Supplementary Information Tables

• Reduce GHG emissions from its facilities and fleet by 2% below 2005 levels, with facilities contributing 1.4%.
• Validate its facilities portfolios for GHG reporting with regards to fuel, electricity and non-energy sources.
• Promote Energy Performance Contracts (EPC) for its facilities in order to include high-performance green building standards for new constructions or major renovations.

• Reduce GHG emissions from its facilities and fleet by 2% below 2005 levels, with the fleet contributing to a 0.6% reduction.
• Purchase 75% of its light fleet vehicles from more energy efficient vehicles on the Agency’s Preauthorized Vehicle List (PVL).
• Promote the development of 5-year replacement plans for heavy-duty fleet vehicles by moving to vehicles with greater efficiency and lower emissions.
• Promote right-size and low-carbon intensity fleet-vehicles.

• Integrate sustainability into common-use procurement instruments, processes and controls.
• Require key procurement officials to support and promote green procurement.
• Provide green procurement awareness and training for staff involved in procurement.
• Set Agency targets to reduce the environmental impact of specific goods and services (e.g. IM/IT equipment, light fleet, heavy fleet).

• Partner with Canadian environmental businesses to test on the Agency’s sites new clean technology developments through the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP). For example, the Agency will use innovative technology to analyse in real time the amount of petroleum contamination in soil samples.

• Continue to apply its Travel Directive and related policies to ensure the most efficient travel practices are pursued.
• Promote green meeting practices by increasing videoconferencing facilities by 15% by March 2019 relative to March 2016 level.
• Promote the creation of voluntary workplace Green Teams that will steward sustainable commuting and resource use.

• Continue to identify, assess, prioritize and take action to address climate change risks across the Agency’s areas of responsibility.
• Undertake site-specific climate change adaptation workshops to develop provisional climate change adaptation plans for at least 8 PCA heritage sites, as the start of a multi-year program.

• Confirm and announce a final boundary and commencement of negotiations of an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association for a national marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound in Nunavut.
• Continue ongoing feasibility assessments for proposed national marine conservation areas in the Southern Strait of Georgia area of British Columbia and the Îles de la Madeleine area offshore Quebec.
• Launch and support feasibility assessments for new proposals for national marine conservation areas in unrepresented marine regions including for a site in eastern James Bay and for a site in south western Hudson Bay.

• Lancaster Sound: In August 2017, the Governments of Canada and Nunavut and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association together announced an agreement on the final boundary and interim protection of the new Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area.
• Strait of Georgia: Significant progress has been made in establishing relationships with the 19 First Nations and engaging stakeholders with respect to the Southern Strait of Georgia national marine conservation area proposal.
• Additional work was undertaken to complete an accord between the Governments of Canada and Quebec for a marine protected area network, including Magdalen Islands. Parks Canada and the Cree Nation Government have developed a draft memorandum of understanding for a feasibility assessment for a national marine conservation area in Eastern James Bay.

• Continue work with other federal departments, Indigenous peoples and stakeholders on policy to govern the management of national marine conservation areas. This will contribute to meeting Canada’s targets for marine conservation.
• Continue work on piloting a national monitoring program which will enable the Agency to better understand the state of the National Marine Conservation Area System and more effectively manage these areas.

• Confirm a final boundary and negotiate the necessary establishment agreements with the Government of the Northwest Territories and Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation, and an impact and benefit agreement with the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, leading to the establishment, development and operation of a national park reserve in the Thaidene Nëné area located in the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake of the Northwest Territories.
• Advance work on the feasibility assessment for a proposed national park in the Interlake region of the Manitoba Lowlands natural region of the national park system.

• Northwestern Boreal Uplands: The Agency made demonstrable progress towards the establishment of a national park reserve in the Thaidene Nëné area located in the East Arm of Great Slave Lake of the Northwest Territories. Negotiations with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Lutsël K’e Dene First Nation and Northwest Territory Metis Nation continued during 2017-18 and are close to completion.
• Parks Canada and the Government of Manitoba have exchanged perspectives and information regarding previous work done on the idea of a national park in the Manitoba Lowlands natural region. This exchange included the work entailed in a feasibility assessment. Parks Canada requires the consent of the Government of Manitoba, who, to date, is not prepared to support a feasibility assessment for a national park in this region. Parks Canada remains interested in undertaking this work, including consultations with the province and Indigenous organizations.

