Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences 2018-19

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, except for information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.

Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.

The CNSC’s travel, hospitality and conference expenditures support the delivery of the following core programs and services to Canadians:

• regulating the development, production and use of nuclear energy in Canada to protect health, safety and the environment
• regulating the production, possession, use and transport of nuclear substances, and the production, possession and use of prescribed equipment and prescribed information
• implementing measures respecting international control of the development, production, transport and use of nuclear energy and substances, including measures respecting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices
• disseminating objective scientific, technical and regulatory information concerning the CNSC’s activities, and about how the development, production, possession, transport and use of nuclear substances affect the environment and the health and safety of persons

For more information on the CNSC’s mandate and core programs and/or services, please consult the CNSC’s Departmental Results Report or Departmental Plan.

Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Expenditure category	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2019 ($ thousands)	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2018 ($ thousands)	Variance ($ thousands)
Travel
Operational activities	$3,103	$3,454	($351)
Key stakeholders	$692	$582	$110
Internal governance	$278	$178	$100
Training	$936	$727	$209
Other	$59	$70	($11)
A. Total travel	$5,068	$5,011	$57
B. Hospitality	$172	$140	$32
C. Conferenc fees	$187	$107	$80
Total (A+B+C)	$5,427	$5,258	$169
International travel by minister and minister’s staff* (included in travel)	N/A	N/A	N/A

* The CNSC reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources, whose travel expenses are included in Natural Resources Canada’s Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences.

Significant variances compared with previous fiscal year

Travel: Overall, there was no significant change in travel.

Operational activities: Compared with fiscal year 2017–18, there was a reduction in domestic, international and prepaid travel. In 2017–18, licensing activities included sites in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, while in 2018–19 the Commission hearings were held in Ontario. In addition, some travel costs previously recorded as operational shifted to stakeholder engagement, as new classification categories were adopted.

Key stakeholders: Compared with 2017–18, expenditures increased because of the adoption of revised coding in travel categories.

Internal governance: Compared with 2017–18, expenditures increased because the costs for participation in IAEA technical consultancy meetings in Vienna and in a meeting of the working group on new reactors in Paris were newly classified as stakeholder engagement.

Training: Compared with 2017–18, expenditures increased due to increased travel costs related to increased attendance at conferences and training courses across all areas of the organization.

Other: No significant changes.

Hospitality: Compared with fiscal year 2017–18, departmental hospitality expenditures increased to support participation by Commission staff and stakeholders in public hearings for the Bruce and Pickering nuclear generating stations.

Conference fees: Compared with fiscal year 2017–18, departmental conference expenditures increased as a result of an increase in conference participation by the Commission’s technical support staff.