Community Development
Business Plan 2006-09
March 22, 2006 - PDF Version

• Accountability Statement
• The Ministry
• Vision
• Mission
• Clients and Stakeholders
• Link to the Government of Alberta Strategic Business Plan
• Significant Opportunities and Challenges 
• Strategic Priorities 2006-09
• Service Excellence Values and Principles
• Core Businesses, Goals, Strategies and Performance Measures
• Core Business One: Preserve, protect and present Alberta's provincial parks, protected areas, history and cultural heritage
  • Goal 1:  Provincial parks and protected areas preserve Alberta's natural heritage and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, heritage appreciation and tourism
  • Goal 2: Alberta's historical resources are preserved and appreciated and opportunities for heritage tourism are provided
• Core Business Two:  Build community capacity
  • Goal 3: Albertans use libraries, volunteer and participate in sports, recreation and the arts
• Core Business Three:  Protect human rights, promote fairness and access, and support the inclusion of all Albertans
• Goal 4: Albertans participate in the social, economic and cultural life of the province without discrimination
• Ministry Support for the Government's Top Priorities
• Ministry Support Activities
• Summary - Core Businesses, Goals and Performance Measures
• Expense by Core Business
• Ministry Statement of Operations
• Consolidated Net Operating Result
• Capital Investment by Program

The business plan for the three years commencing April 1, 2006 was prepared under my direction in accordance with the Government Accountability Act and the government's accounting policies. All of the government's policy decisions as of February 23, 2006 with material economic or fiscal implications of which I am aware have been considered in preparing the business plan.

The Ministry's priorities outlined in the business plan were developed in the context of the government's business and fiscal plans. I am committed to achieving the planned results laid out in this business plan.

[Original Signed]

Gary Mar, Minister of Community Development
March 1, 2006

THE MINISTRY

• Alberta Historical Resources Foundation
• Historic Resources Fund
• Government House Foundation
• Wild Rose Foundation
• Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Education Fund
• Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts

A superior quality of life in an inclusive, active and culturally vibrant province that values its heritage.

Preserving and celebrating our natural and cultural heritage, protecting human rights and fostering libraries, volunteerism, sport, recreation and the arts.

The Ministry's key clients are the residents of urban and rural communities across Alberta. As well, services are provided to the visitors of provincial parks and recreation areas, historic sites, museums and interpretive centres. Community Development also has a broad range of stakeholders who work closely with the Ministry to help realize its mandate. These include:

• Municipal, provincial, national and international governments;
• Friends societies;
• The public library sector;
• Non-profit, human rights, sport, recreation and arts organizations; and
• The business sector.

Many of Community Development's programs support the broader goals of the Government of Alberta's Strategic Business Plan and, in particular, contribute to making Alberta the best place to live, work and visit. The following chart summarizes the Ministry's key support for the government's goals.

Service expectations are driven by Alberta's thriving economy, population growth and changing patterns in the demographics of its residents and visitors. The public is keen to have accessible and affordable outdoor recreational opportunities as evidenced by the 8.5 million visits to provincial parks and recreation areas each year. While visitors enjoy Alberta's parks, they would like to see the facilities repaired and upgraded. We also need to balance the enjoyment of these provincial parks and recreation areas against the need to protect and preserve Alberta's natural heritage and ecological diversity.

There has been growth in the importance of the technology and knowledge sectors. The use of technology will enhance the delivery of our programs and services. New technologies will allow us to optimize the presentation of Alberta's history by enabling access to Alberta's historical resources through the Internet. There are also increasingly high expectations for up-to-date exhibits and services at provincial historic sites, museums and interpretive centres, which attract an average of 900,000 visits annually.

Albertans want ready access to information in a timely manner. This has resulted in increasingly complex demands within the public library and archival systems. Alberta's libraries in rural and urban communities are Service Alberta Information Centres and, with the full implementation of the Alberta SuperNet, will be linked electronically to the rest of the world. Currently, over 30 million items are borrowed from libraries each year and this is expected to increase.

In the past, communities have thrived with support from their local volunteers. However, the pool of volunteers is limited by an aging population, increasingly busy lifestyles and concerns with liability issues. A voluntary sector framework is under development to facilitate closer cooperation and collaboration between the government and the voluntary sector to address issues such as recruitment challenges and liability insurance.

Given Alberta's diverse population, human rights issues are becoming increasingly complex. Generally, there is a growing need for programs and services to protect Albertans from discrimination and to contribute to building a more inclusive and respectful society.

Albertans are becoming increasingly conscious of their quality of life and are aware of the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle. In 2004-05, 83 per cent of adult Albertans participated in sport and recreational activities. It is imperative that communities have the capacity to offer a diverse range of physical and social leisure activities in order to attract and retain residents. This is a particular challenge for smaller rural communities where partnerships may be required to ensure resources are available in each region of the province.

There are also growing needs in the arts. For example, 88 per cent of adult Albertans feel the arts are important in contributing to the overall quality of life in their communities. As well, nine out of ten adult Albertans attend or participate in arts or cultural events each year, yet Alberta's per capita public funding for the arts sector is one of the lowest in Canada.

