Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences, this report provides information on the total annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conferences for the Northern Pipeline Agency (NPA) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.

This information is updated annually and does not contain information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.
Expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences incurred by NPA support its mandate and the government’s priorities. 

The NPA was created by the Northern Pipeline Act (the Act) in 1978 to carry out Canada’s responsibilities in respect of the planning and construction (by Foothills, now owned by TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. or TCPL) of the Canadian portion of the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System (ANGTS), or as it is known today, the Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline project (AHGP). The first stage (the southern portion) of the AHGP was constructed in the early 1980s for the initial purpose of transporting gas sourced from Western Canada to the U.S.  Stage Two of the AHGP in Canada would comprise approximately 1,555 km of pipeline from the Yukon-Alaska border near Beaver Creek to the British Columbia-Alberta border near Boundary Lake, as defined by the NEB certificates granted under the Act.

On March 30, 2012, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, BP and TransCanada announced that they are working together on a work plan to assess liquefied natural gas exports from south-central Alaska as an alternative to the AHGP through Canada.  For its part, the NPA remains ready, engaged and prepared to lead the review of the AHGP.  As TCPL and ExxonMobil continue to develop the technical and commercial aspects of the AHGP, accordingly, the NPA is carrying out its responsibilities under the Act by working with federal agencies, provincial and territorial governments, Aboriginal communities, the public, the United States, and TransCanada.

For more information on NPA Plans and Priorities, see the 2011-12 Report on Plans and Priorities.

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

TRAVEL:

A. Public Servants:  The expense was in support of overseeing and regulating the planning and construction of the Canadian portion of the AHGP.  The NPA spent $113 thousand and $97 thousand for public servant travel in fiscal years 2011-12 and 2010-11 respectively.

This represents an increase of $16 thousand or 16.5% and is due to an increase in consultation and engagement activities with Aboriginal groups.