Program directory · Natural Resources Canada
Explosives Safety and Security
- Department
- Natural Resources Canada
- Program code
- BTL10 (NR)
- Core responsibility
- Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Explosives Regulatory and Business Services Branch within Natural Resources Canada is the national regulator of explosives and the centre of expertise for commercial explosives testing and research. It contributes to the safety of the public and all workers involved in the explosives industry in Canada, as well as national security. The Explosives Regulatory Division issues licences, permits and certificates to manufacturers, transporters, importers, exporters, and sellers of explosives, and issues fireworks operator certificates. The Division additionally provides oversight through the enrolment of sellers and manufacturers of explosives precursor chemicals The Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory is the only facility of its kind in Canada that carries out science and technology work on commercial explosives and contributes to national security via expertise in blast effects and chemical precursors.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosives Safety and Security | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $62M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Indicators added: Percentage of published guidelines that are reviewed and, if necessary, subsequently updated in the last five years. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators dropped: Number of seizures and denied sales of explosives or explosives precursor chemicals | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: Percentage of published regulations and supporting documentation that are reviewed and, if necessary, updated within five years. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of published guidelines that are reviewed and, if necessary, subsequently updated in the last five years. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Planned spending $7.6M, against $13.1M in 2025-26 (−42%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 10 | 2019 | 4 A lower number of seizures/denied sales of explosives is positive and means the target is met. This is indicative of the increased outreach/activities and regulatory changes that were initiated last year. Keeping this indicator low reflects increased safety and security for Canadians. Starting in 2020-21, the target will be listed as "Not applicable". | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 10 | 2020 | 4 The actual number of seizures and denied sales of explosives and explosives precursor chemicals was four, compared to the target of 10. It is positive that the actual number was lower than the target; the lower results indicate that there were fewer situations in which a seizure or denied sale was necessary. The reduced number of seizures and denied sales may partially be attributed to the increa… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | — | — | 4 The status of the result is not available due to the nature of this indicator, in which neither baseline information nor targets are appropriate. | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 90% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $6.3M | $8M |
| 2019-20 | $7.1M | $7.7M |
| 2020-21 | $7.1M | $7M |
| 2021-22 | $8.2M | $7.7M |
| 2022-23 | $7.1M | $9M |
| 2023-24 | $7.1M | $11M |
| 2024-25 | $12.1M | $11.6M |
| 2025-26 | $13.1M | — |
| 2026-27 | $7.6M | — |
| 2027-28 | $7.9M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $7.9M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 67 | 62 |
| 2019-20 | 70 | 66 |
| 2020-21 | 69 | 61 |
| 2021-22 | 58 | 60 |
| 2022-23 | 77 | 66 |
| 2023-24 | 70 | 73 |
| 2024-25 | 77 | 73 |
| 2025-26 | 77 | — |
| 2026-27 | 62 | — |
| 2027-28 | 62* | — |
| 2028-29 | 60* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $6,328,863 | $6,677,145 | $6,711,990 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $7,119,711 | $7,155,567 | $7,152,335 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $7,052,668 | $7,122,083 | $7,157,906 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $8,151,097 | $8,141,863 | $8,135,383 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $7,062,537 | $7,074,242 | $7,080,845 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $7,124,900 | $7,131,505 | $7,131,505 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $12,067,676 | $13,187,254 | $7,386,476 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $13,149,551 | $7,611,124 | $7,921,415 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $7,605,493 | $7,946,284 | $7,923,868 | ||||||||
| Actual | $7,984,612 | $7,678,854 | $7,016,372 | $7,664,996 | $9,047,183 | $11,023,561 | $11,562,761 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
