Home Programs Emergency management Emergency preparedness JEPP JEPP manual

JEPP manual

• Introduction
• Definitions
• Process
• Criteria and guidelines
• Preparation of proposals
• Preparation of claims
• Critical dates
• Annex A: Terms and conditions
• Annex B: Application form
• Annex C: Claim form

Introduction

The Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) was conceived to encourage and support co-operation among the federal and provincial/territorial governments in working toward a national capability to meet emergencies of all types with a reasonably uniform standard of emergency response. Through JEPP, the Government of Canada provides financial contributions to provinces and territories to assist in meeting the costs of projects aimed at enhancing the national emergency response capability. The program, administered by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) envisages a series of co-operative ventures with each party assuming its emergency responsibilities through appropriate contributions.

This manual contains the Treasury Board-approved Terms and Conditions under which JEPP is managed (Annex A) as well as interpretation and amplification of those Terms and Conditions. As portions of the manual may be amended periodically, it is important to regularly consult the current Joint Emergency Preparedness Program Annual Update Instructions (AUIs).

The objectives are to:

• Achieve an appropriate and reasonably uniform level of national civil preparedness for emergencies
• Encourage and support provincial/territorial civil preparedness and through the provinces/territories, community civil preparedness
• Provide education and training related to civil preparedness for emergencies
• Enhance public awareness and understanding of matters related to civil preparedness for emergencies
• Analyze and evaluate civil preparedness for emergencies and conducting related research

The distribution of the Canadian population and its exposure to natural and technological risk is not uniform. The environment in which individual Canadians live and work is constantly changing as are the resources at hand to plan for and overcome difficulties. To establish a reasonably uniform national standard of emergency response, given these factors, requires a program that is dynamic. That dynamism is achieved through a regular review of the program by federal, provincial and territorial officials.

To ensure that each province/territory has access to the program to help develop a minimum emergency preparedness capability and thereby contribute to the enhancement of a national capability, a funding formula has been developed as described under Earmarked Funds. These funds are not allocated to the provinces/territories to manage directly, but are set aside or "earmarked" for projects within their jurisdiction with final approval remaining with PSEPC's Senior Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for Emergency Management and National Security (SADM). In addition to the funds earmarked under the funding formula for use by individual provinces/territories, an amount is also available, which will be referred to as "regular" funds, for funding other projects on a national comparative merit basis.

To meet the objectives of the program, a series of national priorities will be established from time to time through consultation with provincial/territorial officials. These priorities will be used to guide determination of the relative merit of individual projects. They will be set out in the current JEPP Annual Update Instructions (AUIs), which will be disseminated through the PSEPC regional offices. AUIs will also contain the annual distribution of funds earmarked for provinces/territories as well as any changes to the administration of the program. Any changes will usually come into effect 12 months after the publication date of the AUIs:

Definitions

For the purposes of this manual the following definitions apply:

Allocation: the amount of money approved by the Treasury Board for the administration of JEPP in a given fiscal year.

Annual Update Instructions (AUIs): a document published annually by PSEPC which describes current national priorities, funding arrangements, and any other changes to the program affecting its administration. Changes are usually effective 12 months after the publication date.

Approval: an undertaking to commit Government of Canada funds to a project.

Base Funds: the portion of Earmarked Funds which, along with Supplementary Funds, is set aside for provinces/territories.

Commitment: the setting aside of funds for an approved project or Multi-Year Plan.

Community: a settlement, which has municipal equivalency status under provincial/territorial legislation or functions in a manner similar to a municipality. First Nations communities are considered part of this group.

Earmarked Funds: the portion of the annual JEPP allocation which is set aside for provinces/territories. It is the sum of the Base Funds and Supplementary Funds. The determination of the amount of money to be earmarked for each province/territory was arrived at by adding 10 cents per provincial capita (using Statistics Canada projected population figures each year) to a base fund. It should be noted, however, that the 10 cents per provincial/territorial capita rule has been all but eclipsed by the successive freezes and reductions arising as a result of annual budget considerations. A province will be advised of its earmarked amount each year through the Annual Update Instructions (AUIs) which will be published and distributed well in advance of the respective fiscal year.

Expenditure: the charge incurred for the purchase of a good or service.

Fiscal Year (FY): the period April 1 to March 31.

Funding Line: the line drawn through the provincial/territorial list of proposals once the total federal share reaches the maximum allowed for a respective province/territory based on the funding formula. It separates those proposals that will be funded using the Earmarked Funds and those that will compete nationally for the Regular Funds.

In-kind Contribution: those in-house expenses which can be documented and attributed directly to a specific JEPP activity.

Multi-Year Plan: a co-ordinated series of planned and related proceedings, events or projects sponsored by a province/territory that are administered under a single project number that may be carried out on an ongoing basis. An annual application is still required for review and approval by PSEPC. Such plans (previously referred to as Five-Year Plans) require a specific Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government of Canada and a provincial/territorial government.

Multi-Year Projects: a project that will take more than one fiscal year to complete. An annual application is still required for review and approval by PSEPC.

Progress Payment: an interim payment made for expenditures incurred once a pre-identified progress point has been reached.

Project: a single undertaking with a specific objective and measurable progress point(s).

Proposal: an application to the Government of Canada for a commitment of funds to a project (single or multi-year) or a Multi-Year Plan.

Regular Funds: the portion of the annual JEPP allocation not earmarked for the provinces/territories and used for funding other projects on a national comparative merit basis.

Supplementary Funds: the portion of the Earmarked Funds which, along with Base Funds, is set aside for provinces/territories.