Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada Contribution Program
Terms and Conditions

1. Authority

In 1986 Cabinet provided policy direction to create a National Search and Rescue Program (NSP) which bridges the efforts of government, industry and the volunteer community to provide a comprehensive safety net for those lost or in distress. This Cabinet Decision named the Minister of National Defence (MND) as the Lead Minister for Search and Rescue (SAR) and created the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) under the Defence portfolio with a central managerial role in the conduct of the program.

A Treasury Board decision dated June 1996 provided the MND the authority to approve Terms and Conditions for contributions.

2. Purpose, Objectives, Alignment and Results

2.1 Background

The NSP unites the air, marine and ground domains of SAR under a common vision "a Canada where the critical importance of search and rescue is reflected in a multijurisdictional approach to promoting individual, collective and organizational behavior that minimizes the risk of injury or loss of life while maintaining timely and effective response services".

The two main objectives of the NSP are:

1. SAR Prevention: To educate individuals and organizations on the assessment of risks and the importance of acquiring and using knowledge, skills and equipment needed to minimize injury and/or loss of life; and
2. SAR Response: To ensure an effective and capable SAR response in all areas of Canada.

Volunteers are an integral component of the NSP, significantly increasing the capacity and coverage that departmental assets provide. Throughout the NSP, there is a heavy reliance on over 18,000 volunteers who provide assistance when tasked on air, marine and ground SAR response and broaden the reach of prevention activities aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of SAR incidents. Similar to their marine (the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans) and aeronautical (the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association under the Department of National Defence (DND)) counterparts who formed national organizations to provide consistency and common procedures and protocols for their areas of expertise, ground search and rescue (GSAR) volunteers recognized the need for a national coordinating body and, in 1996, formed the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC). SARVAC members enhance SAR response capabilities across both federal and provincial jurisdictions and promote and deliver SAR awareness to the Canadian public through promoting individual responsibility for safety, awareness of the need for trip planning, early notification of the SAR system, public expectations for SAR response and focus on survivability including methods to assist searchers in locating individuals in distress. Federal SAR partners often call on these resources to deliver prevention education or to provide ground search teams for downed aircraft, conducting shoreline sweeps for missing boaters, and searching within National Parks. To date, however, they have done so based on local or regional efforts resulting in a wide diversity of standards, programs and procedures across the country.

2.2 Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this contribution program is to improve GSAR through the coordination, consistency and standardization of the 12,000 volunteers involved in GSAR. As provinces/territories provide support, in varying degrees, to their associations and/or local teams, within their jurisdictions only, there is recognition of the value to be gained in providing a national coordinating body and common approach for GSAR across Canada for resources that are used by all levels of government to aid Canadians in distress. A key recommendation resulting from the Quadrennial SAR Review was that volunteers needed to be sustained and supported across the NSP partnership. This program provides significant value to the NSP by ensuring a robust volunteer framework across all domains and contributing to a reduction of injuries/loss of life through providing consistent SAR prevention messaging, developed nationally and delivered locally.

2.3 Alignment with Government Priorities

SAR is a priority for DND and the Canadian Armed Forces. SAR and its aligning programs such as SAR New Initiatives Fund (SAR NIF), contribute to the Strategic Outcome "Defence Operations and services improve Stability and Security and Promote Canadian Interests and Values." The DND Program Alignment Architecture (PAA) includes sub section 2.2.3 'the National Search and Rescue Program" which aims at continuously improving the SAR services. Results are achieved by promoting collaboration and cooperation among federal/provincial and territorial organizations, and other stakeholders that provide SAR services, in order to achieve seamless SAR services across Canada. This encompasses the services provided by the NSS whose role is to integrate the efforts of SAR partners. NSP services are provided directly to Federal departments and agencies, levels of Government, other partners from industry, academia, volunteer community and non-for-profit organizations. In addition, the priority of ensuring the safety and security of Canadians and the recent federal budget announcement of a tax credit for SAR Volunteers demonstrate the government's commitment to a federal priority placed on SAR. This program directly supports SAR through advancing the NSP's two objectives. It supports Canadian Joint Operations Command's common operational picture for domestic operations by supporting a multi-faceted approach to SAR, which is both an operational necessity for SAR response and supports the NSS's mandate to coordinate and integrate partners and to deliver SAR awareness to the general public by providing consistent prevention messaging under the AdventureSmart program.

