Archived - User fees, regulatory charges and external fees

Fee name: Fees charged for the processing of access requests filed under the Access to Information Act

Fee type: Other Products and Services

Fee-setting authority: Access to Information Act, s. 11(1)(a)

Year introduced: 1985

Year last amended: 1992

Performance standard: Response provided within 30 days following receipt of request. The response time may be extended pursuant to section 9 of the Act. Notice of extension to be sent within 30 days after receipt of request. Additional details can be found in the Act.

Performance results: On-time responses (i.e. responses completed within their 30-day or extended statutory deadline) were provided for 96.7% of requests that were completed in 2016–2017.

Other information: Not applicable

Fee name: Nunavut Mining Regulations

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Territorial Lands Act

Year introduced: Effective since at least 1978; the exact date fees were introduced prior to 1978 is unknown.

Year last amended: The Canada Mining Regulations were changed to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Mining Regulations in 2007, with amendments to the royalty sections. On April 1, 2014, a modern version of the Regulations was split into two sets of regulations: the Nunavut Mining Regulations apply to Crown lands in Nunavut, while the Northwest Territories Mining Regulations apply to residual Crown lands still under the INAC Minister's authority after devolution. INAC is working with the Department of Justice to amend the Nunavut Mining Regulations so that mineral claims can be selected from online maps.

The map selection system would replace the current process of physically staking (locating) mineral claims on the ground in Nunavut. The proposed system, a modern, fast and secure way to acquire a mineral claim, would streamline the administrative process so clients could obtain immediate approval and ownership for mineral claims and tenure rights.

This would cut approval wait times for most mineral rights processes. Mining representatives were consulted in various ways and showed strong support for the project. Later in 2017, stakeholders will be invited to give feedback when the proposed amendments are published in Part I of the Canada Gazette.

Performance standard: Current service standards are set in existing legislation and regulations or published on INAC's website.

Performance results: All applications are managed within set timelines that vary depending on the transaction. For example, applications to record are completed some 90 days from date of receipt. However, if there are issues to address beforehand, some files may not be processed in this timeframe.

Other information: The fee or service sets in motion a series of land and resource management and environmental protection activities.

When the Nunavut Mining Regulations adopted the metric system on April 1, 2014, and fee schedules were changed to indicate hectares rather than acres, no complaints were received.

Full and estimated full costs for planning years are reviewed annually and currently represent the best available data.

Fee name: Northwest Territories Mining Regulations

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Territorial Lands Act

Year introduced: Effective since at least 1978, although exact date fees were introduced prior to 1978 is unknown.

Year last amended: The Canada Mining Regulations were changed to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Mining Regulations in 2007, with amendments to the royalty sections. On April 1, 2014, a modern version of the Regulations was split into two sets of regulations: the Nunavut Mining Regulations apply to Crown lands in Nunavut, while the Northwest Territories Mining Regulations apply to residual Crown lands still under the INAC Minister's authority after devolution. Since the Northwest Territories Mining Regulations apply to only a small amount of lands, there are no immediate plans to update or amend them to allow mineral claims to be selected from online maps.

Performance standard: Current service standards are set in existing legislation and regulations. There are no other separate service standards created given the low volume of applications. However, the applications are nonetheless treated with the same standards established for Nunavut.

Performance results: All applications processed within set timelines. These timelines vary depending on the transaction. For example, application to record is completed approximately 90 days from the date of receipt. Some files may not be completed within this time frame if there are issues to be dealt with beforehand.

Other information: The fee or service sets in motion a series of land and resource management and environmental protection activities.

When the Northwest Territories Mining Regulations adopted the metric system on April 1, 2014, and fee schedules were changed to indicate hectares rather than acres, no complaints were received.

Full and estimated full costs for planning years are reviewed annually and currently represent the best available data.

The forecast below accounts for the April 2014 devolution of jurisdiction to the Government of Northwest Territories. However, as the transfer does not apply to some remaining user fees, the Northwest Territories will collect only a small amount of projected user fees after devolution.

Fee name: Territorial Land Use Permits

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Territorial Lands Act and Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act

Year introduced: 1996

Year last amended: 2016 (for modernization); 1996 (for the inclusion of the user fee).

Performance standard: Current service standards are set in existing legislation and regulations.

Performance results: All land use permits were issued within the regulated timeline in Nunavut and on remaining crown lands in the Northwest Territories.

