5.1 Commemorative Ceremonies and Events
Consistent planning and post-mortem documentation is required for Commemorative Ceremonies and Events.
The Commemorative Ceremonies and Events component is delivered using operating funds. The total administration cost of this component cannot be fully analyzed due to insufficient cost breakdowns. In 2015-16, VAC’s Finance Division began allocating salary versus operating and maintenance costs to the sub-program level. However, there is no earlier data available for comparison/trend purposes.
Total component costs utilized by year are reflected in Table 19.
| Costs | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative (Salary + Operations & Maintenance) | $5,558,680 | $4,651,274 | $5,481,039 | $6,423,634 |
Source: VAC Finance Division
Funding for this component varies on an annual basis and can be impacted by major milestones/anniversaries. In addition, the funding allocation model used for distributing costs within Commemoration attributes a portion of the costs for the new Visitor Education Centre to ceremonies and events.
Primary resources dedicated to this component and associated roles and responsibilities include:
- Domestic Events Team (Senior Program Officers located throughout Canada)
- leads domestic events;
- supports domestic events that are being led by partners; and
- participates in domestic events on behalf of VAC and/or the Government of Canada.
- Overseas Events Team (located in Canada)
- leads the planning, coordination and implementation of overseas events for major anniversaries/milestones.
- European Operations (located in France)
- leads/participates in annual European events; and
- provides on-site support for major anniversaries/milestones.
In addition to Commemoration resources contributing to this component, Internal Service – Communications resources also support ceremonies and events. The Communications Division dedicates resources to social media activities related to events (e.g., promotion, Facebook Live, etc.). Communications experts with the Public Affairs team are also involved in all events that include the participation of the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
5.1.1 Overseas Ceremonies and Events
The evaluation team found that documentation, including action plans, letters of agreement, and post-mortems identifying lessons learned are prepared for overseas ceremonies and events. This documentation was shared with the evaluation team, and the team was able to verify the existence/use of this information through a document review. The documents reviewed provided evidence that opportunities for further process improvements (lessons learned) are considered. Although documentation is compiled for overseas events, it is not being completed in a consistent and/or formal manner.
Opportunity for Greater Efficiency/Economy:
Key informant interviews highlighted issues with the current planning practices for major events, including delays in planning activities, approvals, and funding decisions. This is impacting the efficiency of VAC’s Commemorative Ceremonies and Events. These delays are resulting in urgent actions being required by program staff, and could be increasing the costs of the Commemorative Ceremonies and Events component due to overtime requirements. The evaluation team finds that efforts are required to ensure the Integrated Business Planning process is followed by timely decisions allowing for the advance planning of events including associated expenditures. An upcoming Audit of Overseas Ceremonies and Events will further review these issues.
5.1.2 Domestic Ceremonies and Events
The evaluation team found the domestic ceremonies and events aspect of this component is lacking appropriate documentation in order to determine whether it is being delivered efficiently or economically. The evaluation team observed that there is a lack of consistent planning and post-mortems documentation to identify event objectives, resource commitments, or if intended results were achieved.
Interviews also highlighted that there are resource challenges with respect to administrative requirements and identified that there are no standardized tools available to track the success of events. Overall, the evaluation team finds that improved documentation and tracking is required in order to adequately ensure this portion of the component is being delivered effectively and efficiently. Documentation could highlight reach of the event (participants in person/online), resources utilized for the event, successes of the event, and any opportunities for improvements/cost savings that should be considered in the future.
Recommendation #4
It is recommended that the Director General, Commemoration, develop and implement consistent planning and post-mortem documentation requirements for commemorative ceremonies and events.
Management Response:
Management agrees with this recommendation.
Management Action Plan:
| Corrective action to be taken | OPI (Office of Primary Interest) | Target Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Director General, Commemoration, will build on current best practices to establish and implement official documentation requirements for the planning and post-mortem review of commemorative ceremonies and events, thus ensuring consistency and quality of information for planning, evaluating and reporting purposes. | Director General, Commemoration | April 2018 |
5.2 Commemorative Partnership Program
In a 2013 Program Evaluation of the Partnerships Contribution Program (former Program title), it was recommended that efforts be made to modify the service delivery model for the Program in order to improve cost effectiveness. In response to the evaluation, a revised delivery model for low-risk projects with funding less than $10,000 was implemented in 2014-15 as part of a new Commemorative Partnerships Grant. The current evaluation finds that this new delivery model could be contributing to reduced administrative costs as reflected in Table 20. The administration costs during the evaluation period have decreased by $556,189 between 2012-13 and 2015-16, whereas during the same time period, the volume of projects receiving funding has increased. As the workload activity has increased while the administrative costs have decreased, this leads the evaluation team to find that cost efficiencies are being realized.
