Executive Vice-President's Transition Binder 2019
Atlantic Region

Resource profile

Current resources

• Roughly 100 Border Services Officer shortfall due to vacancies and/or lack of availability
• "Improvement activities" or new initiatives draw from a limited resource pool. The offering of OT will not address the problem
• Current OITP production is not sufficient to meet regional attrition rates or bilingual requirements
• Improvement activity plans for the three business lines may have a downstream impact on frontline operations. Funding for new initiatives alone, without coordination with Force Generation efforts, will hinder our ability to successfully support implementation of those initiatives
• Superintendent to employee ratio is 1:8; however geographic challenges mean that some locations operate without a management presence

Mandate / Vision / Context

Atlantic Region will deliver, with fiscal probity, quality functions aligned to the CBSA mandate:
Provide integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities, while facilitating the free flow of legitimate trade and travel.

Regional Objectives

• Intelligence-led approach to operations (focus on CHS development, trend identification and information analysis);
• Resource optimization: working smarter and more effectively
• Result-based performance
• Leadership development and succession planning framework

Critical success factors

• Capacity (recruitment, retention, availability, overtime)
• Capability (infrastructure, technology, bilingualism)
• Leadership (wellness, integrity, union/management relations, succession planning and leadership development)

Risks, mitigation strategies and key milestones

Risk 1. Border Management

[redacted]

Related improvement activity

• Conduct baseline review and gap analysis
• Develop strategies and realign resources to address most vulnerable areas
• Develop briefing notes to flag concerns and propose solutions to increase recruitment
• Develop OL Strategy
• Develop mitigation plans for staffing challenges during peak periods (such as Summer Action Plan)

Milestones and expected completion date

• Quarter 1
• Ongoing

Risk 2. Intelligence and analysis

[redacted]

Related improvement activity

• Develop business case to increase regional intelligence capacity
• Develop strategy to focus efforts on Tier 1 priorities

Milestones and expected completion date

• Quarter 1
• Ongoing

Risk 3. Infrastructure and Detection Technology

Infrastructure and technology limitations may disrupt processing of travellers and goods and impact ability to detect non-compliance.

Related improvement activity

• Develop business cases to address detection technology gaps in the region
• Engage internal services to identify gaps and develop strategies
• Continue to participate in testing of new equipment such as the ARED

Milestones and expected completion date

• Quarter 4
• Ongoing

Risk 4. Employee Wellness

Operating at below minimal staffing thresholds increases reliance on overtime which may increase officer fatigue.

Related Improvement Activity: Operating at below minimal staffing thresholds increases reliance on overtime which may increase officer fatigue.

Milestones and expected completion date: Quarter 4

Risk 5. Promoting a Healthy Workplace

The Public Service Employee Survey revealed issues that requires action to ensure the Atlantic Region upholds the highest ethical standards and is committed to providing all employees with a respectful and safe workplace, free from harassment and discrimination.

Related Improvement Activity
Key activities focused on increasing awareness and accountability

• Encourage completion of all mandatory training
• Ensure staff have the tools and knowledge to identify and respond appropriately to allegations of harassment and discrimination
• Identify and address low morale and problematic behaviours

Milestones and expected completion date: Ongoing

Risk 5. Leadership

There is currently no formal leadership succession and development plan to prepare for the next generation of leaders.

Related Improvement Activity
Key activities focussed on leadership development and succession planning

• Employees are supported in career development aspirations and processes are in place to identify and develop the next generation of leaders
• Atlantic Region managers are able to lead and prepare the next generation of leaders

Milestones and expected completion date: Ongoing

Risk 6. Nationalization of Internal Services

Nationalization may result in low morale. Reduction of services previously provided to the regions and changes to responsibilities may impact service delivery.

Related Improvement Activity: Focus on managing the change process, supporting impacted employees, finalizing budget transfers, managing files no longer supported, and negotiating service level agreements.

Milestones and expected completion date: Ongoing

Additional improvement activities

Risk 1. Travellers Branch Initiatives

Branch initiatives to modernize the border, advance the trade vision, and strengthen trade compliance may impact capacity and capability in the regions.

Related improvement activity
Focus on assessing and influencing branch initiatives impacting the region

• Adopt a regional approach to ensure resource optimization and to address identified gaps
• Identify regional impacts to national initiatives and work collaboratively to address gaps

Milestones and expected completion date: Align with Branch timelines

Risk 2. Commercial and Trade Branch Initiatives

Branch initiatives to modernize the border, advance the trade vision, and strengthen trade compliance may impact capacity and capability in the regions.

Related improvement activity
Focus on assessing and influencing branch initiatives impacting the region.

• Identify commercial training gaps and develop regional strategy in consultation with the Branch
• Develop strategies to address capacity and capability challenges with trade improvement initiatives
• Develop proposals to build trade compliance presence in the Atlantic

Milestones and expected completion date: Align with Branch timelines

Risk 3. Intelligence and Enforcement Branch Initiatives

Branch initiatives to modernize and enhance intelligence and enforcement programs may impact capacity and capability in the regions.

Related improvement activity
Focus on ensuring capacity and capability to meet program expectations and transition to an intelligence-led organization.

• Develop a business case to increase capacity within regional intelligence program
• Activities aligned with national priorities

Milestones and expected completion date: Align with Branch timelines

Staffing Plan

Represents external/incremental regional hiring only. Staffing actions that are anticipated to result in promotions within the region, or represent movement across districts and divisions, but result in no net new employees to the region are not included in the chart below.

For HR Planning purposes, the Region plans to have an additional 16 staffing process that would be promotions and movements from one section of the region to another and will not result in net new FTEs to the region.

Procurement plan

Business cases are under development for the following

• An additional RHIB (given geographical distances between marine centres of concentration, an additional vessel in etiher/or St. John (NB) and St. John’s (NL) would be a force multiplier
• Equipment replacement effort for the marine operations Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) fleet
• Detection technology equipment at land border commercial operations

Efficiency Planning

• Ongoing commitment to the (previous) Operations Branch Management Practices, including the Overtime Reduction Best Practices
• Full participation in branch-level discussions

Bids Against Reserve

• Business case is under development to increase capacity in the Atlantic Region Intelligence Program
• Supports Intelligence-led decision making and risk-based management model

Date modified:

2019-12-04