Operating Context
Since the creation of Canada's first national historic park, Battlefields Park, in 1908, the National Battlefields Commission (NBC) has been responsible for the management, preservation and enhancement of this unique site. The NBC has a 2022-2025 strategic plan that guides its actions and presents its ambitions.
In 2021-22, the NBC's operational services continued to adapt to the health measures in effect, which had an impact on the organization of work (schedule, sharing of vehicles, etc.). As for the office employees, they were for this period, always in telework, apart from some exceptions.
The NBC has begun to reduce the deficit in terms of maintaining its assets and is counting on adequate funding to limit the safety risks for users and staff. In addition, the pandemic had an effect on tourist numbers and traffic in the park and the NBC faced the risk of client movements, but this was mitigated by additional funding.
In December 2021, the NBC launched its 2021-22 winter program at the same time as it unveiled the lighting of its Joan of Arc Garden.
In great demand, the NBC has received more than 120 requests to use its land in 2021-2022. In February 2022, the first event since the beginning of the pandemic, the Pentathlon des neiges, was held on the Plains of Abraham, in compliance with the health measures in effect in the province. These measures have continued to guide the NBC in its decisions on the possibility of hosting events on its territory.
In addition, the NBC has maintained its co-operation and partnerships with various stakeholders, particularly in the context of projects that have an impact on the Park's territory or periphery, notably with Parks Canada, the City of Quebec and the Department of National Defence. Other promotional partnerships were possible with Destination Québec cité and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, among others.
At the end of its strategic planning, the NBC established five strategic pillars, each linked to defined objectives from which derive actions to be undertaken during the period 2022-25.