Environment Canada: Open Government Implementation Plan

Table of Contents

• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Approvals
• 3. Purpose
• 4. Context
• 5. Outcomes
• 6. Governance Structures and Decision Processes
  • 6.1 Roles and Responsibilities – Deputy Head and Information Management Senior Official
  • 6.2 Roles and Responsibilities – Key Stakeholders
  • 6.3 Communication, Awareness, and Engagement
• 7. Requirements and Planning
  • 7.1 Key Planning Assumptions
• Annex 1 - Planning Table A: Directive on Open Government Requirements
• Annex 2 - Planning Table B: Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2014-16 Commitments

1. Executive Summary

Canada has a longstanding commitment to openness and accountability as a cornerstone of a strong, modern democracy. From the passing of access to information legislation over 30 years ago to current open government and proactive disclosure activities, the Government of Canada has worked to ensure transparency on federal operations to enable Canadians to hold their government accountable. The commitments included in Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2014-16 will further progress on the delivery of transparent and accountable programs and services focused on the needs of Canadians.

Environment Canada is the lead federal department for a wide range of environmental issues affecting Canadians. The department's programs focus on a clean environment by minimizing threats to Canadians and their environment from pollution; a safe environment by equipping Canadians to make informed decisions on weather, water and climate conditions; and a sustainable environment by conserving and restoring Canada's natural environment. In delivering on its mandate, Environment Canada produces a wide variety of data and information collected across its Science, Regulatory, Monitoring and Weather mandates.

In support of the wide variety of data and information produced in support of Environment Canada's mandate, the department several years ago established an Enterprise Data Management Program and a Recordkeeping Program to deliver on improvements to the management of our data and information holdings. These programs have successfully delivered on such departmental tools as the EC Data Catalogue and a cross-departmental file plan.

EC's programs and services have a responsibility as stewards of departmental information to adopt open government practices as part of their operational processes, including the openness and transparency goals that are integrated into the department's Science Strategy. Environment Canada is a leader in the establishment of the Open Data Portal within the Government of Canada, and has implemented a data catalogue for the maintenance of the department's structured data resources. It is also an active participant in the development of the Federal Geospatial Platform project, co-leading the initiative with Natural Resources Canada.

The proactive release of data and information is the starting point for all open government activity. Accordingly, the Government of Canada has firmly established an "open by default" position in its mandatory policy framework by issuing the Directive on Open Government.

To meet the challenge of the Directive, EC is committed to achieving significant progress on key outcomes:

• All of Environment Canada's data is inventoried by 2020 in the department's Data Catalogue, and all high-value datasets and information that meet TBS defined criteria are publically released.
• Open Information goals (e.g. access and timeliness) will be expedited through the incorporation of Open Government principles and practices into the department's management of records.
• The department will maximize involvement in cross-government projects and tools that enhance the creation and release of data and information

Environment Canada has embraced the spirit of Open Government, and this plan specifically outlines how it will meet the requirements of the Directive on Open Government. The department has supporting programs, tools and services for data and records management, awareness and training, as well as a team dedicated specifically to organizing and planning around the directive. Programs and senior management are engaged, and have been involved in the publishing of both data and information in support of Open Data for the past few years. The department's intention is to continue this momentum and incorporate Open Government goals, outcomes, and principles into all aspects of its mandate and program activities.

2. Approvals

3. Purpose

This document describes Environment Canada's plan to complete activities and deliverables aligned to the requirements of the Directive on Open Government, in order to achieve full compliance by the October 2019 implementation deadline.

The objective of the Directive is to maximize the release of government information and data of business value to support transparency, accountability, citizen engagement, and socio-economic benefits through reuse, subject to applicable restrictions associated with privacy, confidentiality, and security (Directive on Open Government, Section 5.1).

The expected results of the Directive on Open Government (Section 5.2) are that Canadians are able to find and use Government of Canada information and data:

• to support accountability;
• to facilitate value-added analysis;
• to drive socio-economic benefits through reuse; and,
• to support meaningful engagement with their government.

This document also describes Environment Canada's involvement in activities and deliverables aligned to the commitments described in Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2014-16.

