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Departmental Performance Report

Section 3: Supplementary Information

3.1 Organizational Structure

The TSB's Program Activity Architecture identifies a single program activity: safety investigations. The TSB reports annually to Parliament on its activities, findings and recommendations through the President of the Queen's Privy Council. The Chair, assisted by the Executive Director and the Director General, Investigation Operations, is responsible for all activities associated with this program activity. The Director General, Corporate Services, is responsible for the provision of the full range of corporate services in support of departmental operations.

Figure 11. Program Activity Accountability Structure

The Chair and Executive Director contribute to the program activity through the provision of leadership and vision, as well as the strategic management of all activities of the TSB. They also contribute by establishing strategic alliances with key stakeholders, client groups and change agents, and by communicating key safety messages through stakeholder outreach activities. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communications Division ensures that communications are integrated into all phases of program planning, development, implementation and management.

Members of the Board contribute to the program activity through the review, approval and public communication of occurrence reports and safety recommendations. The Board also contributes to the communication of key safety messages through focused stakeholder outreach activities.

The Investigation Operations Directorate contributes to the program activity through the investigation of occurrences. It does so by assessing all occurrences and investigating those with the greatest potential for reduction of risks. The Directorate's work is focused on the collection and analysis of information, the drafting of reports and recommendations, the tracking and assessment of safety actions taken, data and trend analysis, as well as ongoing communication with the transportation safety community. The Directorate maintains a highly qualified staff of investigators who are experts in marine, pipeline, rail or aviation operations, engineering and other specialists, and investigation support staff.

The Corporate Services Directorate contributes to the program activity through the provision of sound corporate planning, financial, human resources, information management, information technology, administrative and materiel management services. The Directorate also contributes by promoting modern management practices and ensuring that the TSB complies with all government policies and directives.

3.2 Financial Information

The TSB started the year with authorities of $27.6 million. Special warrants from the Governor General procured an additional $3.3 million. These funds came from the carry-forward of the previous year's lapse and a submission to the Treasury Board to recover the costs incurred for three major investigations. Treasury Board also authorized an adjustment of $0.14 million for contributions to TSB employee benefit plans. These additional authorities brought the total budgetary authorities to $31.1 million. In 2005-2006, the TSB exceeded the permitted authorities by $214,000. Complete audited financial statements are enclosed in Appendix E.

Financial Table 1: Voted and Statutory Items

This table explains the way Parliament voted resources to the TSB and basically replicates the summary table listed in the Main Estimates.

Total Authorities are Main Estimates plus Governor General's special warrants.

The following table provides a detailed breakdown of the changes to the total authorities during the course of the year.

Financial Table 2: Comparison of Planned to Actual Spending
(Full-Time Equivalents Included)

The following table provides a comparison of the Main Estimates, planned spending, total authorities, and actual spending for the most recently completed fiscal year, as well as historical figures for actual spending by the TSB.

Overall, actual expenditures for 2005-2006 are lower than the expenditures in previous years. However, in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, the TSB had received special short-term funding from Parliament to address specific resource pressures. The expenditures associated with this special funding amounted to $2.4 million and $2.1 million respectively. Consequently, if the special expenditures are excluded, the actual expenditures for 2005-2006 are higher than in the previous two years. This increase is attributed mainly to employee salary increases set out in the new collective agreements.

Financial Table 3: Services Received Without Charge

The following table shows the services received without charge by the TSB.

Financial Table 4: User Fees

3.3 Response to Parliamentary Committees, Audits and Evaluations

During the reporting period, there were no Parliamentary Committee recommendations addressed specifically to the TSB. The Auditor General conducted an audit of the TSB financial statements and issued an unqualified opinion. A copy of the Auditor General's Audit Report is enclosed in Appendix E.

In 2005-2006, the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency undertook a review of the TSB's position classification files. The review has now been completed, but the results have not yet been communicated to the TSB.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, also carried out an oversight audit of the safety of Canada's civil aviation system. Part of this audit involved aircraft accident and incident investigations, thus the TSB and its activities. The auditors concluded that "the TSB is an appropriately established, properly organized and adequately funded organization capable of accomplishing its functions and responsibilities effectively and efficiently." The audit report also stated that "the procedures developed and implemented by the TSB for the various phases of investigations are comprehensive and comply with ICAO requirements." The report nevertheless discussed the four recommendations that were responded to and followed up by the TSB. The complete report and the TSB's responses to the recommendations are published on the Transport Canada website.

In 2005-2006, the TSB undertook three internal audits. Two of the audits were completed during the year. The first audit involved the mandatory use of standing offers for certain categories of products and services, whereas the second covered the internal controls associated with the commitment of funds pursuant to section 32 of the Financial Administration Act. In both cases, the auditors concluded that the TSB complied with government standards and that there were no major problems. However, recommendations were formulated concerning employee training, the update of internal procedures and the maintenance of records. Both audit reports and the relevant management responses are published on the TSB website. During the year, the TSB also undertook a third internal audit covering hospitality expenses. This audit is still in progress and should be completed soon.

3.4 Other Information and Contacts

The TSB reports publicly on all its investigations. Most investigation reports published since 1995 are available on the TSB website. The TSB also publishes periodic statistical reports for each of the four transportation modes, which are also available on the website. Finally, the TSB publishes an annual report to Parliament and a periodic safety magazine entitled Reflexions, which are available in printed form upon request and on the TSB website.

Previous years' Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports and miscellaneous additional information are also available on the TSB website.

For further information, please contact us:

Communications Division
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Place du Centre
200 Promenade du Portage
4th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 1K8

E-mail: communications@bst-tsb.gc.ca
Telephone: (819) 994-3741
Fax: (819) 997-2239

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