Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

1. Overview of the Federal Government's Approach to Sustainable Development

The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) 2013–16, tabled on November 4, 2013, guides the Government of Canada’s sustainable development activities, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act (FSDA). In keeping with the objectives of the FSDA, to make environmental decision–making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (Public Safety Canada) supports the implementation of the FSDS through the activities found in this departmental strategy.

Accordingly, this Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS) presents the results for commitments for Theme III – Protecting Nature and Canadians, within the context of the 2013–16 FSDS. This DSDS also provides the results for Theme IV –Shrinking the Environmental Footprint – Beginning with Government based on the 2010–13 FSDS.

2. Theme III: Department/Agency–led Targets

Public Safety Canada contributes to Theme III – Protecting Nature and Theme IV - Shrinking the Environmental Footprint – Beginning with Government. These contributions are components of the Emergency Management Program and the Internal Services' activities, and are further explained in Section II of this report. Please visit Public Safety Canada's website for additional details on the Department's activities to support sustainable development.

FSDS Goal

Goal 4: Conserving and Restoring Ecosystems, Wildlife and Habitat, and Protecting Canadians

FSDS Performance Indicator

Percentage of federal institutions evaluated that have assessed and taken actions in their emergency management plan to address risks related to their area of responsibility

FSDS Target

Target 4.7: Environmental Disasters, Incidents and Emergencies

FSDS Performance Status

During the reporting period, six SEMP (Strategic Emergency Management Program) assessments were conducted. The Department reviewed the risk assessments conducted by the targeted federal institutions and determined the level to which they incorporated risk prevention/mitigation options into their emergency management plans. These assessments reflected a continued improvement across institutions in their ability to properly identify emergency management risks and to develop appropriate plans to address them. No Business Continuity Plans (BCP) assessments were conducted in 2013-14 due to the 2013 realignment of departmental functions, which included a branch and program redesign. In the interim, a review of the assessment methodology was undertaken and will continue in 2014-15.

3. Theme III: Implementation Strategies

4.7.1. Evaluate, validate and/or identify improvements to the Government of Canada's emergency management plans, procedures and protocols.

• In 2013-14, the Department continued to work with federal institutions, providing advice and guidance in the development of BCP and SEMP. It is important to note that not all institutions’ SEMPs will be analyzed and evaluated in a given fiscal year since they are based on a five-year cycle.  Therefore, the yearly result reflects a portion of the federal government SEMPs. 

4.7.2. Reinforce the partnerships for national disaster mitigation, while managing the increased costs of disaster recovery.

• Public Safety Canada undertook a cross-Canada F/P/T consultation on the development of the $200 million National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) announced in Budget 2014.
• The Department also consulted extensively with other partners including: other government departments (OGDs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society on the NDMP. These consultations were conducted through standing engagement fora, such as Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management and Canada’s Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.  
• The combination of advancing the development of the NDMP with cyclical reviews of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements will help more sustainably manage disaster recovery costs in the future.

4.7.3. Analyze and evaluate federal institutions' emergency management plans to assess if the institutions are identifying risks in their area of responsibility and are developing plans to mitigate the identified risks.

• During the reporting period, six SEMP assessments were conducted. The Department reviewed the risk assessments conducted by the targeted federal institutions and determined the level to which they incorporated risk prevention/mitigation options into their emergency management plans. These assessments reflected a continued improvement across institutions in their ability to properly identify emergency management risks and to develop appropriate plans to address them.

Strategic Environmental Assessment Planned Highlights and Commitments

Public Safety Canada did not have any environmental assessments in 2013-14.

4. Theme IV: Implementation Strategies

Surplus Electronic and Electrical Equipment Target

By March 31, 2014, each department will reuse or recycle all surplus electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) in an environmentally sound and secure manner.
(Target 8.6 from 2010–13 FSDS)

Strategies and/or Comments

1. Definition of Electronic and Electrical Equipment: Electronic Equipment refers to computers, monitors, printers, plotters, laptops, docking stations, televisions, most server and network equipment, most audio-visual equipment, scanners, fax machines, label printers, photocopiers, toaster-ovens, refrigerators, microwaves, and ovens.
2. Definition and number of departmental locations: In the context of this target, locations are defined as the National Capital Region – headquarters (NCR), as well as Public Safety Canada’s regional offices.
3. Key components of the EEE disposal process: Public Safety Canada disposes of all departmentally generated surplus EEE in a manner consistent with the Treasury Board Directive on Disposal of Surplus Material.
4. Method for Tracking Equipment: Departmental assets are recorded in three departmental systems designed to capture complete information on each type of asset: Provance, an IT asset tracking system; CableSolve, a non-IT asset tracking system; and SAP, a financial capital asset tracking system. When the asset is received, relevant information is recorded in the appropriate tracking system and an asset tag is affixed.