4. Context

Environment Canada is the lead federal department for a wide range of environmental issues affecting Canadians. The department also plays a stewardship role in achieving and maintaining a clean, safe and sustainable environment. Environment Canada addresses issues through monitoring, research, policy development, service delivery to Canadians, regulations, enforcement of environmental laws, advancement of clean technologies and strategic partnerships. The department's programs focus on a clean environment by minimizing threats to Canadians and their environment from pollution; a safe environment by equipping Canadians to make informed decisions on weather, water and climate conditions; and a sustainable environment by conserving and restoring Canada's natural environment. The department's program focus reflects the increasingly evident interdependence between environmental sustainability and economic well-being.

In delivering on its mandate, Environment Canada produces a wide variety of data and information collected and created across its Science, Regulatory, Monitoring and Weather mandates. The result is a variety of heterogeneous datasets and large volumes of data and information maintained across many departmental data holdings. To support the departmental Information Management Strategy and improve the overall management of the department's data and information holdings, EC established an Enterprise Data Management Program and a Recordkeeping (RK) Program. These programs provide tools, guidance and services to the department, positioning the department well for delivery on Open Government goals. EC's programs and services, in their role as information stewards, are adopting open government practices as part of their operational processes.

Environment Canada is committed to meeting the Government of Canada's Open Data objectives. The department supports the federal government's Open Data objectives in a variety of ways, including as a key contributor to the Federal Geospatial Platform. The Platform is a multi-department collaboration for the development of standards, practices and a set of online tools where relevant geospatial information can be found easily and viewed on maps. It will play a key role in bringing together the government's economic, social and environmental data to better support location-based decision making on a range of complex issues, such as responsible resource development, environmental management, regulatory reviews, and safety and security.

Environment Canada has been a leader in the establishment of the Open Data Portal within the Government of Canada and has implemented a Data Catalogue for the maintenance of the department's structured data resources.

From a science perspective, implementation of the Open Government Implementation plan is an opportunity to support the department's long-term Science Strategy (PDF,759 KB): "Transparency, collaboration and excellence are hallmarks of good science. Opening Environment Canada's science to partners and Canadians will improve the uptake, reuse and impact of the Department's science activities, and will allow for greater dialogue across disciplines and sectors".

Environment Canada is home to approximately 6400 staff, of which about 63% work in locations outside the National Capital Region. As a result, the use of online information repositories is a well-established practice. Although the department benefits from a robust collaboration and document development infrastructure (ECollab which is based on Microsoft's SharePoint), nevertheless, it continues to work to improve recordkeeping capabilities required to efficiently support Open Information. The Recordkeeping program has been focussed on implementing the Environment Canada Functional File Plan, establishing our Records Retention and Disposition Schedules, supporting a departmental records repository, and building the foundational pieces for the implementation of a departmental Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS).

5. Outcomes

From a departmental perspective, Environment Canada has the following three strategic program outcomes:

1. Canada's natural environment is conserved and restored for present and future generations
2. Canadians are equipped to make informed decisions on changing weather, water and climate conditions
3. Threats to Canadians and their environment from pollution are minimized

Environment Canada's desired outcome from the Directive on Open Government (DOG) is improved public access to the department's Information Resources of Business Value (IRBVs), thereby providing Canadians with more high value data and information while at the same time improving internal science and decision making. The department will realize its Open Government desired state by striving to attain the following outcomes.

