Canada Energy Regulator – 2022–23 Departmental Results Report

Erratum

Subsequent to tabling in Parliament and online publication, it was determined the Canada Energy Regulator’s 2022–23 Departmental Results Reports contained slight variations between the English and French documents of record. Changes have been made to both the PDF and HTML versions of the French publication to ensure consistent and complete information in both the English and French versions of the DRR. To support transparency, the changes made are listed below. No changes were required in the English publication.

There were nine changes in total, which included five formatting changes and four updates to wording to correct misprints or provide further clarity for the reader.

1. In the “Results at a glance/ Aperçu des résultats” section, there were two updates made to wording.
   1. There is a bulleted list at the beginning of this section containing three statements. Each statement references one of the CER’s mission, vision or strategic priorities.
      
      In the French DRR, the statement referencing the CER vision was printed twice and the statement referencing the strategic priorities was missing. The duplication has been removed and the missing statement inserted.
   2. At the end of this section, there is a statement indicating more information can be found in the “Results: what we achieved“ portion of the report.
      
      In the French DRR, the translation of this statement and the formal title of the “Results: what we achieved/Résultats obtenus” section was different. This statement has been updated to use the same French terminology that was used for the formal title of the “Results: what we achieved” section.
2. In the “Results: what we achieved/ Résultats obtenus” section, there were five formatting changes completed and one misprint corrected.
   1. Within the Energy Adjudication/processus décisionnel core responsibility sub-section:
      1. The second paragraph, below the Results sub-title, referencing the Impact Assessment Act and the Canada Energy Regulator Act, was moved to become the third paragraph as it was originally intended to be and ensure alignment between the English and French DRRs.
      2. Two text boxes were expanded to ensure all content was visible to the reader:
         1. Title of text box: Crown Consultation in 2022–23/Consultation de la Couronne en 2022–2023.
         2. Title of text box: Complaint Resolution Highlights from 2022–23/Règlement extrajudiciaire des différends – Faits saillants de 2022–2023
   2. Within the Safety and Environment Oversight/ essentielle de la surveillance de la sécurité et de l’environnement core responsibility sub-section, two text boxes were expanded to ensure all content was visible to the reader:
      1. Title of text box: In 2022–23, the CER conducted 257 CVAs, which included/ En 2022–2022, la Régie a mené 257 activités de vérification de la conformité, dont les suivante
      2. Title of text box: Field Inspection conducted with a First Nation Chief and Council Present /Inspection sur le terrain en compagnie du chef et de membres du conseil d’une Première Nation
   3. Within the Engagement (mobilisation) core responsibility sub-section, one misprint was corrected:
      1. In the Human resources full-time equivalents/ Ressources humaines équivalents temps plein table, in the last column, 2022–23 difference (actual fulltime equivalents minus planned fulltime equivalents/ équivalents temps plein réels moins équivalents temps plein prévus), there was a duplication of the numerical value from the first column, 46,1, instead of the calculated value of (1,2). This has been corrected to show the calculated value.
3. Within the Spending and Human Resources/ Dépenses et ressources humaines section, in the Human Resources/ Ressources humaines sub-section one update was made to correct a misprint.
   1. In the bulleted list explaining the Variance between 2020–21 Actual full-time equivalents and 2021–22 Actual full-time equivalents/ l’écart entre les équivalents temps plein réels de 2020–2021 et ceux de 2021–2022, the last bullet referencing a decrease of 1.1 full-time equivalents had a missing decimal. This has been corrected to show the correct number “1,1” instead of “11”.

Canada Energy Regulator – 2022–23 Departmental Results Report [PDF 967 KB]

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

ISSN 2563-3244

Table of contents

• Message from the Chairperson
• Message from the Chief Executive Officer
• Results at a glance
• Results: what we achieved
  • Energy Adjudication
  • Safety and Environment Oversight
  • Energy Information
  • Engagement
  • Internal services
• Spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Operating context
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the program inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions

Message from the Chairperson

The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) is Canada’s federal energy regulator. The CER plays a critical role in keeping energy moving safely across the country and sharing relevant and timely energy information. The foundation of this work is rooted in the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CER Act) and the CER advances its mandate with the support of the deep technical experience and expertise of its decision-makers and staff.

This Departmental Results Report for 2022–23 shows the actual results achieved by the CER in the last fiscal year, compared against our plans, priorities and expected results that were set out in our Departmental Plan. These reports help inform parliamentarians and Canadians of the results achieved by government organizations.

The CER’s Board of Directors is responsible for governance – setting the strategic direction of the Regulator with a keen focus on results and outcomes. In 2022–23 the CER continued to deliver on its mandate, with safety at the core, and made significant progress towards advancing its Strategic Plan. This includes work on its strategic priorities: Trust and Confidence; Competitiveness; Data and Digital Innovation; and Reconciliation. In each of these areas, the organization has delivered results that demonstrate the value of the strategic direction set by the Board.

Throughout the year the Board and the CER Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC) worked together to advance our shared interests. Key among this is the co-development of a Statement of Reconciliation. This publicly states the CER’s commitments, guiding principles and values as we continue our journey towards implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. This work would not be possible without the Board and IAC coming together in partnership with a shared desire to lead an agenda of change to advance Reconciliation.