• Continue to monitor the ecological integrity of park ecosystems, to restore impaired ecosystems and to recover species at risk on a priority basis through the national Conservation and Restoration program and other park-based initiatives. Thirteen major projects, from Terra Nova in Newfoundland to Gwaii Haanas in British Columbia, are oriented toward land and forest restoration by 2019 with three more projects to begin in 2017.

• Three of 118 indicators need their decline in condition stabilized to meet this target.
• The Agency undertook a total of 45 restoration projects in 33 sites in 2017-18 as part of the Conservation and Restoration program.

• Recover species at risk on a priority basis through the national Conservation and Restoration Program.
• Complete action plans for the remaining national parks with three or more species at risk (Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Pukaskwa National Park and Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay and Waterton Lakes national parks).

• Engage and promote activities that focus on target urban markets to showcase iconic locations, experiences and learning opportunities by using market intelligence, product development and promotions.
• Continue to work with partners to increase reach through broadcasting, mass media, social media, and presence at partner venues and key events in major urban centres.
• Launch an improved website and a new mobile app designed to help new visitors learn about Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and plan their visit.
• Continue to engage youth through programs, such as The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Youth Ambassador program, Canada’s Coolest School Trip Contest and the post-secondary Campus Club network, Students on Ice program and partnerships with youth organizations.
• Continue to develop national strategic partnerships for targeted collaborative activities including program delivery, promotional campaigns, contests, scientific and academic research, learning tools and products and experiences.

• This result is largely attributable to the “Your Free Discovery” campaign; an integrated communications and marketing campaign that reached millions of Canadians and international visitors.
• Parks Canada experienced a surge in use of its digital media in 2017-18, assisting visitors with planning and enjoying their visits. The Agency’s social media following across channels now exceeds 1 million.
• Parks Canada launched a renewed website and a new national mobile app in 2017 to improve the visitor experience by providing better access to information on Parks Canada places and services.
• Throughout 2017, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau in her role as Honourary Guide for families, encouraged families to get out into nature and appreciate the country’s natural and cultural treasures; examples of her work include participating at a Learn-to Camp event on Parliament Hill and launching Canada’s Coolest School Trip which expanded in 2018 to include more grades —grades 7, 8, and 9.
• Parks Canada continued its partnership with CIBC and Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) to distribute and promote the 2017 Discovery Pass in their branches and stores across Canada. CIBC and MEC, as well as Air Canada contributed to the “Discover Canada” contest. As part of an ongoing collaboration with Google, Parks Canada conducted a virtual reality pilot using a technology called Google Expeditions at Inspiration Village in Ottawa and at several outreach locations in Vancouver.

• Play a key role in the celebrations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation by making admission to Parks Canada places free.
• Prepare for free admission to Parks Canada places for all visitors under the age of 18, beginning in 2018.
• Continue its partnership with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, whereby new Canadian citizens are offered complimentary admission to Parks Canada’s destinations for one year through the Institute’s Cultural Access Pass.
• Host 30 overnight Learn to Camp events, as well as new outreach events, half and full day learn to camp programs and other activities to help get Canadians outdoors.
• Continue to innovate, expand and diversify the range of programs and services available at its heritage places.
• Implement a strategy to improve collaboration with Indigenous peoples, communities and businesses in offering a greater number of Indigenous Tourism experiences at Parks Canada places.
• Continue to renew visitor infrastructure such as trails, day-use areas, campgrounds and visitor centres to ensure the quality and reliability of visitor offers, and respond to changing demands and needs of Canadians.

