The Organization

Governing Legislation

Defence Construction (1951) Limited was created pursuant to the Defence Production Act and incorporated by Letters Patent under the Companies Act of 1934. The Corporation was granted continuance under the Canada Business Corporations Act of 1978. Defence Construction Canada is listed in Schedule III, Part I of the Financial Administration Act, and follows the governance, planning, reporting and audit practices established in Part X of that legislation. The Corporation is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

Mandate and Public Policy Role

DCC’s mandate, set out in its Letters Patent, is to provide a wide variety of property related services in support of the timely delivery of defence projects. To fulfill this mandate, the Corporation maintains a clearly defined relationship with the Department of National Defence, and works closely with Canada’s design, construction and consulting industries. The Minister of Public Works and Government Services last reviewed DCC’s mandate in 2001 and renewed it without change.

DCC also plays a role in achieving several of the Government of Canada’s key policy objectives by:

• contributing to Canadian Forces operations through the delivery of construction, maintenance, facilities management and professional services,
• supporting DND’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous waste and energy consumption, and
• contributing to a fair and secure marketplace by complying with accepted best practices for procurement.

History

Initially established to meet the Government of Canada’s increased need for national defence infrastructure, DCC has since played a major role in several projects that have helped shape Canadian history: the construction of the Distant Early Warning line across the Arctic, the rapid expansion of military facilities across the country and the development of military infrastructure abroad as part of Canada’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Where previously the Corporation provided limited support to specific CF-deployed military operations, it now helps to manage the Department’s in-theatre construction contract requirements from a site office at the Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan. DCC is prepared to support the CF in all of its operations.

Organizational Structure

The President & CEO reports to the Board of Directors. DCC’s executive consists of four officers: the President, two Vice-Presidents of Operations and the Vice-President of Corporate Services, who also serves as the Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer and Secretary-Treasurer.

DCC’s Operations Division is responsible for management of the National Operations Group in Ottawa, the remote offices in the Arctic and in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and the site offices at all active CF establishments in Canada. Four regional offices (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and Western) manage DCC operations at CF Bases. The Corporate Services Division provides business support functions to the Corporation.

Service-delivery Model

DCC has realigned its reporting structure in order to provide the client with better services. Where previously DCC’s management model followed a traditional hierarchical structure, the new matrix-management system will be more effective. The Corporation’s core services are divided among four service lines: construction services, contracting services, environmental services and project and program management services. The client can benefit from consistent systems and procedures, leveraged expertise across regions and offices, and be assured of receiving the highest possible level of service, regardless of location.

DCC’s Client

Operationally and administratively, DCC deals with many organizations within DND. The Infrastructure and Environment Group of National Defence headquarters is DCC’s principal point of contact for the centrally managed capital construction and environmental programs. As the chiefs of the maritime, land and air staffs are responsible for construction and maintenance programs at their respective facilities, DCC also has significant dealings with their organizations, primarily at the base, wing and station levels.

Some of the smaller DND organizations for which DCC also contracts for—and manages—construction and environmental services include the Canadian Forces Housing Agency, Defence Research and Development Canada, and the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency. The Corporation also supports our country’s NATO allies with training programs and facilities in Canada.

DCC will respond to requests for support within the scope of its mandate from other government departments and agencies with roles in Canada’s changing defence environment.

Government Security Policy

In October 2007 the Auditor General submitted a report to Parliament entitled Safeguarding Government Information and Assets in Contracting. She criticized a number of practices that were not consistent with the Government Security Policy. The Auditor General recommended that DCC and DND establish an integrated framework for managing industrial security on defence projects in accordance with the Government Security Policy.

DCC responded quickly to establish a comprehensive new security policy and a framework for the management of security within the Corporation. This was done in collaboration with DND security officials and processes.

Contractors and Consultants

Because DCC works closely with private sector consultants and contractors, it is vital that the Corporation stay abreast of trends in the construction industry. In addition to formal exchanges with the Canadian Construction Association and its provincial and trade counterparts, DCC employees interact with contractors on job sites every day. These discussions help keep DCC informed of industry developments and provide a useful forum through which the Corporation connects with its contractor partners.

DCC also maintains relations with groups such as the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Canadian Public Procurement Council and the Canadian Design-Build Institute, as well as industry organizations for a variety of non-construction services.

Environmental Responsibilities

With a drive to mitigate DCC’s impact on the environment, the Board of Directors and senior management group of DCC are committed to the principles of sound environmental stewardship. The Corporation’s operational policies and procedures are designed to minimize environmental impacts on all work sites, and specify the significance of environmental incidents that must be reported by employees. No such incidents occurred in 2007–08.

Maintaining a Safe Work Environment

Occupational health and safety is a primary concern at DCC. The Corporation is committed to a program of investment in safety-related communications and training.

DCC reformed its safety program in late summer 2007–08, creating a two-tiered occupational safety strategy. The Corporation’s Operational Safety Program governs the work of contractor and consultant partners on DCC construction sites, while its Corporate Safety Program sets the standard for safe work practices and minimum job specific training requirements for DCC staff.

Much of DCC’s health and safety efforts in 2007–08 focused on developing the Operational Safety Program. The Corporation distributed its operations safety handbook “Creating a Safe Work Site” to all employees and released a series of specification templates and worksite-monitoring and inspection documents for use on construction sites. By the end of the fiscal year, all operations employees had been trained on the new program.

Although the Corporation took significant steps to enhance its safety procedures last year, the number of lost-time injuries (LTIs) increased from three in 2006–07 to five in 2007–08, while the number of hours lost rose accordingly, from 31 to 63. This increase in LTI frequency might be attributed to an increase in the number of employees in the Corporation, from 543 in 2006–07 to 596 in 2007–08.

National Awards 2007-08

DCC proudly recognizes the contributions of all employees to the Corporation’s success. The National Awards program in particular is a celebration of the very best accomplishments of the men and women who drive DCC forward.

The President’s Award is presented annually to the employee who has consistently demonstrated outstanding service to the Corporation. This year’s recipient is Bruno Champeval, Area Manager, Quebec Region.

The Service Development Award recognizes the employee(s) whose actions best contributed to the development or promotion of client services and the service delivery team. DCC is proud to recognize the team from Lac St-Pierre, Quebec— Martin Buteau, Alain Dufresne, Josée Gagnon, Daniel Normandin, Josée Potvin and Jonathan Preston — as this year’s Service Development Award winner.

The Corporation presents its Customer Satisfaction Award to the employee who has consistently provided exemplary customer service over the years. This year’s recipient is Sophie Tremblay, Assistant Manager of Site Operations at the Valcartier Garrison.

The Service Innovation Award recognizes the employees who deliver innovative, valueadded solutions to DCC’s clients. Recipients of this year’s award are: Marc Brophy, Construction Program Manager at 12 Wing Shearwater, Robert Moore, Contract Coordinator at 12 Wing Shearwater, and Fran Thorne, Administrative Officer at the Atlantic Regional Office.

The Robert Graham Memorial Award is presented to the employee who makes a special contribution to the improvement of workplace safety or environmental protection. John Blasko, Manager of Contract Services is the 2007–08 recipient.