• All of Environment Canada's data is inventoried by 2020 in the department's Data Catalogue, and all high-value datasets and information that meet TBS defined criteria are publically released.
  • EC will begin by managing its data inventory on its Data Catalogue, thereby ensuring single point of registration, management and publishing, with the expected result being improved public access and improved internal discovery supporting science and fact-based decision making.
  • The Federal Geospatial Platform is standardizing on EC's Data Catalogue, which will help further drive innovation within the product and allow for easier publication of geospatially based Open Data.
  • Through its leadership of the Open Science commitment of Canada's Action Plan on Open Government, Environment Canada is ensuring that the Open Science Implementation Plan is consistent and aligned with the Directive on Open Government and that uptake of "open by default" principles and activities within the department are encouraged and supported.
  • Key Measure: Percentage of known eligible datasets in the EC Data Catalogue that have been published to the Open Government portal.
• Open Information goals (e.g. access and timeliness) will be expedited through the incorporation of Open Government principles and practices into the department's management of records.
  • EC will have a single, comprehensive Information Inventory and Release Plan based on requirements from the Directive on Open Government and the Directive on Recordkeeping. It is expected that the combining of existing inventories will support a more integrated and efficient overall picture and allow for improved release of information IRBVs through the Open Government portal.
  • The department has created its first cross-departmental functional file plan, and recently received its full Disposition Authority from Library and Archives Canada. This will support improved Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) and Open Information by improving the management of Information Resources of Business Value (IRBVs).
  • The department is engaging in an active Communications, Awareness and Training campaign, and has been taking advantage of the Email Transformation Initiative (ETI) mailbox cleanup campaign to socialize good IM practices.
  • Key Measure: Percentage of known eligible IRBVs in the EC Information Inventory that have been published to the Open Government portal.
• The department will maximize involvement in cross-government projects and tools that enhance the creation and release of data and information
  • The Federal Geospatial Platform is a component of the Action Plan on Open Government's Open Data Core Commitment, and Environment Canada is a leader and key contributor in the initiative. The platform is standardizing on EC's Data Catalogue and EC's geospatial viewer, driving improvement in both products.
  • Environment Canada is a partner in the Federal Science e-Library project which is focused on improving internal access to published scientific material from across the federal government, as well as publishing the EC catalogue publically.
  • Environment Canada is engaged as a Theme Lead in the GC Web Renewal project, where they endeavor to provide stronger linkages between the government's Web content and Open Government releases.
  • The department is a GC lead in the Open Science commitment, which aims to enhance the public release of high value scientific data and information.
  • Environment Canada is an active participant in the following Government of Canada Priorities: the Beyond the Border Action Plan, the Regulatory Cooperation Council and the Responsible Resource Development Initiative. Common to these initiatives is a requirement to conduct consultations with other government departments and key stakeholders, and to ensure the publication of data and information required in support of these programs.
  • Key Measure: Number of cross-government systems being supported in the department compared to overall total departmental effort allocated to systems development and support.
• A culture of "Open by default" and information management principles will be incorporated into Environment Canada's program delivery
  • The department is using its Information Management Steering Committee (IMSC) to help structure and plan its information holdings and link them to the IT infrastructure, thereby ensuring that openness is a key consideration in all new IT systems and renewals.
  • Environment Canada's Open Government initiative is working closely with the department's Blueprint 2020 initiative, as they share a common goal to improve internal functions to better serve Canadians. By improving the 'openness' of data and information through Open Government, it also improves the department's internal access and collaboration.
  • The department will renew its existing Information Management Strategy with a view to including open government as a key goal.
  • Key Measure: Number of reviewed and updated departmental processes adjusted to reflect "open by default" principle.
• Accessible and reusable formats will become the default for Open Data and Open Information
  • The department is establishing standards around scientific monitoring and observation data based on internationally accepted data standards, in order to improve compatibility and accessibility, and is incorporating reusable formats into the publishing process.
  • EC intends to create default templates for the departmental word processing software that will decrease variability in formatting and improve overall structure and transferability.
  • Key Measure: Percentage of published datasets and documents that are created with accessible templates.

6. Governance Structures and Decision Processes

The following sub-sections describe the governance structures and decision processes that support open government and how those responsibilities are delegated and fulfilled within the institution.

7. Requirements and Planning

The Directive on Open Government identifies the following requirements:

1. Maximizing the release of Government of Canada open data (structured data) and open information (unstructured documents and multi-media assets) under an open and unrestrictive licence designated by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
2. Ensuring that open data and open information is released in accessible and reusable formats via Government of Canada websites and services designated by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
3. Establishing and maintaining comprehensive inventories of data and information resources of business value held by the department to determine their eligibility and priority, and to plan for their effective release.
4. Developing, posting to the designated website, implementing, and annually updating a departmental Open Government Implementation Plan (OGIP).
5. Maximizing the removal of access restrictions on departmental information resources of enduring value prior to transfer to Library and Archives Canada as part of planned disposition activities.
6. Ensuring that open government requirements identified above are integrated in any new plans for procuring, developing, or modernizing departmental information applications, systems, or solutions in support of the delivery of programs and services.
7. Departmental information management senior officials, as designated by the deputy heads, are responsible for overseeing the implementation and monitoring of this directive in their department.

Detailed plans for addressing these requirements are included in the annexes.

Annex 1 - Planning Table A: Directive on Open Government Requirements

Annex 2 - Planning Table B: Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2014-16 Commitments