• More than 27.2 million visitors; the highest level of visitation the Agency has experienced in almost two decades.
• Canada 150 was a key focus for the Agency -- from offering free admission to national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites and free lockage at heritage canals, to enhanced programs and services. In total, 8.5 million Discovery Passes were distributed in Canada and abroad.
• Parks Canada implemented free admission for youth 17 and under to all Parks Canada places starting in 2018 and beyond.
• Parks Canada hosted 21 Citizenship Ceremonies that welcomed over 1000 new Canadian citizens.
• The expanded Learn-to Camp program increased participation 20-fold; from 3,500 participants in 2016 to approximately 75,000 at 500 events.
• Parks Canada piloted two new accommodation products in 2017-18: Ôasis at Fundy National Park and MicrOcube at Riding Mountain and Forillon national parks.
• Over 30 Indigenous experiences and story-telling initiatives have been supported in various parks and sites — creating new opportunities for Indigenous peoples to tell their own stories in their own ways.
• Parks Canada continued to make investments in infrastructure to ensure the quality and reliability of visitor facilities.

• Contribute to the delivery of Phase III of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) to reduce potential environmental and human health risks and related financial liabilities.
• Assess 13 FCSAP-funded federal contaminated sites.
• Remediate or risk-manage 23 high-priority federal contaminated sites.

Preserving Canada's Heritage: the Foundation for Tomorrow – The 10th Report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, December 2017

The Committee reported that many of Canada’s historic places are disappearing or under threat and that the federal government needs to take stronger action to preserve Canada’s historic places.

In total, the committee made 17 recommendations. The following were specific to Parks Canada:

Parks Canada’s National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places is the main program providing financial support to owners and lessees of national historic sites, heritage lighthouses and heritage railway stations that do not belong to the federal government. The committee heard that the needs of these organizations exceeded the available funding. To correct the problem, the Committee recommended that the annual funding for the National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places be set at a minimum of $10 million.

The Committee’s study highlighted the specific issues and challenges facing historic places in rural areas. The Committee recommended that Parks Canada review the National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places to determine whether historic places in rural Canada are receiving their fair share of the funding, and if not, changes should be made to the program to account for their circumstances.

The Committee also examined the issue of preserving Indigenous heritage places. The Committee found that Indigenous peoples define their heritage in a more holistic manner than the Western model. As a result, solutions currently used to protect heritage places must be adapted in order to preserve Indigenous heritage places.

Indigenous peoples must participate in the protection and preservation of heritage places. The Committee recommended that Parks Canada support an Indigenous-led initiative to determine how places that are important to them should be protected and preserved.

Finally, the Committee adopted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action that concern the protection and preservation of Indigenous heritage in Canada. As such, Indigenous peoples must be included on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada so that the Board integrates Indigenous history, heritage values and memory practices into Canada’s national heritage and history.

The Government of Canada shares the Committee's concerns regarding the need to better protect and conserve heritage places in Canada. Parks Canada's mandate is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage on behalf of all Canadians. The Government is also committed to achieving reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through a renewed, nation-to-nation, government-to­government and Inuit-Crown relationship based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. As part of this work, the Government is committed to promoting the recognition and understanding of the history of Indigenous peoples and the important contributions they have made to Canada since time immemorial. This commitment includes establishing Indigenous representation on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

The Government’s full response can be viewed here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/ENVI/report-10/response-8512-421-310.

2017 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the Parliament of Canada

Report 2—Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change

This audit focused on the extent to which federal organizations, including Parks Canada Agency, had made progress in adapting to climate change. The audit examined federal leadership efforts and whether departments and agencies implemented the Federal Adaptation Policy Framework. The framework states that all federal departments and agencies must take action and consider climate change impacts in their programs, policies, and operations.

The audit found that nine departments and agencies, including Parks Canada, did not fully assess climate change risks in their areas of responsibility. Instead, each included climate change broadly as an influence in their corporate risk management documents.

The audit found that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Global Affairs Canada, Infrastructure Canada, Parks Canada, and Public Safety Canada did not explicitly link any activities to the climate risk drivers identified in their corporate risk management documents. Although they identified some measures related to climate change adaptation, these measures were either at an early stage of implementation or limited in scope.

As a result of these findings, Parks Canada should identify, assess, prioritize, and address the climate change risks related to its areas of responsibility.

