ARCHIVED – National Energy Board – 2015–16 Departmental Performance Report

2015–16
Departmental Performance Report

National Energy Board

ISSN 2368-1292

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

Table of Contents

Message from the Chair and CEO

Results Highlights

Section I: Organizational Overview

• Organizational Profile
• Organizational Context
• Organizational Priorities

Section II: Expenditure Overview

• Actual Expenditures
• Budgetary Performance Summary
• Departmental Spending Trend
• Expenditures by Vote
• Alignment of Spending With the Whole-of-Government Framework
• Financial Statements and Financial Statements Highlights

Section III: Analysis of Programs and Internal Services

• Programs
  • 1.1 Energy Regulation
  • 1.2 Energy Information
  • Internal Services

Section IV: Supplementary Information

• Supporting Information on Lower-Level Programs
• Supplementary Information Tables
• Federal Tax Expenditures
• Organizational Contact Information

Appendix: Definitions

Endnotes

Message from the Chair and CEO

I am pleased to present the National Energy Board (NEB) Departmental Performance Report for 2015–16. This report demonstrates how the NEB has significantly changed its direction in 2015–16, and the way we do our work. This transformation has been built upon three Strategic Priorities: Engaging with Canadians, Taking Action on Safety and Leading Regulatory Excellence.

In 2015–16, the NEB implemented a National Engagement Initiative, which saw Board officials meeting with Canadians in their communities and listening to their views on pipeline safety and the NEB. The Initiative was new territory for the NEB, unprecedented in its history as a regulator, and it concluded with a report on what we learned, which focused on listening to and building better relationships with Canadians to ensure energy infrastructure is safe.

The NEB also opened new regional offices in Montréal and Vancouver in 2015–16, and major steps were taken to make dialogue a focal point of the organization.

The rapid pace of change in Canadian energy markets and climate policy development stressed the need for the NEB to dramatically improve its ability to share up-to-date analysis on energy supply and demand trends with its stakeholders. In response, the NEB moved forward in 2015–16 with a revolutionary data visualization project that will make the energy market information that the NEB produces readily accessible to all Canadians. We are taking huge steps in democratizing that information.

The data visualization project has given Canadians from every walk of life the ability to engage and explore the NEB’s energy information products and data – in a powerful online form – to help them better understand these complex interactions through our analysis, reports, and statistics.

The NEB’s firm commitment to Taking Action on Safety was illustrated in 2015–16 through a dynamic online safety performance portal. The portal features an interactive pipeline incident map where Canadians can view all pipeline incidents that have occurred in Canada since 2008. The portal also demonstrates the Board’s commitment to transparency in its online inspection report feature where Canadians can access pipeline company field inspection reports, and the associated compliance summaries of NEB regulated companies.

That commitment to transparency – and robust regulatory practice – was further demonstrated through the launch of the online NEB condition compliance table in 2015–16. These actions clearly show that the NEB holds itself to a high standard.

The NEB’s commitment towards transformation requires clear governance, robust operating practices and accountabilities for all of its activities. In 2015–16, the NEB implemented both a Board Member Operating Model and a Management System Manual that clearly state what the responsibilities, accountabilities, and key processes are for Board Members as well as the NEB’s management team. It provides clarity on areas where Board Members can interact with staff and management, and clear lines of sight on the decision-making structure of each of those groups.

2015–16 has been an eventful year at the NEB. More than ever before, we have found ourselves under scrutiny for everything we do, and how we do it. We have worked diligently, within the confines of our legislation, to deliver our mandate. Some have praised us for the progress we have made, and many have criticized us for not moving far enough, fast enough. We continue to learn from this feedback, and we welcome the Government’s NEB Modernization Initiative as an opportunity to improve us as Canada’s energy infrastructure regulator.

C. Peter Watson, P.Eng., FCAE
Chair and CEO
National Energy Board

Results Highlights

Funds used

$82,396,568

Number of staff involved

457 Full-Time Equivalents (FTE)

Transformation

The NEB embarked on a transformative agenda that is aligned with its strategic priorities. This included increased transparency of regulatory and safety information, re-organization of resources, enhanced stakeholder engagement, updated IT systems and increased clarity and principles around Board operations and management, and regulatory excellence.

Regional Offices

Regional offices in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montréal, Québec were established and staffed for engagement and operations field work. The NEB now has a total of three regional offices including Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Data Visualization Project

In February 2016 the NEB began its work on a pilot concept to create interactive visualizations of its Energy Futures 2016 report data, a cornerstone report for the NEB. The objective was to present the data in an interactive graphic format that is user-friendly and clarifies complex information into “visualizations” that are accessible to the public. Released in May 2016, initial informal feedback, supported by usage statistics, suggests a keen interest in the visualizations.

Based on the lessons learned from the pilot, the NEB intends to develop over time additional visualizations focusing on: pipeline safety and lifecycle regulation, infrastructure mapping and further energy information. Delivering interactive data visualizations will support the NEB’s efforts to modernize its approaches to meaningfully engage the public and to support an informed energy dialogue.

The data visualization project works to democratize information and integrates well with the federal government’s Open Government project, which focuses on creating greater transparency, increasing citizen engagement, and driving innovation. It also blends with the Open Data project, also being driven by the federal government, which works to make data more available, accessible, and open for re-use and redistribution.

National Engagement

The NEB took a new and broad approach to engaging Canadians face-to-face through the National Engagement Initiative. The feedback the NEB’s CEO received during meetings with municipal and provincial leaders, First Nations Chiefs, Band Councils, environmental groups, first responders, academics and various organizations were summarized in a report published in December 2015.

The report reflects the feedback and common themes that emerged from across the country and the steps NEB will take to respond. By informing Canadians about energy regulation, the NEB also learned from attendees that they want ongoing two-way dialogue with the NEB and industry about the safety of federally regulated energy infrastructure.