Other information: The fee or service triggers a series of activities related to land and resource management and the protection of the environment, all of which are controlled by the nature and scope of the resource development projects, e.g. mine development.

Reviewed annually, the full costs and estimated full costs for planning years represent the best available cost data at this time.

Fee name: Territorial Land Lease Authorizations

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Territorial Lands Act

Year introduced: 1996

Year last amended: 1996 (for the inclusion of the user fee)

Performance standard: Performance standards vary depending on research, negotiations and environmental assessment decisions and are shared with clients throughout the process.

Performance results: The fee or service triggers a series of activities related to land and resource management and the protection of the environment, all of which are controlled by the nature and scope of the resource development projects, e.g. mine development.

Territorial Lands full cost only reflects the processing of rental; it does not include the full use of land.

The devolution of jurisdiction to the Government of Northwest Territories in April 2014 has been taken into consideration in the forecast below. Note that there are remaining user fees that been excluded from the transfer to the Government of Northwest Territories since the 2014 devolution, which explains why these are reduced forecasted amounts.

Reviewed annually, the full costs and estimated full costs for planning years represent the best available cost data at this time.

Fee name: Frontier Lands Registration Regulations

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Canada Petroleum Resource Act

Year introduced: 1988

Year last amended: 1988

Performance standard: Standard requests should be processed within 10 working days. Requests that require additional research take additional time to process (requestor is advised of the delay at the time the request is made); please refer to Schedule 15 of the Frontier Lands Registration Regulations. The tariff of fees for a service set out in these columns is payable at the time the service is rendered. Where a fee is payable pursuant to these Regulations, it is payable to the Receiver General.

Performance results: All standard requests were processed within the established timeline. A number of requests necessitated further research, which resulted in additional processing time.

Other information: Reviewed annually, the full costs and estimated full costs for planning years represent the best available cost data at this time.

Fee name: Territorial Quarrying

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Territorial Lands Act and Mackenzie Valley Land Use Regulations

Year introduced: 1996

Year last amended: 2016 (modernization)

Performance standard: The issuance of a quarrying permit leads to the granting of a land use permit. As such, there is no timeline set in Regulations to process, issue or reject a quarrying permit application.

Performance results: Permits were issued once pre-conditions were met.

Other information: Not applicable

Fee name: Territorial Water Use Licences

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act for the Mackenzie Valley Federal Areas Waters Regulations; Waters Act for the Water Regulations (a Government of the Northwest Territories Act and related regulation that are used by the Government of Canada in the Inuvialuit Region of the Northwest Territories); and Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act for the Nunavut Waters Regulations

Year introduced: 2014 — Mackenzie Valley Federal Areas Waters Regulations; 2014 — Waters Regulations (Government of the Northwest Territories); 2013 — Nunavut Waters Regulations

Year last amended: 2014 — Mackenzie Valley Federal Areas Waters Regulations; 2014 — Waters Regulations (Government of the Northwest Territories); and 2013 — Nunavut Waters Regulations.

Performance standard: Performance standards vary depending on research, negotiations and environmental assessment decisions and are shared with clients throughout the process.

Performance results: All water use authorizations were issued once all pre-conditions were met.

Other information: The fee or service triggers a series of activities related to land and resource management and the protection of the environment, all of which are controlled by the nature and scope of the resource development projects, e.g. mine development. The Nunavut Waters Regulations under the Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act came into effect in June 2013. Extensive consultations with stakeholders were conducted and no comments were raised about the fees. In 2014, the Mackenzie Valley Federal Areas Waters Regulations came into effect under the authority of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. Limited consultations with stakeholders were conducted because the changes were administrative in nature to reflect the changes in the regulatory regime as a result of the devolution of water management responsibilities to the Government of the Northwest Territories from the Government of Canada.

Reviewed annually, the full costs and estimated full costs for planning years represent the best available cost data at this time.

The devolution of jurisdiction to the Government of Northwest Territories in April 2014 has been taken into consideration in the forecast below. Note that there are remaining user fees that have been excluded from the transfer to the Government of Northwest Territories since the 2014 devolution, which explains why there are reduced forecasted amounts.

Fee name: Territorial Coal

Fee type: Regulatory

Fee-setting authority: Territorial Lands Act

Year introduced: Effective since at least 1978; exact date fees were introduced prior to 1978 is unknown.

Year last amended: 2003

Performance standard: Exploration permits are issued once consultations are complete.

Performance results: Permits were issued upon completion of consultations.

Other information: Not applicable