Executive Vice-President's Transition Binder 2019
Greater Toronto Area

Resource profile

Operational context

The GTA Region continues to support key national initiatives while delivering on service and enforcement commitments. The Region leverages strategic partnerships, intelligence and talent to achieve results while supporting a positive workplace culture.

• Includes the City of Toronto, which is a key economic driver (trade and travel) and a leader in diversity, attracting the largest share of new immigrants to Canada
• Accountable for the largest CBSA operations in Air Passenger, Inland Immigration, Trade Operations, Air Commercial, and additionally has the CBSA’s National Telephone Reporting Centre
• Increasing volumetric demands across all business lines coupled with the constant threat from organized crime (weapons, drugs, internal conspiracies) and illegal migration represent high risks for the Agency
• Significant growth at the Hamilton International Airport in both commercial volumes of 211% (2017 to 2018) and an anticipated 400% in traveller volumes with the introduction of new airlines and flights from Mexico, Jamaica and Ireland
• Challenges in its ability to be responsive and nimble
  • The significant number of duty to accommodate cases (both conditions of employment and family status related) is impacting our agility in responding to operational pressures or surges (removals workload) in the region
• Staffing availability is constrained by a 32% accommodation rate in the GTA Region
  • There are currently 960 regional BSOs (FB-03) of which 303 are accommodated, which compounds the challenge of addressing rising volumes
• Subsequent staff mobility to other key areas such as commercial or enforcement and intelligence operations (internal hiring only) has been limited
  • Nearly 50% of officers working at Pearson have less than three years experience

Risks, mitigation strategies and key milestones

Risk 1: Public Safety and National Security—Identifying and removing inadmissible persons

Continue to support the removals initiatives focusing on criminality and irregular arrivals.

Manage associated risk in the Detentions programs while advancing National Immigration Detention Framework (NIDF) commitments.

Stabilize staffing in Enforcement and Intelligence Operations Division (EIOD), Hearings Section in order to support an increased workload with the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB).

GTA Region Hearings Section needs to be responsive to both the push from removals (which represented 51% of the national total last fiscal) and from the increase in refugee cases at Toronto Pearson.

The current staff complement and configuration are inadequate to meet these demands.

Related improvement activity

Focus removal efforts on serious criminals and irregular arrivals (failed claimants) to reduce warrant and removals inventories. The initiatives will include: dedicated projects, additional staffing and hours, specific geo-targeted large batch Travel document (TD) acquisitions and expedited partner decisions (PRRA and IRB).

Deliver on key commitments including: Toronto Immigration Holding Centre (TIHC) preparations and transfers of Level II detainees to the TIHC; increased use of bail programs, voice verification and electronic monitoring. Continue rigorous detention reviews, ensure appropriate screening for potential candidates for the TIHC while monitoring case progress for "over 90 day" detainees.

Review the workload and salary allocation in Hearings to determine the optimal staff complement of FB-05 Hearings Officers and FB-03 Hearings Advisors.

Undertake an external selection process to hire FB-05 Hearings Officers. Although there is a national collective process – it is unclear whether there will be sufficient candidates to hire.

Milestones and expected completion date

The removals initiatives will continue through fiscal year 2019 to 2020.

GTA Region will achieve performance target.

NIDF related activities will continue through fiscal year 2019 to 2020.

IHC scheduled to take Level II detainees in July 2019.

Hiring of new staff following the completion of the external staffing process in second quarter.

Number of FB-03 positions established to allow salary funding to shift as part of the duty to accommodate (DTA) Strategy.

Risk 2: Border Integrity—Organized Crime

[redacted]

Risk 3: Border Management—Travellers: Enforcement and Service

Transform and modernize operations to position the Agency to address current and future volumetric demands

Competing demands from both commercial (courier and high value shipments) and traveller processing (higher risk flights), including the National Telephone Reporting Centre at the John C. Munroe, Hamilton International Airport (HIA) are impacting service delivery and border integrity.

HIA Traveller volumes:

• Fiscal year 2017 to 2018: 35,446
• Fiscal year 2018 to 2019: 75,366 (up 110%)
• Fiscal year 2019 to 2020: anticipated 460,000 (up 400%)

Related improvement activity

Continue to expand automation for traveller processing systems and explore/advance service initiatives including: Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK), International to Domestic (ITD), International to International (ITI) and contributions to national efforts for NEXUS modernization.

Explore with Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) the possibility of sharing baggage imaging for ITD.

Integration of Passenger Operations (Immigration, Customs) at TPIA: to minimize queuing time, facilitate straightforward examinations, and to allow BSOs to focus on high risk travellers.

Increase in the complement of student BSOs assigned to the Telephone Reporting Centre and Primary Inspection Line.

Explore with Quebec Region the redirection of French calls to the Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC).

Identification of Hamilton airport as a 'small community POE' to attract targeted bilingual and female recruitment.

Redeployment of officers from other districts to build immigration expertise.

Milestones and expected completion date

Advancing initiatives will continue through fiscal year 2019 to 2020 including: planning for possible expansion in the use of facial recognition, biometrics, software upgrades, e-gates and light touch technologies.

Dialogues in second quarter with CATSA.

Phase Three of integration is in progress and will continue through fiscal year 2019 to 2020 with evaluation and adjustment of procedures and operations to continue process improvements.

Student BSOs will be coming into the operation in fiscal year 2019 to 2020 first quarter.

Quebec Region reviewing volumetrics.

Five OITPs from Intake 13.

First quarter, second quarter

Risk 4: Border Management—Commercial: Enforcement and Service

Commercial volumes at John C. Munroe, Hamilton International Airport continue to increase to over 5 million from the previous fiscal year with Landmark Global making up the majority of this volume.

The Courier LVS volumes have also grown to over 8 million shipments from last fiscal year.

Related improvement activity

With the support of the Commercial and Trade Branch and ISTB, a pilot project is being developed which would transition the majority of the Landmark Global goods to the Low Value Shipment (LVS) stream. A data analytical tool is being developed to target these shipments and improve the targeting for all courier/LVS which currently runs from proprietary systems.

Milestones and expected completion date

Development of the pilot data analytical tool will be ongoing throughout fiscal year 2019 to 2020 with implementation expected before the end of the fiscal year.

Additional improvement activities

Trade Compliance and Enforcement

Improvement activity (if applicable)

Targeted and strategic investments in our Trade programs will generate significant revenue and results for the Agency.

• Potential return on investment (ROI) for the Agency is significant with data showing that for every dollar invested in Trade, the ROI was $10.52 in 2018 to 2019, a 42% increase (or $7.41) in 2017 to 2018
• Total number of completed verification cases increased by 16% from 515 cases in 2017 to 2018 to 596 cases in 2018
• Verification audits resulted in assessed revenue (including AMPS) totaling $249.8 million in 2018 to 2019 which was a 49% increase (or $167.1 million) from 2017 to 2018. Verification of priority commodities, such as spent fowl and Tariff Rate Quota permits, accounted for two large assessments exceeding $135 million in 2018 to 2019
• National Trusted Trader Program is administered in the GTA Region. Membership increased by 17% from 1,737 in 2017 to 2018 to 2,037 in 2018
• Participation in the LEAN exercise examining existing work flow to find efficiency opportunities

Milestones and expected completion date

Trade Operations Division will be working with the Commercial Operations District and Regional Intelligence to conduct at-border compliance reviews against trade chain partners in first quarter. Two pilot projects will be launched separately to track non-compliance in areas of accounting, books and records, and through examination.

Staffing process launched in first quarter to support the attrition and loss of knowledge.

Focused people management initiatives (Leadership and workplace culture/wellness)

Improvement activity (if applicable)

• Continued implementation of three-year Mental Health strategy including buddy system for firearm removal
• Biannual leadership forums which include CBL training
• Committee for Diversity and Inclusion events and activities
• Mentoring programs for all levels and skip a level discussions

Milestones and expected completion date

• Percentage of staff completing training by forth quarter
• Participation at events
• Buddy system implemented in first quarter
• Mentoring participation levels
• Skip a level meetings implemented by second quarter

Postal modernization

Improvement activity (if applicable)

• Continue to work with Canada Post on the belt conversion to allow for additional x-ray capacity
• Create space and implement the DSSA
• Continue to support the use of advanced information on trackable US mail items

Milestones and expected completion date

• Implementation of the new belts and x-rays is expected to be completed by the first week of November in time for the postal peak period. 2019 to 2020 third quarter

Staffing and internal placement plan

Increasing resources in Removals

Incremental costs to the GTA Region

Planned staffing (group and level)

FB-08 Total: 1 (FB-05 acting FB-08 incremental cost only)
FB-06 Total: 1 (FB-05 acting FB-06 starting Oct 1 2019 – incremental cost only)
FB-05 Total: 8 (from 1 FB-04, 5 FB-03s and 2 FB-05s – incremental cost only)
FB-03 Total: 21 (from POD/COD/OPOD assignments in Removals and other units)
FB-03 Total: 2 (from Investigations to Removals - $0 cost as within EIOD budget)
FB-01 Total: 8 (CR-05 acting FB-01 as of April 1 2019 – incremental cost only)
FB-01 Total: 12 (CR-05 acting FB-01 as of September 1 2019 – incremental cost only)
FB-01 Total: 1 (casual starting June 3)
AS-03 Total: 1 (Business Analyst starting September 1 2019 – incremental cost only)
CR-05 Total: 8 (CR-03 acting CR-05 – incremental cost only)
CR-05 Total: 6 (casuals removals and other units)
CR-04 Total: 1 (admin assistant starting September 1 2019 – incremental cost only)
CR-03 Total: 16 (casuals for removal unit – full cost full year)
CR-03 Total: 12 (casuals from other units – full cost full year)

Planned spending: $3.4 million
Quarter: Various start dates in fiscal year 2019 to 2020 (including staff already on strength)
Additional information: Base removals number is 2,800 in fiscal year 2019 to 2020 with a proposed increase to 4,941. To achieve 4,941 removals will require an increase in staffing and funding to support the additional workload.

GTA Region will seek additional funding from the Irregular Migration Budget 2019 funds (WBS). Note: a resource request will be submitted with the first quarter forecast, (and will be netted to only request unfunded incremental costs).

Creation of the Specialized Border Interdiction Unit

Staff reassigned within GTA Region

Planned staffing (group and level)

FB-03 Total: 28
FB-05 Total: 5 (4 supervisors + 1 admin assistant to cover all shifts)
FB-07 Total: 1

Planned spending: $2.46 million
Quarter: First quarter - partial staffing. The Unit is to be fully staffed early to late July 2019
Additional information: The creation of this unit will aim to be a model for intelligence-driven border interdiction for front-line operations. To achieve this, assignment opportunities from the agency’s base staffing is required, GTA Region will look to reallocate funds from existing budgets, including a level of risk resourcing.

Increasing resources at the Toronto Immigration Holding Centre

Look to self-fund and leverage new ATD funding

Planned staffing (group and level)

AS-02 Total: 2
FB-01 Total: 4
FB-03 Total: 6
FB-06 Total: 1

Planned spending: $840,650
Quarter: Mainly in first and second quarter
Additional information: To support the Alternate to Detention Initiative and the NIDF, increase in staffing levels will be required. The incremental 13 FTEs is increased from a base of 11 FTEs.

Planned staffing

At the FB-03, FB-04 and FB-05 group and level, the staffing strategy mainly represents internal / incremental regional hiring. Staffing actions in this group and level 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 with the exception of the Removal initiative.

For HR Planning purposes, the Region plans to utilize non-advertised staffing appointments to fill the entry-clerical levels.

The Region has a total of 3 planned staffing processes, (that is FB-01 Enforcement Case Officers, FB-05 Supervisor/Superintendent, FB-04 Senior Trade Compliance Officers). The Region anticipates increasing the number of staffing processes as we anticipate not meeting the demands from appointments from the national pools.

Non-salary plan: O&M P1 Financial position

Border Management

Border Enforcement

Internal Services

Non-salary plan: O&M P1 Financial position—Totals

Quick notes:

1. Preliminary (P1) plans. Not confirmed until the first and second quarter forecasts
2. Slippage in Detentions (Guard Contract the IHC) is conditional, pending an update on Level 2 detainee volumes
3. Removals deficit is the incremental projection beyond base Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) volumes (will action 4,941 removals; base/mou is 2,800)

Narratives:

The key non-salary investments will be in Detention and Removals. Detentions alone constitutes $30 million involving a projected 38,000 Provincial Jail days, Guard contract at the Toronto Immigration Holding Centre, a mainly fixed-based contract for the 195-bed Holding Centre. GTAR also co-manages an MOU with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on medical costs for the detainees.

The Removals initiative will see GTAR likely complete 57% of the Agency projections for fiscal year 2019 to 2020. It is expected the GTA Region will require an additional $2.5 million to increase the base removals from 2,800 to 4,941. The GTA Region is exploring potential off-sets in fenced Detention funds (example Jail-Day costs, Guard costs). We expect to advise on possible budget off-sets to the $2.5 million deficit projection in the first and second quarter exercises. The total fiscal year 2019 to 2020 non-salary costs for Removals is expected to be close to $6.6 million.

GTA has been funded by Finance and Investment Management Committee (FIMC) for a new Guard contract at Toronto Pearson Airport ($1.21 million). The new contract is expected to be in place by second quarter (or third quarter). It is expected there will be slippage from this allocation in fiscal year 2019 to 2020. FIMC provided additional funding to GTA Region (for Guards at the IHC). A reserve of $688,600 has been held back (from EIOD) pending the outcome of placing Level 2 detainees at the IHC. It is expected most of the resources will be slippage. GTA Region is looking to invest the resources in Removals, and/or, a possible increase in contract costs for an amendment of the IHC contract for additional administration space.

There is a significant operational costs for Interpreters mainly in the Traveller stream (at Toronto Pearson Airport). The plan is to spend $1.3 million (+) in fiscal year 2019 to 2020. There is pressure in this program as the costs have risen (as of April 1 2019) to $27 per hour. The new rate is the standard rate across the Agency.

Possible slippages to achieve a 1% to 2% target

$215.1 million Operating budget (excluding biometrics and ATD)

Proposals

1. Factor a netted attrition (risk) on $172.5 million in salary that will be targeted for an initial slippage projection (one-time savings from delays in staffing). As savings are realized, return resources to NHQ (versus internal reallocations). $1 million
2. GTA has already assumed an overtime budget reduction of $608,000 as part of CBSA Renewal (15 initiatives). 2019 to 2020 opening budget was reduced
3. GTA continues to place emphasis on the Top 10 commitments and efficiency/approaches
4. Assume a 50% credit from the Interdepartmental Settlement (IS) to IRCC for 2019 to 2020 Toronto Air Carrier Support Centre (ACSC) salary expenses. $875,500
5. Potential savings in the Provincial Jail Day per diem (new rate is expected to be $346 per day vs budgeted at $355 per day): $9,000 per day savings over 38,000 Jail Days. $342,000

Impacts

1. GTA Region would forgo using $1 million to increase overtime and forgo staffing additional casuals and students (across all lines of business). GTA Region will assume a low-risk approach to over-programming (ie. to off-set normal salary slippage). Minimal impact to operations as savings would be risk-based
2. The imposed OT reduction will impact mainly Traveller (PIA) and I&E (various business lines) where less salary dollars will limit initiating volumes beyond base/MOU work
3. One-time slippage basis for the IS and the Jail Day rate will have no impact to Operations. The expected IS credit $875,500 (salary) and the $342,000 (non-salary) for lower detention costs are fenced funding and will be returned to NHQ. Note: the proposed per diem rate of $346 per day has not yet been confirmed, (TBD in June 2019)

Bids against FIMC reserve

GTA Region one-time and ongoing bids against the FIMC Reserve for fiscal year 2019 to 2020.

Item 1

Mobile IPIL (pilot at PIA) with 20 to 30 units from ISTB.

Rationale: Improve traveller processing at TPIA Terminal 1 and 3 by introducing BSOs that can be mobile and conduct Primary interviews in non-traditional areas. This would allow for additional BSOs to supplement Primary operations during peak periods.

Cost: Costs to be determined by ISTB based on the number of units provided and required IT support.

Item 2

IT Plan (unfunded) to replace 1,256 desk-tops with laptops

Rationale: To offer staff more flexible arrangements and use of physical accommodations. In some cases flexible alternate work arrangements may not be an option and airport staff working at PIL would not require laptops. GTA has a site plan to implement laptops to optimize use/space on a go-forward basis by converting to laptops.

Cost: Laptops: 1,256 × $1,600 each. $2 million one-time investment is required.

Date modified:

2019-12-04