2.4 Program Description

The contribution program mechanism will provide organizational and functional funding for SARVAC. This will assure that the NSP has complete representation from, access to, and provides a level of support to all SAR volunteers in Canada. The SARVAC contribution program will meet the following objectives:

1. Transcend jurisdictional boundaries and provide a national voice and identity for GSAR volunteers in Canada, including protecting, supporting and recognizing GSAR volunteers at a level commensurate with that provided to other SAR volunteers;
2. Deliver SAR prevention to provide a greater awareness among the general public of the risks and hazards that most commonly lead to SAR incidents and of the steps individuals/organizations can take to mitigate these risks and increase survivability;
3. Support a national coordination body to provide one window of access into the 12,000 volunteer members of GSAR to enhance communications, consistency and coordination of protocols and procedures; and
4. Promote standardization and portability of volunteer resources allowing for the swift and efficient augmentation of ground search assets when GSAR resources are required.

2.5 Results

The value of SARVAC will be best measured through the adoption and consistency of core training standards, protocols and procedures for GSAR across Canada, the strengthening of partnerships between GSAR volunteers and other NSP stakeholders, and through the delivery of national SAR prevention messaging at a local level.

3. Eligible Recipient

The only eligible contribution recipient will be SARVAC.

4. Eligible Initiatives

The nature of eligible initiatives must relate to standardizing and providing common approaches, protocols and procedures to assist in search activities across the GSAR volunteer community, interacting with members of the general public for the purpose of SAR prevention messaging, and maintaining the National Organization. These activities will be implemented and the outcomes achieved through investment in national infrastructure support for SARVAC, through volunteer time and commitment, through alignment with the NSP priorities and through the sharing of program expertise, best practices and technology. The five-year contribution program provides investment in the following areas to accomplish these goals:

4.1 National Coordination, Representation and Administration

This activity encompasses all of the tasks that are required to properly manage the overall organization and represent its members and GSAR volunteers. This includes the process of annual business planning, the acquisition of appropriate insurance policy coverage, strategic and operational planning, the management of volunteer and salaried staff as well as related personnel and financial management and the submission of annual reports through the collection of pertinent information and data. It includes building and sustaining relationships, supporting member associations and GSAR volunteers through advancing issues of common interest, in developing the communications network to reach this 12,000 member strong asset and transcending the jurisdictional boundaries to provide a common voice, recognition and support for the GSAR community.

4.2 SAR Prevention/Outreach

SARVAC will conduct activities designed to increase the level of awareness within the general public of both SAR in Canada and the individual's responsibility for safety.

Through both online and on-site mechanisms including attending outdoor related events, such as tradeshows, trailheads, and community events, SARVAC members will promote an awareness of SAR in Canada. This includes the capabilities and roles of the SAR response system, informing the target audience of their responsibility for safety including the survival dynamic and how they can best assist SAR responders in increasing the likelihood of detection and being found in a more timely manner. This promotion will also increase the profile of GSAR volunteers within their local communities, aiding in recruitment and retention strategies.

4.3 Training Standardization

SARVAC will develop and maintain national competencies. Online portals to enable the tracking of team and member competencies will be provided. A train the trainer model will be implemented to expand training based on national standards; however, validation and accreditation as demonstrated through individual training and periodic exercises and/or joint training opportunities will need to be supplemented through other sources. SAR teams and member associations will need to ensure that the national standards are accepted by/or equivalent to Provincial and Territorial SAR authority standards.

Notably, the costs associated with responding to actual SAR incidents are covered by the responsible jurisdictions under separate arrangement with SARVAC or its member associations.

5. Eligible Expenditures

The expenditures considered eligible for reimbursement under the contribution program are those that:

1. Support the national association, including office administration, communications and coordination functions including an awards and recognition program to appropriately acknowledge extraordinary achievements and milestones within or related to SARVAC;
2. Support the development, acquisition and validation of common approaches to training, technology and protocols designed to provide a comprehensive national approach to GSAR volunteer resources; and
3. Support the production, dissemination and delivery of topical material and presentations designed to educate members of the general population in matters pertaining to SAR prevention including AdventureSmart and focused on SAR alerting, SAR response expectations and survivability tips.

