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Government On-Line is the Government of Canada’s plan to deliver programs, services and information over the Internet, and a key component in our plan to improve service delivery to Canadians.
In the 1999 Speech from the Throne, the Government made a commitment to get Government On-Line.
"Our goal is to be known around the world as the government most connected to its citizens, with Canadians able to access all government information and services on-line at the time and place of their choosing."
The initiative is a multi-year project ending in 2005 that will provide citizens with the ability to interact with government, to receive information, programs and services, and to do business electronically with the Government of Canada.
Government On-Line will complement the other ways we deliver services to Canadians - in person, by mail and by phone.
ACOA's GOL vision is to continually improve the quality of interaction between Atlantic Canadians and the Agency by enabling them to request and receive services and information when and where it is most convenient for them, wherever they live.
Our on-line service delivery strategy aligns itself with our mandate to increase opportunities for economic development in Atlantic Canada and, more particularly, to enhance the growth of earned incomes and employment opportunities in the Atlantic region. In general we will:
continue to improve on our commitment to provide information on-line on all key programs and services by finding new and innovative means of effective delivery;
in collaboration with central and similar service departments, review and re-engineer as necessary, those individual and common business processes which will enable improved electronic delivery of service to our clients; and,
consult and develop with our clients and stakeholders on-line systems and processes which empower them to interact with us, reduce the amount of redundant processing, and provide relevant information and services. This will enable ACOA officers to provide value-added services, guidance, support and improved response times.
ACOA delivers its services in-person, through mail, telephone, the Internet, e-mail and fax. The development of a mature on-line delivery mechanism is envisioned to play an important role over the next 2 to 5 years. Recent client surveys indicate that in-person delivery of services is still preferred at this time. As more government on-line services become available and the client's confidence in the system grows, a noticeable swing to on-line services is anticipated.
The following is an overview of the Agency's plans and efforts to improve service delivery to its clients through the use of on-line tools. ACOA is committed to providing these on-line services in a timely fashion according to available funding.
Our clients are entrepreneurs from all age groups, existing businesses, business associations, academia, provincial and other government departments (OGDs), internal staff, and media.
At its head office and in each of its provincial offices in Atlantic Canada, ACOA has a GOL working committee that carries out extensive internal and external consultations with employees, clients, partners, and other stakeholders.
The Agency continues to solicit client and stakeholder input and participation through its partnerships with the Provinces, the Canada Business Service Centre Network, Community-Based Organizations, etc. Various client satisfaction surveys and studies will continue to be used to measure the expectations of partners, clients, and internal staff in providing web-based services.
Surveys/consultations with respect to the GOL initiatives occur approximately every 6 months. Results from these are rated against our service delivery standards to help determine our priorities.
For further information, please contact:
Ronald Surette
Director General,
Service Transformation and CIO
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
506-851-2271
rsurette@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
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ACOA's mandate is to increase opportunities for economic development in Atlantic Canada and, more particularly, to enhance the growth of earned incomes and employment opportunities in the Atlantic region. In keeping with this mandate, clients, partners and stakeholders will be capable of the following interactive activities in relation to the delivery of Agency programs for activities such as:
Application for Funding;
Ability to submit claims for reimbursement;
Repayment of loans;
Ability for client to monitor key aspects of their project;
On-line interactions with clients; and,
Information relating to specific industry sectors.
Accomplishments
In the fall of 2002, the Agency piloted its second on-line application for funding using the new Atlantic Innovation Fund initiative as a test case. As it is important to ACOA to ensure that the client's information remains confidential and that the authenticity of the client is assured, the latest in both encryption software and hardware were used.
Although the deadline for applications is over, information on this program is still available by clicking: http://www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca/e/financial/aif/internet.shtml
Agency clients are able to authorize the repayment of funds received through the transfer of electronic funds from their financial institutions;
In the Works
The following is a list of activities which are currently under development:
Given the success of the above-mentioned pilot, the Agency plans to extend the capability of on-line submission of applications to other programs such as the Business Development Program (BDP);
Provide the ability for clients to submit invoices to ACOA for work that has been carried out on approved projects;
Key activities pertaining to a client's repayment account will be available to the client on line for monitoring. The client will also have the ability to update their own company's confidential information.
In fulfilling its mandate to promote economic development through a leadership role in Atlantic Canada and in delivering its strategic priorities, ACOA will be changing the way it communicates and exchanges pertinent information to its clients for things such as:
Accomplishments
All information on the Agency's lines of service are currently posted on the ACOA web site. This also provides the opportunity for clients to submit comments and questions. While waiting for an advanced method of interactive communications with clients and stakeholders, various Agency employees have created informal e-mail lists which enable them to provide clients with current information on services and activities.
Also available is the ability to generate ad-hoc reports on ACOA projects which are subject to Access to Information legislation. The query allows the user to select multiple levels of detail.
In the Works
The following is a list of activities which are currently in planning:
 Develop the ability to exchange and share essential business information relevant to program delivery between clients and stakeholders. Information exchanged between clients and stakeholders will normally be results-oriented rather than strictly accumulating data. In other words, computers from various government departments will exchange only that information which is deemed essential to making a business decision as opposed to simply amassing a large database of private information;
Our programs and services can also be found through the Government of Canada's main portal at http://www.canada.gc.ca under Information and Service Gateways for Canadian Business and Non-Canadians.
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