This document contains the policy as revised June 1, 1998. It replaces the
version dated November 15, 1993.
To ensure the efficient use of federal facilities while maintaining a safe,
healthy, and productive environment for users.
Note: For interpretation of this policy in the Province of Quebec, "real
property" means "immovable" within the meaning of civil law of
the Province of Quebec and includes the rights of a lessee in respect of such an
immovable.
It is the policy of the government that departments administering federal
real property shall provide a safe, healthy, and productive environment in their
facilities within the minimum functional space required to meet the operational
needs of the users of the facility.
This policy applies to all departments within the meaning of section 2 of the
Financial Administration Act
unless specific acts or regulations override it.
(a) Custodian departments must establish, maintain, and implement quantity
and quality standards for the provision and fit-up of normally recurring space
allocations. For non-recurring situations, the project description will normally
define the standards to be used in those cases.
(b) Standards established under 5(a) must be used in the resourcing process.
Departments are expected to identify them and, where appropriate, deviations
from them, when seeking approval of budgets or projects through procedures such
as the long-term capital plan, business plans, or project approval processes.
Determination of the levels of resources provided will be subject to
affordability considerations.
(c) Tenant departments share the responsibility, with the custodian
department providing the space to them, for developing and applying standards
for the space they occupy. Both must take into consideration the operational
requirements and program objectives of the user, and the practices and standards
of other public- and private-sector organizations of comparable size and
mandate.
(d) Operational requirements of user departments that are not reflected in
quantity, quality, or fit-up standards (e.g. location) must be defined in a way
that does not arbitrarily exclude minimum-cost options available to the
custodian department to provide the facilities the user requires to deliver its
program objectives.
(e) Custodian and tenant departments must formalize their real property
arrangements in writing. The agreements must describe their respective
responsibilities.
(f) Custodian departments that regularly provide space in their facilities to
other federal tenant departments must establish a process to resolve disputes
with user tenants.
(g) Custodian departments must maintain current records on the use of their
facilities, whether by themselves or by others and, where practicable, compare
such usage to the appropriate standard. For example, in office space, where the
standard can be expressed in metres squared (m²) per occupant, the records
would compare the number of m² per occupant to the standard. In cases where
tenant information such as the number of people occupying the space is needed to
maintain such records, it must be made available.
(h) Custodian departments must act to prevent friable materials containing
asbestos from contaminating a building wherever such materials are in poor
condition or when major alterations that would disturb the materials are taking
place. In all other circumstances a management-in-place approach must be
followed. Custodian departments must operate control programs that assess and
reassess, on a cyclical basis, those areas within buildings where friable
materials containing asbestos are present but no health hazard currently exists.
Asbestos-containing materials in good condition must not be disturbed.
Note:
The appendix to this chapter lists important legislation, standards, and
government policies that might affect the use of real property.
(a) Health Canada is responsible for the organization, administration, and
supervision of the Public Service Health Program and for monitoring departmental
compliance with, and promoting implementation of, the Treasury Board's safety
and health directives, policies, and standards.
(b) Human Resources Development Canada is responsible for prescribing,
monitoring, and enforcing the safety and health regulations issued pursuant to
the Canada Labour Code and
for providing fire safety services.
(c) The Treasury Board of Canada, the employer of persons working in the
Public Service, is responsible for developing (in consultation with the National
Joint Council) and promulgating occupational safety and health policies and
standards that incorporate, as a minimum, the requirements of the Canada
Labour Code.
The Secretariat will determine how effective this policy is, find out how it
is applied in departments, and decide whether it needs to be revised. It will do
this through ongoing contact with departments, consulting with the Treasury
Board Advisory Committee on Real Property, and noting audits and reviews
conducted by departments or the Auditor General of Canada. The Treasury
Board Guide to Monitoring Real Property Management provides information so
that departments can monitor and assess policy implementation.
8.1 Authority
This policy is issued pursuant to the Financial
Administration Act, subsections 7(1), 9(1.1), and 9(2).
8.2 Treasury Board publications
Treasury
Board Guide to Monitoring Real Property Management
Treasury
Board Real Property Glossary
Please direct enquiries about this policy to your departmental headquarters.
For interpretation of this policy, departmental headquarters should contact:
Real Property and Materiel Policy Directorate
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
L'Esplanade Laurier
140 O'Connor Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0G5
Telephone: (613) 941-7173
Facsimile: (613) 957-2405
E-mail: rpmpd@tbs-sct.gc.ca
The following legislation and Treasury Board policies have an effect on
federal real property activities related to the requirements of this policy:
Accessibility: The Treasury
Board Real Property Accessibility Policy contains the policy requirements
and provides the references to the legislation that covers accessibility.
Airborne contaminants: Several contaminants contained in building materials
have the potential to pose some risk to the health of occupants. Information on
this issue appears in the section on "Control of Hazards," contained
in the Hazardous
Substances Directive of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) group of
Treasury Board policies. The OSH policies also contain the procedures dealing
specifically with occupational exposure to asbestos.
Boiler, pressure vessel, and elevating device inspection requirements: Both
standards appear in the Canada
Occupational Safety and Health Regulations (COSHR). For more information,
see the
Boilers and Pressure Vessels Directive and the
Elevating Devices Directive under the OSH group of Treasury Board policies.
Canada Labour Code (Labour Code): The Canada Labour Code and COSHR pursuant
to the Code can be found in the Consolidated
Statues and Regulations of Canada.
Environment: The Treasury
Board Real Property Environment Policy contains the policy requirements and
provides some references to the legislation that applies to federal facilities.
Ergonomics: The Guideline on Office
Ergonomics can be found in the Treasury
Board Information Technology Standards group of Treasury Board policies.
These policies also contain several other standards that affect the fit-up of
real property, such as the Office Systems Standard and Building Wiring Standard.
The OSH group of policies also contain A
Guide on Video Display Terminals.
Fire protection: The Policy
on Fire Protection, Investigation, and Reporting can be found in the Real
Property group of Treasury Board policies and the Fire Protection Services of
the OSH group of Treasury Board policies. These policies contain requirements in
addition to those of the Labour Code and the COSHR.
Food facilities and other amenities: In general, the principles that apply to
real property also apply to food facilities and other amenities in that real
property. These policy principles include:
- the market value principle;
- the principle of limiting real property holdings to those required to
directly support user programs; and
- the principle of seeking opportunities to earn revenue.
Living accommodation: The Living
Accommodation Charges Directive appears in the Government Travel and Living
Accommodations group of Treasury Board policies.
Office accommodation: Public Works and Government Services Canada has a
document entitled Policy on Framework for Office Accommodation and Accommodation
Services.
Physical security: This is covered in the
Security group of Treasury Board policies. Further guidance on this subject
is available from the Security Systems Branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP). See the RCMP Guide to the Preparation of Physical Security
Briefs.
Risk management: The policy of the government with respect to risk assessment
and liability protection is in the Risk
Management group of Treasury Board policies.
Treasury Board's occupational safety and health directives and standards: The
Treasury Board directives and standards, which are supplementary to the Labour
Code, appear in the Occupational Safety and Health group of Treasury Board
policies. These include the Use
and Occupancy of Buildings Directive and the Hazardous
Confined Spaces Directive.
Workplace day care centres: The Workplace
Day Care Centres policy appears in the Human Resources group of Treasury
Board policies.
Workplace fitness: The Workplace
Fitness Programs policy can be found in the Occupational Safety and Health
group of Treasury Board policies.
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