2012-2013 Report on annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences

As required by the Treasury Board Directive for the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences, this report provides information on the total annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conferences for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. It also provides the variance explanations from the previous fiscal year in each of these areas.

This information is updated annually and does not contain information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.

Expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences incurred by federal departments and agencies are for the most part directly related to supporting departmental mandates and the government’s priorities. The mandate of the Transportation Safety Board is to advance transportation safety. This mandate is fulfilled by conducting independent investigations into selected transportation occurrences to identify the causes and contributing factors of the occurrences and the underlying safety deficiencies.

The jurisdiction of the TSB includes all aviation, marine, rail and pipeline transportation occurrences in or over Canada that fall under federal jurisdiction. The TSB may also represent Canadian interests in foreign investigations of transportation accidents involving Canadian registered, licensed or manufactured aircraft, ships or railway rolling stock. The department’s travel expenditures are primarily dependent on the frequency and location of transportation occurrences. Travel expenditures are also incurred by the TSB for employees to attend training in their field of expertise. The credibility and success of the TSB depend on its ability to develop and maintain a competent and diverse professional workforce. Given the international nature of transportation, training and conferences on topics relevant to transportation safety are primarily held outside of Canada and travel costs are required in order to attend.

The TSB endeavors to minimize hospitality expenses to the extent possible. Expenses are primarily incurred by the TSB as a result of the requirement for employees to work through normal break or meal periods due to operations or business meetings.

The TSB rarely incurs expenses to host conferences. Conference expenses generally represent conference registration fees where a TSB employee has participated as an official representative of the organization or has presented on a subject relevant to the department’s mandate. As per the Treasury Board Secretariat reporting requirements, expenditures to attend conferences where the primary purpose is to enable participants to maintain or acquire skills or knowledge are not reported as conference expenses but rather as training.

Total annual expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences of the Transportation Safety Board are summarized below:

(in thousands of dollars)
Expenditure category Expenditures
for the year ending
March 31, 2013 (a)
Expenditures
for the year ending
March 31, 2012 (b)
Variance (1)
(a-b)
(in thousands of dollars)
Travel - public servants $ 958 $ 1,147 -$ 189
Travel - non-public servants $ 3 $ 5 -$ 2
Total travel $ 961 $ 1,152 -$191
Hospitality $ 10 $ 5 -$ 5
Conference fees $ 5 $ 3 $ 2
TOTAL $ 976 $ 1,160 -$ 184

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Travel:

A. Public Servants: Travel expenditures decreased by 17% compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, which can be attributed to two reasons. First, there was decrease in the number of accident investigations started in 2012-13. Second, the TSB installed video conferencing equipment in all of its regional offices to reduce spending on discretionary travel. 

B. Non-Public Servants: Travel by non-public servants relates to expenditures incurred by consultants performing services for TSB, subject matter experts assisting with investigations, or individuals relocating to become new employees of TSB. Spending on this category of travel is minimal; as a result, a single event can present a significant percentage variance between years.

Hospitality:

Spending on hospitality expenditures is minimal; as a result, a single event can present a significant percentage variance between years. The increase in 2012-13 is explained by a 4-day branch meeting of all Marine Branch staff in Newfoundland, which included training and work-related topics. The meals during this event were recorded as hospitality rather than travel expenses.

Conferences fees:

Spending on conference fees is minimal. The increase in 2012-13 is explained by an increase in conference attendance for outreach activities, to present on select topics to advance transportation safety.

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