| Expenditure | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commemorative Partnerships Contributions | $2,136,169 | $2,140,321 | $1,648,821 | $3,066,326* |
| Commemorative Partnerships Grants | N/A | N/A | $654,266 | $653,113 |
| Community War Memorial ContributionFootnote30 | $753,989 | $747,598 | $724,166 | $278,366 |
| Total Grants and Contributions | $2,890,158 | $2,887,919 | $3,027,253 | $3,997,805 |
| Total Administration Cost | $1,486,175 | $1,243,570 | $1,465,417 | $929,986 |
| Total Program Expenditure | $4,376,333 | $4,131,489 | $4,492,670 | $4,927,791 |
| Administrative Cost as a % of G&C Utilized (rounded to 10th) | 51.5% | 43.1% | 48.4% | 23.3% |
| Administrative Cost as % of total program cost (rounded to 10th) | 34.0% | 30.1% | 32.7% | 18.9% |
| # of Projects Funded | 168 | 218 | 270 | 250 |
| FTEs Utilized | 9.5 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 7.3 |
| Average Administrative Cost per Project | $8,846 | $5,704 | $5,427 | $3,720 |
Source: VAC Finance Division and the Public Accounts of Canada, with analysis from the Evaluation Team
*2015-16 Contribution Payment expenditures include a one-time payment of $1,500,000 in support of the 2017 Invictus Games.
Primary resources dedicated to this Program and associated roles and responsibilities include:
- Junior Program Officers
- provide support/guidance to applicants and assess applications for eligibility requirements; and
- undertake outreach to groups/individuals that have identified projects that may qualify for funding.
- Senior Program Officers located throughout the country
- provide direct support/guidance to groups/individuals who may qualify for funding; and
- provide outreach aimed at increasing awareness of the Program.
- Management/Senior Management
- participate in decision-making committees to determine eligibility for projects requesting more than $10,000 in funding.
Commemorative Partnership Program funding recipients are required to submit final activity reports detailing the projects’ success, reach, and challenges. These final activity reports are used by program staff to support additional future requests for funding from the same organization and to facilitate reporting on program outcomes.
Results obtained through program evaluation forms completed by funding recipients are reflected in Table 21. Overall, the results highlight:
- high levels of satisfaction with the effectiveness of staff supporting this Program, during all years of the evaluation period; and
- high levels of satisfaction with the efficiency of decisions/funding for applications during the 2015-16 fiscal year, with lower levels of satisfaction during fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15.
| Criteria | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 4 year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge of staff | 96.6% | 90.2% | 89.4% | 96.0% | 93.0% |
| Accessibility of Staff | 95.8% | 88.6% | 88.4% | 95.2% | 91.9% |
| Timeliness of decisions | 80.5% | 66.9% | 66.7% | 86.4% | 75.0% |
| Timeliness of funding | 74.2% | 61.3% | 78.9% | 89.4% | 76.6% |
Source: Commemorative Partnership Program Final Activity Reports
Service standard results over the past four years are reflected in Table 22. These results align with the feedback received from funding recipients and reflect that there were timeliness issues with decision-making in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Interviews identified that funding and approval challenges impacted the application process during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 fiscal years. Results have improved and exceeded targets during the 2015-16 fiscal year.
| Service Standards | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Engagement Partnership Fund – % of Decisions within 12 weeks of posted quarterly application deadline (Target – 80%) | 85% | 59% | 91% | 92% |
| Cenotaph Monument Restoration Program – % of Decisions within 12 weeks of posted quarterly application deadline (Target – 85%) | 100% | 58% | 38% | 100% |
Source: VAC Commemoration Division
The evaluation team observed staff manually entering project application data into three different databases. Interviews confirmed that the current databases are not being used to their full potential for tracking/monitoring purposes. In addition, automated processes are not in place to route approved projects to VAC’s Finance Division for payment.
Based on information gathered through key informant interviews and workload observations, it is the evaluation team’s opinion that the program area should consolidate documentation to 1-2 required databases and work with other areas within VAC (Information Technology Information Management Division) to increase reporting functionalities. In addition, VAC should continue consulting with other federal organizations, notably Canadian Heritage, to determine best practices and options associated with tracking tools for grants and contributions programs.
5.3 Learning and Public Information
The Learning and Public Information component is delivered using operating funds. The total administration cost of this component cannot be fully analyzed due to insufficient cost breakdowns. In 2015-16, VAC’s Finance Division began allocating salary versus operating and maintenance costs to the sub-program level. However, there is no earlier data available for comparison/trend purposes. Future evaluations will have additional information to support trend analysis. Total costs by year are reflected in Table 23.
| Costs | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative (Salary + Operations and Maintenance) | $5,404,272 | $4,522,072 | $5,328,788 | $6,999,715 |
| Government Advertising | $3,415,821 | $3,912,831 | $3,984,082 | $3,402,353 |
| Total Costs (Administrative + Government Advertising) | $8,820,093 | $8,434,903 | $9,312,870 | $10,402,068 |
Source: VAC Finance Division
Annual funding for this component varies and can be impacted by unique events/projects. During 2014-15 and 2015-16, funding was increased in support of constructing a Visitor Education Centre at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial site. Outside of the funding associated with the new Visitor Education Centre, the ongoing expenditures for Learning and Public Information have remained relatively stable.
