Directive No. 42
Original

CIVIL AVIATION PUBLISHING POLICY

Policy Objective:

To prescribe the minimum standards and requirements for Civil Aviation publications and to provide direction in publication planning, production and distribution. This directive is intended to clarify roles and responsibilities and provide guidance and practical advice on the planning of publications and publishing activity.

Background:

With the evolution towards electronic media, publications are issued in a variety of formats or outputs. While an increasing number of managers are moving to electronic communications, it is clear that certain segments of the organization still believe that printed materials reach their audiences more effectively. It is TC’s Communications policy, to continue with these two parallel communication streams to ensure access to all Canadians. Therefore, printed publications will continue to be required for the foreseeable future.

An important element of Civil Aviation’s overall mandate is to promote safety and it does so through a number of communication vehicles including a large number of publications. Civil Aviation has the responsibility to develop and implement publication standards for its branches and ensure that they comply with both government and departmental standards.

Until recently, the TC Communications Group has played a limited functional role with regards to publications. However, the new TBS Communications Policy, which came into effect in April 2002 and was amended in November 2004, spells out in clear terms the responsibilities of departmental Communication Groups and the role they are expected to play with regards to publications. Transport Canada guidelines on publications date back to the early 1990’s and most are still in effect.

The Publications Advisory Board (PAB), with management representatives from Communications Group, Corporate Services, Policy, Programs and Divestiture, Safety and Security Group, and each TC Region, was created to play an advisory role throughout the department on the subject of publishing. It promotes the use of a standard delivery format using a variety of media. The PAB leaves it to each Group to establish policies and processes required to meet their own publication needs and will create departmental standards and guidelines, as required.

As part of the Quality and Resource Management Branch, the role of the MultiMedia Publishing Services Division (MPS) has evolved over the years to respond to new demands from clients and is currently one of production, distribution and advice. MPS has also been delegated a number of corporate functions such as delegated authority for publications related contracts and appointed as the departmental Distribution Centre for all Transport Canada publications. The Civil Aviation Management Executive (CAMX) has decided that MPS is Civil Aviation’s publisher for all publications and publishing activities and responsible for their production and distribution.

In April 2004, CAMX decided that all cost recovered publications would be centralized under MPS, who would collect the revenues from the sales of those products and use that revenue to maintain stock levels of existing cost recovered publications, as well as fund the production of new products or updates to existing cost recovered publications.

In June 2004, NCAMX decided to create a new product for all Civil Aviation Inspectors...Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors Toolkit (CASI Toolkit) CD that would provide them with the necessary work references on one CD in order to perform their duties. NCAMX also realigned the responsibility of the production and distribution of the CARs CD, from Regulatory Services to MPS.

In November 2004, DGCA delegated the responsibility of Distribution List management to the Director, Quality and Resource Management. The process of centralizing all distribution lists and maintaining them in an efficient and cost effective manner was to begin, as the benefits to Civil Aviation were considerable.

In June 2005, DGCA approved the creation of a Civil Aviation Publishing Linkages Committee to provide a management level forum for the discussion of publishing related issues. This would allow the continued improvement and consolidation of the publishing model needed by Civil Aviation.

Policy Statement:

All Civil Aviation publications and products will be published by MPS. Civil Aviation publications and products will be planned, co-ordinated with OPIs, follow proper life-cycle management procedures and meet standardized requirements to ensure the highest quality of products are produced for internal audiences, the aviation community and the general public while complying with Transport Canada and Treasury Board policies and guidelines.

Application:

This directive applies to all Civil Aviation personnel who develop publications or publishing products for the Civil Aviation Program.

Definitions:

Author - - Writer or person responsible for the development of content for a publication, under the direction of an OPI.

OPI - - Office of Primary Interest. Within Civil Aviation, this is at the Chief level or higher.

TC Publication - - A Transport Canada publication is a product in which information (intellectual content) is recorded, stored and/or reproduced for an internal or external audience. Regardless of the output media, such as books, manuals, booklets, brochures, reports, newsletters, posters, audio recordings, video recordings, films, microforms, CDs, DVDs, diskettes and web/on-line documents, a product that displays a TP number is classified as a publication.