5.1 Specifically eligible costs include expenditures on:

1. Insurance: Costs of placing insurance in amounts to provide financial protection to the Association, Member Organizations, and the members for the following:
   1. Comprehensive General Liability exposure such as: directors' and officers' liability for the SARVAC;
   2. Personal accident, injury and death of members while engaged on administrative, coordination or prevention activities in support of the national approaches authorized under this program; and
   3. Additional coverage(s) deemed necessary by mutual (NSS/SARVAC) agreement.
2. Claims:
   1. The amount of the deductible for losses occasioned while on SARVAC activities, upon the production of reasonable proof thereof, supported by a statement from the underwriter or agent that the loss falls within the insured coverage; and
   2. The amount of any uninsured property loss occasioned while on SARVAC activities. upon the production of reasonable proof thereof and supported by a statement from the underwriter or agent that the loss does not fall within the insured coverage.
3. Authorized Coordination and Prevention Activities:
   1. Costs of planning, coordination, and delivering national activities supported by SARVAC such as: travel costs (travel, accommodation, meals, incidentals, car rental) including those incurred in support of national initiatives such as delivering prevention training sessions including providing materials for targeted outreach or standardized material, or in facilitating national approaches through common protocols and processes which may include stakeholder consultations, training officers or advisory committee meetings; room rentals; office supplies; equipment rentals and academic training as required;
   2. Costs of conducting SAR awareness and prevention activities, including participation at trail heads, tradeshows, and similar functions, and holding or being invited to deliver informational briefings or outreach sessions, and the production of educational materials including briefing packages, educational aides, aide-memoires, and information pamphlets and any supporting consumables for delivery; and
   3. The acquisition of minor equipment required to help achieve the mandate and goals of SARVAC such as: training aids, display kits, software and hardware.
4. Costs of Administration:
   1. Costs of maintaining incorporation of the Association and such other expenses as may have been incurred for the purpose of maintaining the Association's non-profit status;
   2. Costs of operating a national office, such as: salaries, wages and employee benefit plans; hiring of casual help (e.g. maintenance); rent and taxes; heating bills or other utilities (water); professional fees (e.g. accounting, legal, administrator); office supplies; postage, shipping; printing, photocopying; bank charges; public relations (e.g. newsletters, photo supplies/development, advertising/posters, web site costs; shipping of public relation materials; postage); publications; translation costs; telecommunication costs (e.g. telephones, cellular phones, pagers, fax lines, Internet access); meeting room rentals, equipment repair/replacement; service contracts (e.g. cleaning of office); computer (hardware/software);
   3. Costs of providing toolkits or connecting common technology to any Member Organization;
   4. Costs involved in attendance of official delegates from Member Organizations (up to two delegates per Member Organization and up to seven officers/staff of the Association) at General Meetings and costs for authorized representatives to participate in National Working Groups, and other SAR related activities as deemed of benefit to the Association; e.g.: SARSCENE, national initiatives such as ICS Canada, National Prevention Strategy, Joint SAR volunteer initiatives etc., at rates comparable to those specified by Treasury Board Travel Directive;
   5. Cost of national identity insignia, which may include members' badges, lapel pins, crests and shoulder flashes, and such other identification as deemed necessary by mutual agreement; and
   6. Cost of minor awards such as certificates, plaques, trophies or other forms of recognition that may be awarded to SARVAC volunteers and  others who have provided assistance in furthering the goals of SARVAC.

5.2 Limitations on Eligible Costs include the following below:

1. The MND shall not be liable for any claim for costs and expenses that are not fully substantiated as reasonably required by DND through this Contribution Program; and
2. The MND shall not be liable for any claim for costs or expenses by SARVAC beyond the coordination and prevention mandates of the NSP, such as Member Associations providing response assistance to federal/provincial/territorial government authorities.

6. Stacking of Assistance

The MND recognizes that SARVAC and some of the provincial/territorial associations (Member Organizations) are active in fundraising to extend their level of activity and service to Canada. Any funds raised by SARVAC and its Member Organizations will be directed towards an increased level of activities not otherwise reimbursed through this Contribution. The SARVAC and Member Organizations' fundraising efforts permit them to conduct additional training courses, exercises, and participate in additional prevention activities.

SARVAC shall inform the MND immediately, in writing, of additional financial assistance received from any source for the reimbursed level of activity. The MND reserves the right to reduce the Contribution by the amount of such additional financial assistance and will recover such amounts as a debt to the Crown.

The maximum level of the total Government assistance (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) for this program will not exceed 100% of the eligible expenditures. This stacking limit must be respected when government assistance is provided.

7. Method to Determine the Amount of Contribution

The MND delegates, to the organization position of Director of Policy and Programs, NSRS, his authority to approve, sign or amend the Contribution Agreement. The amount of the contribution will be determined annually through the submission and approval of the Annual SARVAC Business Plan by the Director of Policy and Programs, NSS. The business plan must identify core levels of funding and eligible costs based on key activity area as follows:

8. Maximum Amount Payable

The annual maximum contribution for this program is $1,000,000.

9. Basis and Timing of Payments

SARVAC will prepare and submit a detailed annual budget through the annual Business Plan process (see section 7). Based on the approved budget, SARVAC will provide NSS with quarterly cash flow forecasts. Based on the quarterly cash flow submitted, advance quarterly payments will be issued.

