopier paper purchased from “green†standing offers established by PWGSC.
• 100% of printers/photocopiers leased/purchased from “green†standing offers established by PWGSC.Â