RISK MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE

Year in Review

ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROACTIVE DISCLOSURE

CBC/Radio-Canada had a successful year with respect to the administration of the Access to Information Act (ATIA). During 2016-2017, a total of 142 requests were answered. This is 34 more than last year. Our deemed refusal rate fell to less than 1%. Only one request was answered late. Nine ATI-related complaints were made to the Information Commissioner of Canada about the Corporation’s performance. This is down significantly from 27 complaints in 2015-2016.

Our proactive posting of released records continues. Over the course of 2016-2017, more than 9,400 pages released in answer to 36 ATI requests of general interest to Canadians were posted on the Corporation's Transparency and Accountability web page.

The Information Commissioner of Canada also advised that CBC/Radio-Canada achieved an A-grade for its 2014-2015 performance. This is the fourth ‘A' the Corporation has received in a row from the Commissioner, and reflects the Corporation's continued commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities under the Access to Information Act.

ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING

The 2016 Annual Public Meeting was held on September 27, 2016 at the Théâtre l'Escaouette in Moncton, New Brunswick, with the theme "Public Broadcasting in the Digital Age."

Through this discussion, participants learned more about our initiatives to continue telling Canadian stories in an age of always-on connectivity and unlimited content sources. People across Canada participated in CBC/Radio-Canada's Annual Public Meeting online and in person.

CODE OF CONDUCT

CBC/Radio-Canada employees at all levels are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct and policies governing their behaviour in such areas as respect for democracy, respect for people, integrity, stewardship and excellence. As part of ensuring our policies continue to meet the needs of our staff and the wider organization, the Code of Conduct is currently under review by the Commissioner for Values and Ethics. Our Code of Conduct and human resources policies can be viewed on our corporate website.

JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS AND PRACTICES

CBC/Radio-Canada has an extensive code of Journalistic Standards and Practices and editorial control mechanisms to guide employees and to ensure that our programming remains balanced and accurate, particularly in today's social media environment. You can view CBC/Radio-Canada's Journalistic Standards and Practices on our corporate website.

OMBUDSMEN

Public complaints, expressions of concern or communications about News and Current Affairs programming are dealt with through the Offices of the Corporation's two Ombudsmen. Complainants dissatisfied with response from programmers may have their concerns resolved through the Ombudsmen's review process. The Ombudsmen are completely independent of CBC/Radio-Canada programming staff and programming management, and report directly to the President and CEO and, through the President and CEO, to the Board of Directors. The role of the Ombudsmen is pivotal in strengthening the national public broadcaster's accountability and transparency to Canadians.

Communications not directly related to our News and Current Affairs programming were forwarded to the relevant programming departments or to Audience Relations.

VALUES AND ETHICS COMMISSIONER

In September 2016, the Corporation's new Values and Ethics Commissioner, Diane Girard, formally began her position with CBC/Radio-Canada. The first months of her mandate have been spent conducting extensive meetings and face-to-face opportunities with employees across the country, raising awareness of her mandate, and working to revise the Employee Code of Conduct and the Policy on Conflicts of Interest, both expected to be completed by 2017-2018. Given that the Commissioner began receiving requests for advice and complaints on January 5^th, once her office and processes had been set up, it has been determined that data for the first three months of operations would not have been significant. As such, we plan to provide statistical data and analysis for the first 15 months of operations, including complaints received and issues resolved, in the 2017-2018 Annual Report.

Compliance with the Canadian environmental assessment act

We use a risk-based approach to facilitate compliance with Sections 67-69 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. As part of the established process, a project manager must complete a checklist for all physical activities prior to the initiation of the project. The checklist details the scope and description of the project and is our formal tool to ensure the project examines any potential adverse environmental impacts, including but not limited to, asbestos, halocarbons, mould, fuel storage tanks, water or air quality, etc. The checklist also allows us to describe any appropriate action needed to minimize any effects identified.

As per the process outlined above, no project completed in the 2016-2017 fiscal year was determined to result in a significant adverse environmental  effect.

It should be noted that CBC/Radio-Canada considers a physical activity as something that goes beyond normal maintenance, such as removing a wall, replacing equipment or excavating a parking lot. For the purposes of this approach, painting walls or maintaining equipment is considered maintenance work.

Director changes

As noted in last year's annual report, Brian Mitchell resigned from the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors on April 17,  2016. On October 31, 2016, Sonja Chong stepped down from her position on the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors.