2017-18 Departmental Results Report
Operating context and key risks
Operating context
This section outlines some of the external and internal factors that contributed to the Department's performance in 2017-18.
External Factors
Stakeholder engagement was a hallmark of fiscal year 2017-18. The Department engaged all provinces and territories in developing Integrated Bilateral Agreements which will provide $33 billion in long-term, flexible financing over 10 years under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program component of the Investing in Canada plan.
Infrastructure Canada relies on its partners to oversee project timelines and communicate regularly on progress and challenges. To improve overall engagement and make reporting easier, Infrastructure Canada is developing a "single window" online portal for funding program recipients and aligning projects with specific outcomes in public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation infrastructure, and rural and northern communities.
Additional measures were implemented in 2017-18 to ensure employment opportunities for a range of under-represented populations on projects through a Community Employment Benefits framework. Measures were also put in place to ensure that Indigenous communities have access to and can benefit from the Department's programs, including: minimum levels a province or territory must invest in cultural and recreational infrastructure benefitting urban Indigenous Peoples; a distinct federal cost-share of 75% and federal stacking provisions of 100% for all Indigenous recipients; a more inclusive description of eligible Indigenous recipients; and exceptional project eligibility for health and education projects that address Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.
With Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Department also developed a Climate Lens to ensure greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks are considered before capital projects receive funding under new programs, where applicable.
The Department has also been diversifying its funding strategies by launching new funding vehicles such as the Smart Cities Challenge and the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
The Department works with many partners as the majority of its programs are cost-shared with other orders of government. Once projects are approved by Infrastructure Canada, our partners can start their projects and spend immediately. Funding flows to partners only after claims are submitted to Infrastructure Canada for reimbursement. As in previous years, this report shows that the Department experienced substantial variances between the planned and actual spending which is largely attributed to the design of programs where funds only flow based on partners' requests for reimbursements. Budget 2018 updated the funding profile for a number of transfer payment programs to better align with when funding recipients plan to submit their claims.
Internal Factors
This is the last report in which the Department will be using the following Program Alignment Architecture reporting structure:
- 1.1 Program: Funding for Provincial-Territorial Priorities
- 1.2 Program: Permanent and Flexible Infrastructure Funding
- 1.3 Program: Investments in National Infrastructure Priorities
- 1.4 Program: Large-Scale Infrastructure Investments
- 1.5 Program: Infrastructure Investments in Small Communities and Rural Areas
- 1.6 Program: New Bridge for the St. Lawrence Corridor Project
- Internal Services
One of the limitations of this structure is that the indicators are output-based and the Department's performance is reported largely in terms of numbers of projects completed or dollar value of projects completed. To report on the results of federal infrastructure investments and their impacts on Canadian communities, examples of infrastructure projects funded by the Department are inserted throughout this report.
In 2017-18, the Department obtained Treasury Board approval for a new Departmental Results Framework. The new Framework will make it easier to report on outcomes and describe how the Department contributes to growing Canada's economy, improving urban transit, supporting the environment and advancing social inclusion. Starting in 2018-19, this new Framework will form the basis of future Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
Key risks
Infrastructure Canada applies a comprehensive approach to identify, assess and manage risks at the strategic, operational, program and project levels. This involves conducting regular environmental scans and an annual risk identification and assessment process with direct participation of senior management. The table below provides an overview of key corporate risks and the results of risk response strategies. As in previous years, the Department has reviewed and updated risks in the context of emerging environmental risk factors and progress made by implementing risk responses.
|
Risks |
Mitigating strategy and effectiveness |
Link to the Department's programs |
Link to mandate letter commitments and any government wide or departmental priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ability to deliver new programs under the Investing in Canada plan, the government’s long-term infrastructure plan, in a timely fashion, and collect quality data that will allow the Department to report meaningful results to Canadians |
The Department has made significant progress to implement risk responses that have resulted in a decrease in both the assessed likelihood and impact of this risk. Effective responses include:
Regular engagement with federal delivery partners to develop and maintain a robust data collection and reporting strategy, including the development of a project-based geo-map. INFC’s Evaluation Directorate is conducting an evaluation on the horizontal governance and reporting function to determine how well INFC coordinates the reporting activities of 13 partner departments. Lessons learned from this evaluation will be applied to ongoing reporting to improve the way the data is collected to report results to Canadians. |
Program 1.3: Investments in National Infrastructure Priorities |
Priority 1 Mandate letter and subsequent federal commitments related to the development of a long-term plan to deliver significant new infrastructure funding, as well as to increase data collection capacity and promoting better asset management of infrastructure in Canada. |
|
Timely delivery of the new Champlain Bridge Corridor project in Montréal, Quebec |
To ensure the timely delivery of the new Champlain Bridge, Infrastructure Canada continued to oversee the Project Agreement with its private partner, Signature on the Saint Lawrence Group. Specific measures included:
|
Program 1.6: New Bridge for the St. Lawrence Corridor Project (commonly known as the new Champlain Bridge Corridor project) |
Priority 2 Mandate letter commitment to move forward on a toll-free replacement for the Champlain Bridge |
|
Complexities in the delivery of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project, a new international crossing between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan |
Ongoing risk responses for the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project were implemented throughout 2017-18. The aim was to ensure the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority is in a position to successfully complete the P3 procurement process and manage the design, construction and operation phases of the project. In addition, the Department continued to provide support and oversight on the U.S. property acquisition process to ensure that Michigan can/will be able to obtain all the required properties on the U.S. side according to project timelines. |
Program 1.4: Large-Scale Infrastructure Investments |
Priority 3 |
|
Timely delivery of services and solutions within the Department to support increased internal business pressures while contributing to current and future large-scale, whole-of-government initiatives |
Infrastructure Canada ensured that it had adequate resources to deliver timely Information Management/Information Technology, Communication Services, Human Resources, Finance and other enabling services, to support new and ongoing business requirements. Various initiatives were implemented to build and maintain a healthy and productive workforce. |
Internal Services |
Priority 4 |
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