Renew infrastructure for provincial parks and recreation areas, historic sites, museums and interpretive centres. This will be addressed by expanding our capacity to address Alberta's growing population, repairing or replacing damaged or deteriorating facilities and equipment, upgrading water and sewage systems in provincial parks and recreation areas as part of the Water for Life Strategy, and modernizing our exhibits and developing our collections to reflect new areas of interest. Centennial projects will also be monitored to their conclusion to ensure their intended legacy is delivered to Albertans.

Strengthen community resources in support of libraries, the voluntary sector, sport and recreation and the arts. This will be addressed by supporting rural sustainability, developing a voluntary sector framework, addressing recommendations from the Alberta Sport Plan, furthering the Active Living Strategy and introducing an inclusive cultural policy.

Foster equality, support the reduction of discrimination and barriers to full participation in society and support the development of inclusive communities and workplaces. This will be furthered by addressing increasing volumes in human rights caseloads, emerging workplace issues related to accommodating disabilities, and developing strategies to support the inclusion and integration of immigrants and ethnic and racial groups into Alberta communities and workplaces. Comprehensive and effective legislation, education and enforcement are also critical to supporting the protection, inclusion and participation of all Albertans.

Participate in the development of a land use framework for effective management of competing land use interests to preserve Alberta’s high quality of life and continued economic prosperity. A vital component of this framework will be an Alberta approach to biodiversity and landscape management to maintain the province’s natural advantage.

The Ministry is committed to the following values and principles to help guide its activities:

Client Driven: We focus on continuous improvement and innovation in providing quality services to our clients.

Professionalism: Our staff and partners are committed to service excellence and work together with respect, honesty, integrity and teamwork.

Accountability: We meet our commitments and take responsibility for our decisions. We set standards for performance and measure results on a regular basis.

Achievement of the goals is assisted through a Ministry-wide commitment to a process of strategic planning that includes an ongoing review of the relevance of all strategies and performance measures, and the evaluation of results achieved, in order to improve performance and promote informed decision-making within the Ministry.

The Ministry's core businesses are linked to goals that reflect the desired results of programs and services delivered by the Ministry. Specific strategies outline how the Ministry aims to achieve each goal. The Ministry's success in achieving these goals is measured through a range of performance measures. Targets for the measures are intended to be challenging and attainable and are based on historical performance and expected future conditions.

• Managing Alberta's 520 provincial parks and protected areas, which represent the diversity of the province's natural heritage and enhance the overall environmental quality of the province.
• Protecting more than 27,000 square kilometres of the province as a legacy for future generations.
• Providing opportunities for nature and heritage based recreation, education and tourism.
• Promoting lifelong learning through an emphasis on interpretation and environmental education that fosters an appreciation of Alberta's natural heritage and conservation.
• Operating the province's biodiversity database, the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, which generates knowledge regarding the province's natural history and biodiversity and supports land use decisions.
• Keeping Alberta's provincial parks and recreation areas safe and enjoyable (e.g., providing a safe and secure drinking water supply).
• Providing opportunities for volunteer involvement to enhance services and research.
• Selecting private sector contractors to operate facilities in designated parks and monitoring their performance.

1.1 Work with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation to complete the development of centennial legacy visitor centres in Writing-on-Stone, Dinosaur, and Cypress Hills Provincial Parks and an avian research centre in Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park.

1.2 Repair, upgrade and sustain facilities and infrastructure in Alberta's provincial parks and major recreation areas, with the assistance of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation, to ensure public health, safety and enjoyment, including the provision of a safe and secure drinking water supply as part of the Water for Life Strategy.

1.3 Develop strategies for education, interpretation and marketing services to increase Albertans' awareness of and appreciation for Alberta's provincial parks and protected areas and their contribution to Alberta's economy and quality of life.

1.4 Enhance the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre's ability to provide data to support effective parks and protected areas management and to provide data to other provincial and federal agencies, universities, industry, and national and international conservation organizations.

1.5 Complete management plans for priority parks and protected areas.

1.6 Develop long-term strategic direction for the Parks and Protected Areas Program to provide a framework for setting future priorities.

1.7 Support the government’s Using and Respecting the Land Top Priority by participating in the development of a provincial land use framework to manage common land use interests and develop an Alberta approach to biodiversity.

• Operating provincial historic sites, museums and interpretive centres, the Provincial Archives of Alberta and the Jubilee Auditoria in consultation and/or partnership with cooperating societies.
• Identifying, acquiring and preserving cultural and natural resources of significance to Alberta.
• Acquiring and preserving significant private and government records and making them available for research and interpretive purposes.
• Regulating land-based development activity to preserve significant historical resources.
• Conducting historical research to enhance interpretive exhibits and to contribute to education and science.
• Supporting lifelong learning about Alberta's historical resources and cultural heritage.
• Providing communities with advice and funding assistance for historical preservation and presentation through the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.

2.1 Work with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation to identify and prioritize improvements to facilities (e.g., enhance access for disabled visitors, revitalize and expand exhibits, and develop care and storage solutions for heritage collections).