In February 2023, Minister Wilkinson provided the Government’s key priorities to the CER, confirming that the CER’s strategic priorities are well aligned with those of the Government of Canada.^Footnote 1 The Board and organization also welcomed Minister Wilkinson’s direction to “…undertake scenario analysis consistent with Canada achieving net-zero emissions by 2050…”. This is a natural progression to the in-depth and objective analysis work included in the CER’s flagship Energy Futures Reports. The CER released the latest iteration of the Report that responds to this request from the Minister in June 2023.

The CER’s greatest strength is its people. During my time as a Vice-Chair and now Chair of the CER, I have always been impressed by the caliber, professionalism and agility of the Regulator’s staff. From their creativity in addressing challenges and the commitment they demonstrate in supporting both the mandate of the organization and each other, they bring their best to work every day on behalf of Canadians. My Board colleagues and I would like to sincerely thank the entire CER staff for their hard work over the last year.

On August 22, 2023, I became Chair of the Board and Director Melanie Debassige moved into the role of Vice-Chair, as appointed by the Governor in Council. I am pleased that Cassie Doyle, the previous Chair of the CER Board, will be staying on in a Director role and will continue to provide governance continuity. I would like to thank Cassie for her work as the founding Chair of the CER and her contributions to our strategic achievements over the past four years.

George Vegh,

Chairperson
Board of Directors of the Canada Energy Regulator

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

I am proud to present the 2022–23 Departmental Results Report for the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). This report summarizes the tangible results the CER has realized as Canada’s federal energy regulator.

As an organization, we continue to adapt to meet the changing needs of those we serve, and to regulate Canada’s evolving energy landscape. In this transition to a net-zero future, our commitment to safety remains unwavering. Protecting people and the environment is at the heart of who we are and what we do – always.

The mission of the CER is to regulate infrastructure to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world, to protect the environment, to recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and to provide timely and relevant energy information and analysis. We accomplish this through work in each of our core responsibilities: Safety and Environment Oversight, Energy Adjudication, Energy Information and Engagement.

In the last year, we held regulated companies accountable for the safe construction, operation, and abandonment of energy infrastructure that Canadians rely on by enforcing some of the strictest safety standards in the world. Our staff carried out more than 200 compliance verification activities in 2022–23, to ensure that CER-regulated facilities do not harm people or the environment. We also shared what we learned with industry, other regulators and damage prevention associations and worked to improve safety culture awareness and understanding, both for safety and environmental protection.

In the field, CER Inspectors worked in partnership with Indigenous Monitors to expand our understanding of matters of importance to Indigenous communities, including places of spiritual significance and other valued resources. This collaborative approach is helping us learn how to better incorporate Indigenous perspectives in how we assess risk, promote safety and verify compliance.

We have also been focused on gathering input from Canadians as part of updating the CER’s regulatory framework. We completed the first phase of early engagement in our comprehensive review of the Onshore Pipeline Regulations, our primary “rulebook” for onshore pipelines. We heard from Indigenous Peoples, regulated companies, and stakeholders about which topics they would like to focus on and how they would like to be involved in our review. This review supports the highest level of safety, security and environmental protection and encourages the innovation that we know will be required in Canada’s energy transition to net-zero.

We delivered timely and reliable data and analysis that contributed to the energy conversation in Canada. We expanded our pipeline information products to include new interactive maps and dashboards and published a report that visualizes pipeline throughput and capacity data across different regions. In June 2023, the CER released its highly anticipated long-term energy supply and demand report - Canada’s Energy Future 2023: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050.

Furthering our commitment to building a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples, we began important conversations with Indigenous community leaders as a first step towards co-developing a system-wide collaborative oversight mechanism for the NOVA Gas Transmission Line (NGTL) System. The CER also signed a jointly developed Memorandum of Understanding with the Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence to share energy information relevant to Indigenous Peoples.

We had important conversations with landowners, community members and those impacted by or interested in our work to better understand concerns and gather valuable input into our decisions and how we approach our work. Ongoing engagement with stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of projects remains critical to our ability to build awareness, confidence and responsiveness in our regulatory processes.

Last year, as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic stabilized, the organization returned to more in-person compliance, oversight, hearing, and engagement activities, while continuing to leverage the benefits of virtual work. The CER launched the next phase of its hybrid workplace initiative, with flexible workplace arrangements that both benefit employees and our work as a regulator.

Our work is only possible because of our dedicated employees. I want to thank the CER’s staff from coast-to-coast-to-coast whose talents and expertise allow us to deliver on our mandate. We are committed to building a workplace where everyone thrives. We continue to implement the recommendations of our Diversity and Belonging Roadmap to empower and engage our workforce and ensure we have an inclusive work environment – something to which I remain deeply committed as CEO.

Finally, I would like to thank Gitane De Silva, who resigned as the CER’s CEO earlier this year. Ms. De Silva successfully steered the CER through the organization’s early days as a new regulator and deliver on our mandate during a global pandemic. I speak for all staff when I say it has been a genuine privilege to work with her and she will be missed.

Looking ahead, the CER will continue to build on our accomplishments from the past fiscal year as we prepare to meet the challenges ahead. Canadians can count on us to do so.

Tracy Sletto,

Chief Executive Officer,
Canada Energy Regulator

Date modified:

2024-03-12