Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
i. Approach
In 2014-15, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s (TSB) maintained its approach to greening its operations by ensuring green considerations were incorporated in its procurement and disposal practices and that key personnel were trained on green objectives.
ii. Management Processes and Controls
- The TSB continued to use the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) procurement instruments as its primary procurement mechanism. As a result, it leveraged the environmental considerations incorporated into these Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements by PWGSC.
- TSB continued to follow the Federal Electronic Waste Strategy for the disposal of electronic and electrical equipment. Additionally, the TSB has implemented the battery recycling program in all of its offices.
- Environmental considerations have been incorporated in TSB Request for Goods or Services as well as templates provided by PWGSC.
- Given the small size of the TSB, the department did not establish targets and measure performance with respect to minimizing its environmental footprint and resource consumption. However, these objectives are considered in its operations, such as minimizing resource consumption through a digital information management approach and by extending the lifecycle of owned or leased equipment.
iii. Setting Targets
The TSB had set the following targets in the 2014-15 RPP:
- Strive to reach or exceed 90% (on a dollar value basis) of TSB purchases through PWGSC procurement instruments.
- Ensure all TSB staff with delegated signing authority (Managers and Acquisition Card holders) is provided green training.
- All TSB procurement and material management personnel will have or receive green procurement training.
iv. Meeting Targets
The TSB met some but not all of its established targets.
- The TSB acquired through PWGSC procurement instruments in 87% of TSB purchases. The shortfall from the target is in part explained by materials and supplies purchased by TSB employees during the field phase of investigations, where the good or service is required quickly.
- Green training was provided to branch and regional office Admin Officers by informing them which procurement vehicles to use that meet the greening standards of government. Due to turnover among procurement personnel, no progress was made in updating TSB contracting guidelines and formally training managers on green procurement.
- All TSB procurement and material management personnel have received green procurement training.
The TSB continues to review opportunities to reduce its resource consumption in its operations for both environmental and financial benefits. The TSB has reduced its spending on postage and freight by 23%, and communications and printing by 19% between 2013-14 and 2014-15. The TSB closely monitors its consumption of gas and hydro by its Operational Services Laboratory. By reducing ventilation during quiet hours, conversion of lighting to more efficient fluorescent fixtures and LED fixtures, and other efficiency measures, there has been a continuous downward trend in hydro consumption over the last 5 years. Additionally, the TSB no longer replaces its vehicles on a fixed schedule but first assesses the mileage and working conditions of each, which has resulted in extended lifecycles. The TSB previously acquired two to three vehicles a year while in 2014-15 it acquired none and only one in 2013-14.
Strategic Environmental Assessments
The TSB’s mandate is to advance transportation safety through the conduct of independent investigations into selected occurrences in the air, marine, rail and pipeline transportation modes. Given its mandate, the TSB does not have plans, programs and policies subject to strategic environmental assessments.