Up-front multi-year funding
General information on up-front multi-year funding to Avalanche Canada
Recipient information
Start date
July 3, 2019
End date
Ongoing
Link to departmental result(s)
Canada can effectively mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from all-hazards events
Link to department's Program Inventory
Emergency Prevention/Mitigation
Purpose and objectives of transfer payment program
The goal of this project is to enable Avalanche Canada to expand services nationally to further ensure that more Canadians are better informed of the risks that avalanches pose, and how to be safe when participating in activities in back-country areas.
Audit findings by the recipient during the reporting year, and future plan
No audit conducted in the reporting fiscal year.
Evaluation findings by the recipient during the reporting year, and future plan
No evaluation conducted during the reporting period. Last evaluation was conducted the previous year and was reported on in last iteration of the Departmental Results Report.
Summary of results achieved by the recipient
In 2024-25, Avalanche Canada continued to focus on stabilization and expansion to ensure reliable public service, improving staffing, IT infrastructure, online tools, and curriculum for Avalanche Canada Training (ACT) programs. They successfully hired 100% of projected FTEs and contractors, achieving a 95.7% retention rate. Key systems—including the website, Avalanche Accidents database, ACT database, and Avalanche Canada App—were upgraded, with automation streamlining updates and a full transition to Terraform for better security and disaster recovery.
The Avalanche Skills Training 1 course materials were revised, Companion Rescue Skills aligned with professional standards, and early updates to the Avaluator decision-making tool initiated.
Forecast accuracy improved with a new search function, flexible forecast regions, and the Averted Vision Observatory (AvObs) visualization tool, alongside SNOWPACK modeling enhancements. Auto translation via DeepL now covers daily forecasts, with efforts underway for full product translation.
The ACT trained 11,000 students, school outreach reached a record 13,775 students, and 15,500 people engaged through events, webinars, and the AvCan podcast.
Avalanche Canada renewed its partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU)'s Avalanche Research Program (SARP) through a five-year funding agreement signed in September 2023. In 2024-25, SFU contributed to several initiatives, including user research, fatal accident database support, avalanche hazard and snowpack modeling, terrain and Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) mapping, public risk communication, and estimating winter backcountry use. However, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced it will discontinue support for the Mountain Weather Forecast (MWF) after May 2025. The existing MWF for western Canada has been significantly reduced and will be phased out.
Automation in forecasting advanced through global partnerships, including AvaCollabra, involving experts from 15 countries. Snowpack tracking improved with a visual modeling dashboard, and the AvObs tool was adopted by multiple organizations. The Mountain Information Network (MIN) added ice condition reporting, with plans for MIN 2.0 in development.
Total funding approved (dollars)
Total funding received (dollars)
$0
Financial information (dollars)
Planned spending in 2024–25
$0
Total authorities available for use in 2024–25
$0
Actual spending (authorities used) in 2024–25
$0
Variance (2024–25 actual minus 2024–25 planned)
$0
Explanation of variance
N/A
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
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Funding has already been provided to Avalanche Canada upfront having been drawn down from the principal.
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