Parks Canada agreed with the recommendation and is committed to identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and addressing climate change risks across the Agency’s areas of responsibility. Building on its existing programs and policies, such as the Conservation and Restoration Program, the Agency will complete a comprehensive assessment of climate change risks and mitigation measures by fall 2019.

The Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages (OCOL) performed a follow-up audit of its 2012 Audit of Parks Canada. The 2016 audit followed up on the nine recommendations from 2012.

The 2016 report identified that two of the nine recommendations were implemented and further work was required on the remaining seven.

In the spring of 2018 the OCOL confirmed that PCA had taken actions to implement the remaining seven recommendations. These were:

• Recommendation 2: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada establish and implement a new official languages action plan that includes specific measures regarding its visitor communications activities so that it can ensure services of equal quality in English and French. This plan must include timeframes, performance indicators and an accountability mechanism. Parks Canada must also establish and implement a monitoring mechanism for the official languages action plan.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada appointed a new official languages (OL) Champion and Co-Champion and developed the Official Languages Strategy 2018-2021.
  
  
• Recommendation 3: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada develop an official languages policy that takes its activities and programs into account and includes all of the components of Part IV of the Official Languages Act. This policy must reflect the Agency’s new structure in terms of the visitor experience and refer to the DesRochers decision, particularly the principles related to equal access and services of equal quality. Parks Canada must also develop a communications strategy to effectively communicate the policy to all employees.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada developed an OL directive that respects the recommendations' requirements.
  
  
• Recommendation 4: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada amend its performance management procedures by including a provision on the implementation of Part IV of the Official Languages Act in the performance evaluations of managers, team leaders and any other employees who are required to communicate with the public in both official languages and who negotiate service agreements with third parties.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada took a number of actions that included: adding OL in the discussion of performance management when performance pay was admissible; requiring that candidates met the language profile of the position prior to applying to PCX-4, PCX-5 and PCX-6 competitive staffing processes; developing OL tools for all team members providing service to the public; and including OL-specific narrative statements in internal guidance documents.
  
  
• Recommendation 5: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada include in its new service agreements, as well as in those that are being renewed, specific language clauses that reflect the provisions of Part IV in order to fully comply with the Official Languages Act.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada ensured that the specific language clauses were included in service agreements, which included testing samples of different types of service agreement instruments, which demonstrated the OL clauses were included.
  
  
• Recommendation 7: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada ensure that employees who are required to communicate with the public have language skills that reflect the realities and requirements of their positions in terms of the Agency’s official languages operational obligations. Moreover, the Agency must conduct an in-depth review of the bilingual skills of all of its employees to verify that there is sufficient capacity to provide services of equal quality in English and French.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada conducted a risk analysis to identify key issues and areas of concern; formalised the talent management process for PCX staff using the public service's executive talent management system (ETMS); and included the OL bilingual skill obligations of employees serving the public in the Parks Canada OL Directive.
  
  
• Recommendation 8: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada develop a mechanism for regular and formal consultations of national, provincial and regional representatives of official language communities. He also recommends that Parks Canada take the specific needs of these communities into account when developing its activities, programs and services for visitors.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada's actions included: adding a section on OL Minority Communities (OLMC) in the Agency's guidelines for planning and reporting management; adding OLMCs as stakeholders in the Agency's Stakeholder and Partner Engagement Registry; and developing a joint communication that outlined the Agency's obligations, as well as functions of the Registry that relate to OLMC.
  
  
• Recommendation 9: The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that Parks Canada establish an evaluation framework for the implementation of Part IV of the Official Languages Act, implement an appropriate monitoring mechanism and evaluate all of its services related to bilingual service delivery as well as those offered by third parties. The Agency must take necessary measures in the event of non-compliance.
  
  To address this recommendation Parks Canada's actions included: implementing a performance measurement monitoring framework as part of the OL strategy 2018-2021; and performing monitoring activities that includes secret shopper exercises and verifying the Agency's internet content.

Parks Canada is committed to further reporting on the ongoing implementation of these recommendations in 2018-19.