1. Effective Date
1.1 The policy is effective April 1, 2021.
1.2 The policy must be reviewed yearly on its effective date.
2. Scope of Application
2.1 The policy applies to clients who pay fees for the provision of services, use of a facility and assessment fees to the National Battlefields Commission (NBC).
2.2 Appendix A presents the services and service standards to which this policy applies upon the policy review date.
2.3 The purpose of the policy is to comply with Paragraph 4.2 of the Policy on Service and Digital.
3. Definitions
3.1 Fees: Any amount established for a federal entity by the Governor in Council, Treasury Board, a minister or this federal entity under authority conferred by a federal law or the capacity to contract and what is payable as a fee, right, cost or any other reason – for the following:
- Provision of services;
- Use of a facility;
- Granting by license, permit or other form of authorization of a right or advantage;
- Provision of a product;
- Recovery – even in part – of costs incurred relative to a regulatory system.
3.2 Service standard: Public commitment to provide a measurable level of performance that clients can expect to receive under normal conditions.
3.3 Refund: a credit, exemption or other type of refund of fees or a portion of the fees paid by a fee payer for a service, use of a facility or for a right or privilege where the NBC determines that a service standard has not been met.
4. Eligibility Rules
4.1 A client may be eligible for a partial or full return of fees paid when the NBC determines that a service standard related to these fees has not been met.
4.2 The justification underlying non-compliance with a service standard is assessed on a case-by-case basis taking account of:
- The proportion by which the service standard is not met;
- The impact on the fee payer of the non-compliance with the standard;
- Any circumstance beyond the control of the NBC that might have an impact on the NBC’s ability to comply with the standard;
- Any role that the fee payer may have played in non-compliance with the standard.
5.3 If it is determined that the non-compliance with a service standard related to a paid fee is the result of an exceptional circumstance beyond the control of the NBC, the fee payer may not be eligible for a refund. An exceptional circumstance may be related to:
- A disruption or unforeseen outage of a system;
- A natural catastrophe;
- An emergency situation leading to an operational shutdown;
- An increase in demand that disrupts normal operations;
- An unforeseen closure of offices, facilities or parking lots;
- A business interruption;
- An interruption or delayed services by external suppliers.
5. Refunds
5.1 Refunds are made in accordance with NBC procedures subject to the availability of updated information on the fee payer.
5.2 NBC refunds are made in Canadian dollars. For fees paid in foreign currency, the amount refunded will be converted into Canadian currency based on the rate effective on the date of payment.
5.3 Refunds take place on a regular basis all year long and must be initiated by July 1 of the fiscal year following the eligibility date. No interest is added to refunds.
5.4 NBC program managers will make a reasonable effort to inform eligible clients who have not received the refunds to which they are entitled or to obtain information on the fee payer.
6. Responsibilities
In compliance with the Policy on Service and Digital, the deputy heads at the NBC are responsible for ensuring that the services have exhaustive and transparent client-centric standards, related targets and performance information for all means of service delivery used, and that information on the subject be offered on the NBC website.
The chief financial officer must also ensure that corrective measures are taken to rectify any non-compliance with the policy, and program managers must also ensure that corrective measures are taken to rectify any non-compliance with the NBC Refund Policy.
7. Requests for Information
Requests for information on the NBC Refund Policy must be sent to: information@ccbn.nbc.gc.ca.
Appendix A
| Service | Service Standard |
|---|---|
| Access to the natural, historic and recreational site(no fee) | Access to the natural, historic and recreational site under normal circumstances. Events, maintenance and repair work, inclement weather and emergency operations may have an impact on access to the site. |
| Access to the Plains of Abraham Museum | Access to the Plains of Abraham Museum during opening hours and under normal circumstances following the purchase of admission. |
| Access to activities at the Plains of Abraham Museum | Access to the facilities and to an activity for the general public under normal circumstances following the purchase of admission. |
| Access to social, cultural, heritage and sports activities for the public at large (no fee) | Access to facilities under normal circumstances for the general public during an activity. |
| Access to historic, thematic and educational activities | Completion of an activity under normal circumstances following a group reservation at a scheduled time. |
| Access to social, cultural and heritage content online (no fee) | Access to digital solutions at all times under normal circumstances. |
| Access to a parking space | Access to a parking space under normal circumstances for daily permits. Upon request for monthly parking stickers. Periodic maintenance work, inclement weather and emergency operations could have an impact on access to the facilities. |
| Access to information and the protection of personal information | Response to requests within 30 days. If an additional delay is required, inform the client why within the first 30 days. |
| Receipt of requests to use the territory | Send an acknowledgement of receipt for requests to use the territory within 5 working days. |
| Commemorative program (no fee | Send an acknowledgment of receipt for a request for information on the commemorative program within 5 working days. |
| Access to archives (no fee) | Send an acknowledgment of receipt for a request for access to the archives within 5 working days. |
| Receipt of requests from the media and public at large (no fee) | Send an acknowledgment of receipt for requests from the media and the public at large within 5 working days. |