In terms of meeting its obligation under the Treasury Board Policy on Government Security (PGS), Public Safety Canada has measures in place to ensure compliance, including physical security of departmental assets. The Public Safety Canada Security Policy and the Departmental Security Plan establishes requirements in this area.

Printing Unit Reduction Target

By March 31, 2013, each department will achieve an 8:1 average ratio of office employees to printing units. Departments will apply the target where building occupancy levels, security considerations, and space configuration allow. (Target 8.7 from 2010–13 FSDS)

Strategies and/or Comments 

1. Definition of printing unit: In the context of this target, a printing unit is defined as an electronic device, which sends text or pictures onto paper. This includes desktop printers, network printers, and multifunctional printers (with photocopier, fax, and scanner functionality).
2. Scope: The Printing Unit Reduction Target is applied to all office employees and printing units across Public Safety Canada – in the NCR and its regions.
3. Method for determining number of printing units: The Information Technology functional unit at Public Safety Canada uses a tracking system (Provance) to maintain the accuracy of its inventory of organizational printing units in the NCR and in the regions.
4. Method for determining number of office employees: Public Safety Canada determines its number of office employees using its Human Resources Management System (HRMS - PeopleSoft).
5. Number of office employees subject to the target: At 2013-14 year-end, Public Safety Canada had 1058 FTE employees who were subject to this target.
6. Implementation Strategies:
   • The Department continued to ensure adequate access to network printers to service each area; and continued to reassess departmental printing requirements and to adjust the number and model of network printers.

Paper Consumption Target

By March 31, 2014, each department will reduce internal paper consumption per office employee by 20%. Each department will establish a baseline between 2005–06 and 2011–12, and an applicable scope. (Target 8.8 from 2010–13 FSDS)

Strategies and/or Comments

It is important to note that the total paper usage was reduced by 32.4%. However, given that the Department had fewer employees in 2013-14, the usage per employee does not reflect that percentage.

Green Meetings Target

By March 31, 2012, each department will adopt a guide for greening meetings.
(Target 8.9 from 2010–13 FSDS)

Strategies and/or Comments

• Buildings in the NCR are all Wi-Fi enabled (except secured environments).
• Public Safety Canada has increased the use of soft copies during meetings (i.e. eIndex and presentations on screen, e-records of decisions, and e-meeting notes captured in an official departmental e-repository);
• The Department has increased the use of Shared Services Canada’s videoconferencing, Webex and teleconferencing  rather than traveling to meetings;
• Public Safety Canada continued to use facilities/services provided by companies that use environmentally preferred products or have a greening plan;
• When feasible, the Department used public or shared transportation for traveling to meetings;
• Public Safety Canada has communicated the importance of the Green Meeting Guide and overall green practices to employees on an ongoing basis;
• Public Safety Canada incorporates tools, such as tablets/laptops and processes that encourage and support collaboration;
• The Department has leveraged the influence of the Departmental Green Team to incorporate the Green Meeting Guide into existing operations and practices.

Green Procurement Targets

As of April 1, 2011, each department will establish at least three SMART green procurement targets to reduce environmental impacts. (Target 8.10 from 2010–13 FSDS)

1. As of April 1, 2012, Public Safety Canada will ensure that 95% of toner cartridges purchased are remanufactured or recycled, where feasible

Strategies and/or Comments

This target meets all the requirements of SMART criteria, that is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. In 2013-14, Public Safety Canada will scope out Xerox toner cartridges from this target, and will engage the vendor to ensure it includes the departmental environmental considerations (GGO target) forward.

Implementation strategies include:

• Purchase toner cartridges centrally in the National Capital Region, to ensure the availability of inventory counts;
• Investigate the possibility of including criteria to give priority to suppliers who can demonstrate that they operate within “green” policies and programs;
  (Note: Most suppliers Public Safety Canada uses are obtained through Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) procurement tools and are pre-qualified. The inclusion of additional qualifying criteria was deemed inappropriate); and,
• Continue exploring opportunities to include environmental considerations in the departmental purchasing criteria, in conjunction with price, performance and availability.
  (Note: Most suppliers Public Safety Canada uses are obtained through PWGSC procurement tools and are pre-qualified. The inclusion of additional qualifying criteria was deemed inappropriate.)

