About Us

Service Innovation - Commercialization, Cost Recovery and Citizen-centred Service

Commercialization and Cost Recovery

The objective of Environment Canada's commercialization and cost recovery initiative is to promote an equitable approach to financing programs. This is done by charging those who benefit from levels of service beyond those enjoyed by the general public, and by earning a fair return for Canadians on publicly owned and controlled resources.

Environment Canada's cost recovery initiatives have direct benefits for Canadians while allowing Environment Canada to allocate its resources efficiently and ensure equity in financing government programs. These initiatives allow Environment Canada to apply business like approaches and use market forces in the delivery of some services.

Environment Canada currently uses the 2000 "Working with Others: Policy on Revenue and Collaborative Arrangements". Environment Canada is currently working to update this policy.

Our various commercial and/or cost recovered products and services include specialized meteorological services, data and publications, regulatory approval and licensing.

Links:

• Treasury Board
• Treasury Board Secretariat policy on cost recovery and charging policy
• Environment Canada Audit 1999/2000 on Commercial Services: Cost Recovery and User Charging

Citizen-Centred Service

Environment Canada is committed to continuous improvement of the products and services it provides for Canadians. Our service improvement efforts are rooted in client-centered service - responding to citizen's and client's priorities for improvement.

We recognize that we must do more to improve the quality of services to Canadians and are collaborating with other departments to realize improvements. For example under the Service Canada initiative, Environment Canada is developing a pilot Web site which will make it easier for Canadians to find and access Government of Canada environmental information on the Internet.

Environment Canada also is participating in the Government on Line initiative which aims to make the Canadian government the most connected government in the world by 2004. Some of our most notable initiatives are contained in the 1999 report titled Issue Scan: Technology and Innovative Service Delivery - Innovative Practices Report (pdf format).

Links:

• Service Canada
• Government on Line
• Issue Scan: Technology and Innovative Service Delivery - Innovative Practices Report
• Canada School of Public Service