Excluded materials, which are not considered Transport Canada publications and pertain to those items of a legal or highly specific nature are:

• materials that pertain to items of a legal or specific nature, such as bills, statutes, or regulations prepared/issued by the Department of Justice;
• competition posters issued by Human Resources;
• TC audit/review and evaluation reports;
• news releases, speeches, or kit folders;
• staff instructions, policy letters, notices, or advisories/bulletins;
• office files or records (e.g. memoranda, agendas, letters, e-mail messages, minutes of meetings, etc.);
• photographs, maps, navigation charts, forms (print or e-forms), or engineering drawings;
• presentations (e.g. PowerPoint);
• computer programs, software, or printouts; and
• any material/product that the responsible Transport Canada Responsibility Centre Manager may so declare as not being a Transport Canada publication.

TP Corral - - The TP Corral is the central location where all Civil Aviation web-based publications are placed.

MPS - - The MultiMedia Publishing Services (MPS) is the Civil Aviation publisher for all publications and publishing products produced by Civil Aviation.

Approach:

As publication initiatives and activities are undertaken to accomplish specific objectives, whether raising public awareness, informing clients of program contributions or putting forth a rationale for a policy, there is a need for a consistent and co-ordinated approach to ensure that these objectives are met in a cost-effective and efficient manner while respecting federal policies and procedures that govern communications and publishing activities.

Civil Aviation publications must have the content approved by the respective Branch Directors; be included in the Civil Aviation Publishing Plan; and follow the requirements as stated in the Civil Aviation Publication Development Checklist (form 26-0656E or 26-0656F), which can be found at http://tcinfo/forms/search.htm.

Process:

Products intended for publication by Transport Canada are assigned Transport Publication (TP) numbers and respect departmental and federal requirements, such as Official Languages and the Federal Identity Program.

MPS provides all Civil Aviation authors and OPIs with TP numbers and ISBN, ISSN, and Government Catalogue numbers. MPS will also assist authors and OPIs in the determination of free or priced products based on the TC Publication Cost Recovery Policy.

OPIs are to complete form 26-0656 E/F…Civil Aviation Publication Development Checklist…for each publication to be developed.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• The Director, Quality and Resource Management (AARA):
  • All Civil Aviation publishing production, including the oversight of the central fund for cost recovered publications
  • Distribution, warehousing and inventory management of publications for Civil Aviation and the Department through the on-line Publications Storefront (iSTORE)
  • Federal Identity Program (FIP) issues
  • Compliance to Departmental and Treasury Board publishing policies and guidelines
  • Forms management
  • Crown Copyright issues
  • TP Number registration, registration of publications (as applicable) for ISBN, ISSN, and Canadian Government Catalogue number
  • Publication Licensing issues
  • Contracting for publishing goods and/or services
  • On-line Publications Storefront (iSTORE)
  • Civil Aviation and Departmental focal point for Communications Canada on publishing issues
  • Management of the Civil Aviation TP Corral
  • Print on Demand (POD) requirements
  • Annual Publications Plan Reporting
  • Quality assurance and life cycle management of all Civil Aviation publications

• Individual Branch Directors are responsible for:
  • Managing content of their publications
  • Informing MPS on the status of their publications (e.g. if they are to be cancelled or will undergo revision)
  • Preparing a Communication Plan for any new cost recovered publications

Reporting:

The Director, Quality and Resource Management (AARA) will provide an annual update on publishing activities to National Civil Aviation Management Executive (NCAMX).

Further Information:

Robert Sincennes
Director, Quality Assurance (AARF)
Telephone: (613) 993-8976
Facsimile: (613) 993-7038
E-mail: sincero@tc.gc.ca
330, rue Sparks Street (AARA)
Ottawa ON K1A 0N5

Merlin Preuss
Director General
Civil Aviation

Effective date:    March 8, 2006
Expiry date:        This directive will be reviewed annually

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