2.2 Further the renewal of the Royal Alberta Museum to capture the Alberta story, deliver an extraordinary visitor experience and attract the best touring exhibits in the world.

2.3 Investigate and implement avenues to increase revenues for facility and/or program reinvestment through partnerships, new products and additional funding sources.

2.4 Explore partnerships with the Ministry of Education to further integrate heritage learning into the school curriculum.

2.5 Develop and maintain a long-term plan for future program initiatives (e.g., dinosaurs and Aboriginal history).

2.6 Improve electronic access to Alberta's historical and cultural resources through the development of virtual museums and digital archives.

2.7 Monitor ongoing centennial projects to their conclusion to ensure their intended legacy is fully delivered.

• Furthering a province-wide library system and information network and maximizing connection to the Alberta SuperNet.
• Providing financial and consultative support through the Wild Rose Foundation; the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation; and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
• Providing organizational assistance, training, facilitation services and financial support to develop and advance the voluntary sector.
• Contributing to rural sustainability by developing rural communities' capacity to support community organizations, libraries and the voluntary sector.
• Promoting and supporting participation in sport and recreation and furthering the Active Living Strategy in communities, schools and workplaces.
• Promoting participation in, and fostering appreciation of, the arts.
• Providing facilitation services and support to government public input processes.
• Serving as a liaison between the government and the francophone community in Alberta.
• Classifying films to enable Albertans to make informed viewing choices.

3.1 Collaborate with the public library sector to develop new programs and services that support literacy and enhance access to information (e.g., Internet services).

3.2 Develop a voluntary sector framework to facilitate closer cooperation and collaboration between the government and the voluntary sector and to address issues such as recruitment challenges and liability insurance.

3.3 Address recommendations in the Alberta Sport Plan to support volunteer sport organizations, leadership development, athletic excellence, access to programs and safe recreation infrastructure.

3.4 Introduce an inclusive cultural policy to promote Alberta's cultural, historical and natural heritage, and conduct a review to ensure the policy meets Albertans' needs.

3.5 Coordinate Alberta's participation as the featured jurisdiction in the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., to increase awareness and appreciation of Alberta culture, market Alberta as a tourism destination and support economic development.

3.6 Implement the 2005-09 Canada/Alberta Cooperation Agreement and the new Alberta/Quebec Cooperation Agreement with an emphasis on francophone youth initiatives.

• Maintaining Alberta's human rights legislation to ensure it remains current and responsive.
• Promoting understanding of Alberta's human rights legislation and resolving and adjudicating human rights complaints through the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission.
• Consulting with Albertans and developing policies and educational programs that prevent discrimination and promote the benefits of diversity and multiculturalism.
• Collaborating with other governments and organizations to promote human rights, diversity, women's issues and multiculturalism.
• Providing financial support through the Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Education Fund for community educational initiatives

4.1 Address issues arising from consultations with Albertans to advance human rights, diversity and multiculturalism with an emphasis on the inclusion and integration of immigrants and minorities into Alberta communities and workplaces.

4.2 Redevelop the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission's website to improve access to information on how to create more inclusive communities and workplaces and on how to prevent discrimination.

4.3 Collaborate with the Forum of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Status of Women Ministers to advance women's equality in areas such as the prevention of violence against women and Aboriginal women's issues.

4.4 Improve the process for resolving human rights complaints.

The Ministry supports the following Government of Alberta Top Priorities: Building Infrastructure for Our Future; Protecting People's Private Information; Improving Alberta's Health System – The Third Way; Building Aboriginal Self-Sufficiency; Building and Educating Tomorrow's Workforce; and Using and Respecting the Land.

In order to optimize the Ministry's performance, staff engage in the following support activities:

• Optimizing our technology infrastructure and aligning with, and contributing to, Government of Alberta information and communication standards and initiatives.
• Maintaining and testing business continuity plans to ensure the Ministry is able to provide critical services, within a reasonable amount of time, in the event of an emergency or disaster.
• Reviewing our legislation on an ongoing basis to ensure it meets current needs.
• Promoting accurate, concise and timely communication with our clients, stakeholders and the public.
• Providing expertise and leadership in planning, performance measurement, contract and financial management, administration, risk and information/records management, as well as Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy support to the Ministry.
• Establishing and implementing human resource strategies and initiatives that are aligned with the Ministry's business plan and the Corporate Human Resource Plan (e.g., employee well-being and professional development, recognition, and succession planning).

Core Business One: Preserve, protect and present Alberta's provincial parks, protected areas, history and cultural heritage

Goal 1: Provincial parks and protected areas preserve Alberta's natural heritage and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, heritage appreciation and tourism

Goal 2: Alberta's historical resources are preserved and appreciated and opportunities for heritage tourism are provided

Core Business Two: Build community capacity

Goal 3: Albertans use libraries, volunteer and participate in sports, recreation and the arts

Core Business Three: Protect human rights, promote fairness and access, and support the inclusion of all Albertans

Goal 4: Albertans participate in the social, economic and cultural life of the province without discrimination