Primary resources dedicated to this Program include:
- Education Officers
- develop learning resources (including educational social media content, online lesson plans, and activities);
- promote awareness of VAC learning resources;
- participate in learning events (e.g., Encounters with Canada); and
- liaise with the Department of National Defence regarding accuracy of historical information.
- Distribution Unit
- oversees the distribution of learning resources;
- monitors the print contractor’s performance, especially during Veterans’ Week distribution period; and
- maintains inventory on site for distribution during other periods during the year.
- Web Content Team
- develops remembrance materials for VAC’s website;
- produces Heroes Remember interviews that recount the personal recollections of Canadian Veterans;
- maintains the online Canadian Virtual War Memorial;
- maintains the online database for the National Inventory of; Canadian Military Memorials; and
- digitizes information of historical value to preserve for future generations.
- develops remembrance materials for VAC’s website;
- Student Supervisors and Program Officers
- recruit and hire students three times per year for four-month terms;
- coordinate student training in conjunction with the Department of National Defence; and
- supervise students on a day-to-day basis (develop works schedules, assignments, arrange accommodations, etc.).
- Student Guides
- provide guided tours and visitor services at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, both located in France.
In addition to Commemoration resources contributing to this component, Internal Service – Communications resources also support Learning and Public Information. The Communications Division dedicates resources to VAC’s Canada Remembers social media activities, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Communications resources are also responsible for managing the departmental print contract, which includes learning resources.
Every September, VAC distributes 22,000 sample packs containing Veterans’ Week learning resources to educators and service groups. Sample packs are distributed to raise awareness that new learning resources are available for Veterans’ Week. Follow-up reminder e-mails are sent in early September to prompt educators to order materials online.
Opportunity for Greater Efficiency/Economy:
Key informant interviews questioned the value of providing sample packs and indicated a need to re-visit this process. In reviewing the results of the 2016 Veterans’ Week evaluations completed by 1,918 individuals (primarily educators) who received materials, the evaluation team found that 28% (533 respondents) reported that they “heard about the learning materials” through a VAC sample pack. However, further analysis revealed that 87% (463) of those indicating they heard about the learning resources through a VAC sample pack also reported that they heard about the resources through other channels (e.g., VAC website, VAC email, fellow educators, etc.).
Due to the need for manual preparation, sample packs are relatively high-cost items compared to regular commemoration print products (approximately $85,000 including tax, annually for 22,000 units based on invoices provided for 2016)Footnote 31.
This analysis leads the evaluation team to conclude that the program area should explore various approaches to determine and implement the most effective means of promoting commemorative learning resources.
5.4 Memorials
The Memorials component is delivered using operating funds. The total administration cost of this component cannot be fully analysed due to insufficient cost breakdowns. In 2015-16, VAC’s Finance Division began allocating salary versus operating and maintenance costs to the sub-program level. However there is no earlier data available for comparison/trend purposes.
Total costs by year are reflected in Table 24.
| Expenditure Type | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission Contract for Maintenance of Memorials in Europe | $1,975,000 | $1,975,000 | $1,975,000 | $1,975,000 |
| Contract with French Nationals for On-site Security/Maintenance | $825,000 | $825,000 | $825,000 | $825,000 |
| Combined – Expenditures for Salary & EBP associated with Memorial and Cemetery Maintenance + O&M Expenditures (including Capital Expenditure projects) | $2,507,700 | $1,500,787 | $2,404,608 | $1,675,245 |
| Total Expenditures for Memorials (including administration portion of Cemetery Maintenance) | $5,307,700 | $4,300,787 | $5,204,608 | $4,475,245 |
Source: VAC Finance Division and VAC Commemoration Division
A review of the combined costs shows that overall expenditures have fluctuated between $4.3 million and $5.3 million during the evaluation period. Overall cost fluctuations can be attributed to changes in operating costs as a result of different funding allocation models used for this component during the evaluation period.
Primary resources dedicated to this initiative include:
- European Operations
- Memorial maintenance and associated contract with Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The evaluation team obtained and reviewed maintenance plans prepared for each memorial and found these plans are useful tools for VAC/Commonwealth War Graves Commission when assessing maintenance requirements on an annual basis. The plans are thorough, with cost breakdowns where applicable.