Statement of Account

Each advance payment must be accounted for by SARVAC, to the satisfaction of the NSS Program Manager, within the timeline set out in the chart below. SARVAC will provide a statement of account, satisfactory to the Minister, of the Eligible Costs incurred and paid during the advance period.

In any Fiscal Year, no more than two (2) quarterly advances will be made without receiving a statement of account, satisfactory to the Minister, for the first of those two (2) quarterly advances. Where any statements of account are outstanding, the Minister may require the SARVAC to return current advanced funds, or refuse to make further advances until the situation is resolved.

10. Eligible Cost Variances

Following approval of the Annual Business Plan, SARVAC may adjust the allocation of the minimum annual amount of the Contribution among the categories of Eligible Costs. However any proposed adjustment resulting in an increase or decrease of 10% or more (in aggregate) of the original approved amount for any category will require the prior written approval of the Program Manager.

10.1 Excess Annual Funding

1. At the end of each Fiscal Year, any Contribution funds paid to SARVAC which exceed the funding requirement for that Fiscal Year shall be dealt with as follows:
2. An amount not exceeding the anticipated requirements for Eligible Costs to be incurred in April of the next Fiscal Year may be retained by SARVAC and applied to those Eligible Costs, and accounted for in the same way as any other advance; any additional amount shall be returned to the Receiver General for Canada on or before May 15 in the next Fiscal Year; and
3. On the expiry or early termination of this Agreement, SARVAC shall return excess contribution funds to the Receiver General for Canada by May 15 in the next Fiscal Year or within the timeline set out in Article 14.0 (Early Termination), as applicable.

11. Eligibility Requirements

Application for the contribution will be submitted annually, as part of the annual review process, in the form of the Annual SARVAC Business Plan. Approval in whole or in part will be based upon how well the Business Plan complements the NSS's direct and indirect interest in the SAR program.

To be considered for the contribution, the applicant must:

1. Provide the total membership and number of associated organizations (teams) by province and territory as of March 31 of the reporting year;
2. Provide a copy of the current edition, and any subsequent changes, of the organization's formal governing document (constitution, charter, by-laws, etc.) which outlines its organization and administration;
3. Provide a copy of the organization's annual financial statements that conforms to International Financial Reporting Standards, as certified by a qualified independent third party, for SARVAC's previous fiscal year, and to be provided within 90 days of the end of the fiscal year;
4. Provide a pro-forma budget for the upcoming year, detailing projected income, including the amount of expected support from all levels of governments, and forecast expenditures; and
5. Provide an annual report detailing how the organization supported the SARVAC Contribution Program including the number and type of activities and achievements. Refer to section 12, Performance Measurement Strategy, for a detailed list of reporting requirements.

12. Performance Measurement Strategy

A comprehensive Performance Measurement Strategy has been developed for the SARVAC Contribution Program, which provides the NSS/DND with the tools to manage the program for its intended results; namely through the adoption and consistency of protocols and procedures for GSAR volunteers across Canada, the strengthening of partnerships between GSAR volunteers and other NSP stakeholders, and through the delivery of national SAR prevention messaging at a local level.

Ongoing program monitoring will require the recipient to submit bi-annual progress reports and to record targeted outreach and awareness sessions in a timely manner. These reports will outline activities completed, progress towards achieving results and expenditures to date. Annually, a final report will document the resources invested and results achieved. This data will be recorded and analyzed to support the Performance Measurement Strategy as well as overall departmental reporting requirements.

Some of the performance indicators are quantitative while others are qualitative in nature. The quantitative performance indicators include the number of member associations, the number of standardized tools, the number of volunteers trained and qualifications registered, and the number of prevention sessions delivered. The qualitative measures include the strength of partnerships, the resolution of common issues of concern, the recognition and value of GSAR volunteers within their communities, and the extent and value which SAR partners assign to GSAR volunteers, both on response and prevention activities, as determined by stakeholder interviews. The following chart summarizes key results and measurement expectations.

13. Official Languages

DND will comply with the Official Languages Act with respect to providing services to the public and ensuring that the work environment is conducive to the use of both official languages.

The SARVAC being national in scope shall take the necessary measures to ensure they respect the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act and provide, whenever possible and where warranted, services in both official languages to the public. The SARVAC National Website and main source of public information will be made available in both official languages, whereas, Member Organizations will abide by the language requirements for the provinces and territories in which they reside and serve.

14. Authority to Approve, Sign, Amend and Terminate

The MND delegates, to the organization position of Director of Policy and Programs, NSS, the authority to approve, sign, amend and terminate the Contribution Agreement.

Date modified:

2023-11-15