D. Consolidated Report

Regulatory Initiatives

The Department has no major or significant regulatory initiatives.

Year 2000 Initiatives

The Department of Canadian Heritage has put in place appropriate operational mechanisms and secured funding from the Treasury Board to ensure that Governmentwide Mission Critical Systems in the Parks Canada Agency and Department-wide Mission Critical systems in the Department and those systems and infrastructure shared with the Parks Agency are Year 2000 compliant. Department-wide Mission Critical systems and infrastructure and systems shared with the Parks Canada Agency relate to the processing of grants and contributions, financial management, human resources management, ministerial correspondence and the supporting communications infrastructure. The Department is also actively managing the risks associated with potential non compliance through contingency and business resumption planning, in conjunction with Parks, as applicable, with a particular attention to interdependencies, in order to ensure continuity of critical business functions in case of disruption. The Department will also be monitoring the contingency planning efforts of agencies and Crown Corporations of the Minister’s Portfolio and work closely with the National Contingency Planning Group of the Department of National Defence to ensure business continuity throughout the transition to the new millennium. Additionally, the Department has been assigned the responsibility to obtain information from public and private broadcasters on the national broadcasting infrastructure criticality and interdependency to assess potential infrastructure risks and to report findings to the National Contingency Planning Group of the Department of National Defence.

The Department is providing required reports to the Treasury Board Secretariat on the state of readiness as well as on contingency and business resumption plans for the Government-wide Mission Critical systems in the Parks Canada Agency, the Departmentwide Mission Critical systems as well as agencies in the Canadian Heritage Portfolio.

Key Strategies and Expected Results

Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy

1997-2000 Sustainable Development Strategy -In December 1997, the Department of Canadian Heritage officially adopted its first Sustainable Development Strategy. The Strategy contains 12 goals that are to be pursued through 48 targets and 109 actions in the areas of:

• awareness raising among employees, clients and partners;
• the greening of internal departmental operations;
• the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage;
• the greening of projects and events supported by the Department; and
• policy research and analysis.

Two Strategies into One -Two parallel strategies co-exist within the document that was tabled by the Department in December 1997. This reflected the imminent establishment of the Parks Canada Agency. The core of the document dealt with issues of awareness, as well as the development of departmental policies, programs and operations in relation to sustainable development. Parks Canada’s contribution focussed mainly on the biophysical impacts of its field operations across the country. The amalgamation of the two strategies within one document produced a wide range of targets and specific actions. Since the tabling of the first Strategy, Parks Canada has become an agency on December 21st, 1998, two years before the expiration of the first departmental strategy. The Parks Canada Agency will in future be responsible for those aspects of the Strategy that affect their mandate and operations.

The 1998 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development -The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development in his 1998 report to the House of Commons identified a fundamental weakness in many of the strategies tabled and suggested that benchmarks be established quickly.

This annex to the Plans and Priorities Report constitutes the formal response of the Department of Canadian Heritage to the Commissioner’s recommendation.

Canadian Heritage’s Approach to Reviewing its Targets - To adapt to its changing organizational environment, the Department of Canadian Heritage has taken this opportunity to reorganize its action hierarchy. To do so, a distinction between strategic and operational concerns was introduced and the targets were reviewed using the following criteria: time based, measurable, and outcome-oriented. The work continues toward the establishment of departmental baselines.

Sustainable Development Strategy / Reviewed Targets

Strategic Goal 1:    Fostering Sustainable Development Values among Canadians

Strategic Objective 1.1:       Increase staff awareness of the impact of their actions and those of the Department of Canadian Heritage on the environment.

Strategic Target 1.1.1:     Sensitize all employees on the sustainable development concept, values and concrete applications by December 2000.

Operational Targets:     Provide all employees with information on the sustainable development concept and values by December 2000.

Explain to all employees the departmental strategy, its implications on our day-to-day operations and the expected outcomes by December 2000.

Develop middle and senior management support, in all sectors of the Department, for the integration of sustainable development principles in our day-to-day operations by December 2000.

Strategic Objective 1.2:     Increase the recognition of the importance of sustainable development by all those who come into contact with the Department.

Strategic Target 1.2.1:     By December 2000, contribute to making all Canadians and visitors learn about innovative ways to improve their living conditions.

Operational Targets:     Make all Canadian Heritage clients aware of sustainable development issues by December 2000

Inform all participants at events associated with Canadian Heritage of sustainable development issues and practices by December 2000.

Strategic Target 1.2.2:     By December 2000, encourage all clients who receive funding or assistance from the Department to undertake projects that are consistent with sustainable development.

Operational Targets:     Ensure that 50% (annually) of capital projects supported by Canadian Heritage are consistent with the principles of sustainable development by December 2000.

Strategic Goal 2:     Minimize the Impact of the Department’s Day-to-day Operations on the Environment.

Strategic Objective 2.1:     Minimize consumption of resources in our day-to-day operations.

Strategic Target 2.1.1:     Reduce by at least 5% from 1997 levels our overall consumption of resources in our day to day operations by December 2000.

Operational Targets:     Reduce by 5% the amount of energy use at Les Terrasses de la Chaudière by December 2000.

Reduce by 10% the amount of paper purchased in the National Capital Region by the end of 1999.

Reduce by 10% the amount of toner purchased in the National Capital Region by the end of 1999.

Ensure that 80% of promotional material produced by the Department is "green" by the end of 1999.

Strategic Objective 2.2:     Ensure optimal use of resources in our day-to-day operations.

Strategic Target 2.2.1:     Increase by at least 5% from 1997 levels the Department’s efficiency in the consumption of resources in our day-to-day operations by December 2000.

Operational Targets:     Reduce by 50% solid waste generated at National Headquarters by December 2000.

Ensure that 80% of new equipment purchases meet the generally accepted energy-efficiency standards beginning in January 1998.

Ensure that 80% of equipment that have power-save features have them turned on starting January 1998.

Ensure that life expectancy of goods is being considered in all equipment and furniture purchases, starting in January 1998.

Reduce by 10% the declarations to Crown Assets in the National Capital Region by December 1998.

Achieve 10% less storage-space requirement in the National Capital Region by December 2000 (250 m² less).

Reduce by 5% the number of commuters who routinely use motorized single-passenger vehicles by December 2000.

Inform all clerks/travellers as to the availability of "green" hotels by December 1999.

Ensure that at least 25% of travellers stay in "green" hotels by December 1999.