Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario 2017 - 2018
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 Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018.
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.
Mandate:
In particular, for FedDev Ontario, this includes the delivery of core programs to Canadians that support economic growth and competitiveness in southern Ontario.
To achieve its mandate, FedDev Ontario delivers three core transfer payment programs: the Southern Ontario Prosperity Initiatives; the Advanced Manufacturing Fund; and the Eastern Ontario Development Program. FedDev Ontario also plays an important role as a federal delivery agent for national programs, specifically the Community Futures Program, the Economic Development Initiative, the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, and certain national infrastructure programs across the province of Ontario.
By working with partners and stakeholders across the region and responding to emerging opportunities and challenges, FedDev Ontario is able to achieve its strategic outcome of contributing to a competitive southern Ontario economy and supporting the Government’s economic priorities.
Additional information on the Agency’s programs and program activities may be found on FedDev Ontario’s website and in its 2017–18 Departmental Plan.
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2018
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2017 Note 1 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$402.00 |
- | - |
Key stakeholders |
$23.00 |
- | - |
Internal governance |
$77.00 |
- | - |
Training |
$84.00 |
- | - |
Other |
$4.00 |
- | - |
| A. Total travel | $590.00 |
$495.00 |
$95.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $3.00 |
$10.00 |
-$7.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $52.00 |
$38.00 |
$14.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $645.00 |
$543.00 |
$102.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Travel: compared with fiscal year 2016-17, which historically had the lowest travel expenditure levels, departmental travel expenditures increased by $96 thousand. This increase can be attributed to:
• Shift of program delivery focus to the monitoring phase of the program lifecycle. With this, travel related to site visits increased as projects reach the implementation and post-implementation stages in the second last year of FedDev Ontario’s five year mandate.
• Greater participation by FedDev Ontario employees in outreach, engagement and networking activities nationwide and globally to promote conditions for economic prosperity, innovation and competitive regional advantages.
• Increased travel related to collaboration with key stakeholders, incubators and accelerators in the Accelerated Growth Service (AGS) initiative.
• Increased travel related to FedDev Ontario’s greater presence at regional cluster meetings and learning events aimed at stabilization of HR enterprise-wide systems, such as Phoenix and MyGCHR.
Overall, expenditures on travel have returned to comparable spending levels evident in the prior years of the mandate
Hospitality:
Hospitality: Compared with fiscal year 2016-17, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by $7 thousand.
Conference fees:
Conferences: Compared with fiscal year 2016-17, departmental conference expenditures increased by $14 thousand. The increase is explained by conference attendance in support of outreach and stakeholder engagement activities.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Minister and Minister’s Staff: There were no international travel expenditures by the Minister and his staff for this reporting period.