2. As of April 1, 2011, as an ongoing target, Public Safety Canada office computers will have an average of a four-year life cycle

Strategies and/or Comments 

This target meets all the requirements of SMART criteria, that is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. This target includes all Public Safety Canada office computers.

Implementation strategies included:

• A yearly renewal, on average, of 25% of the computer inventory to ensure that the Department had the latest and most energy efficient technologies. A procedure was established and managed by the Information Technology authorities and Procurement authorities;
• Tracked the Department's spending on assets, according to the existing system in order to reinforce and integrated into Public Safety Canada's Investment Planning process; and,
• Created awareness with client groups through presentations.

3. By March 31, 2014, 95% of paper purchases will contain a minimum of 30% recycled content and/or have forest management certification or ECOLOGO of equivalent certification

Strategies and/or Comments

As part of its Acquisition Card Policy, Public Safety Canada included paper on the list of commodities that could not be purchased with an acquisition card (at headquarters). Public Safety Canada continues to purchase paper centrally in the NCR which has ensured the availability of inventory counts.

As of April 1, 2011, each department will establish SMART targets for training, employee performance evaluations, and management processes and controls, as they pertain to procurement decision making. (Target 8.11 from 2010–13 FSDS)

Training for select employees

As of April 1, 2012, as an ongoing target, 90% of material managers, procurement officers and acquisition cardholders will have taken a green procurement course.

Strategies and/or Comments

Implementation strategies included:

• All new material managers, procurement officers and acquisition cardholders were required to complete the green procurement course or identify the training course in their individual learning plan;
• Public Safety Canada implemented a Green Procurement Policy and has continued to create awareness of this target through presentations to client groups and during the departmental business planning process;
• The Department's Corporate Management Branch developed a tracking/monitoring system for this target;
• Established a procedure to ensure that employees identified to have an Acquisition card could not receive their card until they had taken a green procurement training course; and
• Public Safety Canada continued to promote existing tools available online and procurement officers participated in webinars on green procurement.

Employee performance evaluations for managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel management

As of April 1, 2012, as an ongoing target, green procurement objectives will be included in 100% of the performance evaluations of managers and functional heads of procurement and material management.

Strategies and/or Comments

The Department ensured that 100% of procurement officers, managers, and functional heads of Procurement and Material Management included green procurement objectives in their annual performance expectations and evaluations.

Management processes and controls

As of March 31, 2014, a minimum of three management processes and controls will be greened.

Strategies and/or Comments

In 2010-11, Public Safety Canada developed and implemented the departmental Policy on Green Procurement, as well as the departmental Policy on Acquisition Cards. In 2013-14, the Department:

• Completed an invoicing initiative to track invoices and eliminate paper; amended contract documents to include notification to suppliers to provide electronic invoices only; and expanded the use of the document tracking software to minimize duplicate copies of documents to be routed for approval;
• Included environmental considerations in the Investment Planning, Procurement and Contracting Section of the Branch Business Plan template (part of the Department's business planning process);
  (Note: Sustainable Development considerations were identified in the Branch Business Plan component of Corporate Services Directorate)
• Promote using the “greenest” suppliers on Standing Offers/ Supply Arrangements.
  (Note: Most suppliers Public Safety Canada uses are obtained through PWGSC procurement instruments and are pre-qualified. The inclusion of additional qualifying criteria was deemed inappropriate).
• Reviewed the Terms of Reference of the Contract Review Committee (CRC). It was determined that since most of the contracts reviewed by the CRC were issued through PWGSC established procurement instruments and suppliers were pre-qualified, there was little or no benefit to revise the Terms of Reference.

Voluntary Reporting on Any Other Greening Government Operations Initiative

5. Additional Departmental/Agency Sustainable Development Activities and Initiatives

N/A

6. Sustainable Development Management System

N/A

7. Strategic Environmental Assessment

During 2013–14 reporting cycle, Public Safety Canada considered the environmental effects of initiatives subject to the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, as part of its decision–making processes. Through the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process, departmental proposals were found to have positive effects on the 2013–16 FSDS goals and targets in Themes III – Protecting Nature and Canadians, and the 2010–13 FSDS for Theme IV – Shrinking the Environmental Footprint – Beginning with Government.

Additional information on the results of the SEA is available on the /cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/index-eng.aspx

Date modified:

2018-01-31