2.5 – Upcoming Departmental Decisions
The following high-priority items require early Ministerial decisions to meet departmental standards on program spending, and advance time-sensitive work on program policy.
Alberta World Cup Cross Country Ski Event
- The Alberta World Cup Cross Country Society (AWCCS) will host the World Cup Cross-Country Skiing Season Finale on March 20-22, 2020 in Canmore, Alberta.
- This is one of three related cross country ski events being held in North America by the International Ski Federation. Other events are being held in Quebec City (March 14 and 15, 2020) and Minneapolis (March 17, 2020). The Canmore event is the final in the series.
- They are seeking financial assistance to move forward with their event.
[Redacted]
Informing Applicants of the Status of Their Projects
- Eight projects recommended for funding (three Business Scale-up and Productivity and five Canadian Experiences Fund projects) have been placed "on hold”. Decisions on these projects are needed in order to either advance them by developing contribution agreements with the clients, or inform applicants that their projects will not move forward.
- In addition, a total of 163 projects under the Business Scale-up and Productivity program, the Canadian Experiences Fund, and the Steel and Aluminum Initiative were not recommended for funding (for reasons such as ineligibility and oversubscription), but WD has yet to formally communicate decisions to applicants. All successful applicants have been notified.
- WD’s established service standard is to communicate decisions on projects within 90 business days of receiving an application. Under exceptional circumstances, such as an election period, this standard may not be met. However, an early decision on the eight projects on hold, and authorization to inform unsuccessful applicants of the status of their applications, would help meet the needs of clients.
[Redacted]
Canada Business Network (CBN) Transition
- The Canada Business Network (CBN) is a national network that promotes entrepreneurship by providing information services to entrepreneurs and small businesses to help them grow. The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) manage the CBN at the regional level with national coordination undertaken by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
- In western Canada, WD has agreements with four organizations, one in each western province, to deliver these services. WD’s funding leverages additional investment from the provincial governments, as well as from the private sector.
- Unlike other RDAs with many points of service, WD relies on its four CBN centres to serve the largest and most widely-dispersed region in Canada. CBNs are vital to WD’s ability to reach small businesses and entrepreneurs across the West.
- Budget 2018 directed Innovation Canada, a division within ISED, to consolidate the CBN to provide a single window of service to businesses across Canada. WD and other RDAs are working with ISED to develop a way forward to transition to a new model where ISED will focus on supporting high growth and larger enterprises, while the RDAs/WD will focus on continuing to provide the services needed locally by start-ups and small businesses.
- While RDAs are working with ISED to develop a way forward and mitigate uncertainty faced by CBNs, WD is in the process of negotiating an extension of the existing three-year operating agreements with the four CBN centres in western Canada by one year; these agreements would otherwise expire on March 31, 2020. The agreements provide $3.3 million annually in operating and maintenance (O&M) funds.
- WD has also committed an additional investment of $150,000 towards licensing market research databases for the CBNs, which previously had been funded by Innovation Canada. These databases are vital to the delivery of customizable market data to entrepreneurs and small businesses in the West. The agreement extension and the investment in the market research licences will ensure continuity, and preserve existing partnerships with provincial and private funders. WD will take this time to develop a western Canadian solution to delivering these critical services to small businesses.
[Redacted]
Approval of the 2018-19 Departmental Results Report
- The Departmental Results Report explains the results achieved by departments, and the resources used to accomplish these outputs. The President of the Treasury Board tables these reports in Parliament annually for all departments.
- WD’s draft 2018-19 report will be provided to the Minister’s Office for review and approval in November 2019.
- Date modified: