Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Operational Planning Context

Lead Directorates:
1. Business Planning, Performance, Audit & Evaluation Directorate
2. Finance and Administration Directorate

Background

• The OPC undertakes an annual operational planning exercise which includes an initial budget allocation, the development of sectoral operational plans and the identification and consideration of funding pressures to deliver on the plans.
• The OPC’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 stands at $26.1M, excluding any carry-forward amount. This amount is $1.0M less than the previous fiscal year due to the sunsetting of temporary funding from Budget 2019.
• The planning for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 took place in early spring 2022 and was undertaken within a context of numerous operational pressures and uncertainty, including:
  • The coming into force of the Privacy Act Extension Order in July 2022, which is expected to result in a significant increase in complaints;
  • The end of the temporary funding obtained as part of Budget 2019 to significantly reduce the backlog of privacy complaints older than 12 months. Additional funds provided to the OPC in Budget 2019 were modest and intended as a temporary measure pending much-needed legislative reform of federal privacy laws. Though the backlog has been significantly reduced since obtaining temporary funds, it is now on an upward trend; and
  • The need to reconcile providing services under existing laws while planning for the implementation of law reform. Fiscal Year 2022-2023 will be one of transition for the OPC, with legislative reform expected to bring significant and yet unknown changes related to the OPC’s mandate. The OPC must work toward preparing for these important changes while continuing to deliver on existing obligations. As a small organization, this conciliation can be challenging.

Current status

• [Redacted]
• Budget allocations and operational plans were recently finalized based on the current reality of the OPC and with the resources we currently have.
• The Corporate Management Sector monitors the financial situation throughout the year and conducts an in-depth mid-year review of operational plans and the OPC’s financial situation in late summer/early fall.

Strategic considerations

• Budget allocations and operational plans may need to be reviewed and adjusted prior to their mid-year review, [redacted]

Further reading

• Presentation Deck, Financial Planning 2022-23, for the April 21, 2022 meeting of the Executive Management Board Plus
• Briefing Note, Budget 2022, April 2022