Marine
Navigation Services Fee (MNSF). This fee - has nothing at all to do with safety or any Search and Rescue costs. This fee is being charged strictly to recoup Canada’s expenses for:
(a) services for the safe, economical and efficient movement of ships in Canadian waters through the provision of
(i) aids to navigation systems and services,
(ii) marine communications and traffic management services,
(iii) ice breaking and ice management services, and
(iv) channel maintenance;
User Fee: Marine Navigation Services Fee
Description: Intended to recover a portion of the full costs incurred by CCG to provide marine navigation services to commercial vessels. Services provided include short-range aids to navigation and vessel traffic services.
Fee Type: O
Fee-setting Authority: Section 47 of the Oceans Act
Date Last Modified: 2005
($ thousands) 2008-09 Planning Years
Forecast Revenue 27,617
Actual Revenue 31,106
Forecast Revenue
2009-10 27,617
2010-11 27,617
2011-12 27,817
External Fees
On November 29, 2004, Treasury Board Ministers approved the Policy on Service Standards for External Fees. The Policy requires departments to report on the status of service standards for all external fees charged on a non-contractual basis. DFO has established service standards for the following external fees:
Maintenance Dredging Services Tonnage Fee;
Marine Navigation Services Fee;
Icebreaking Services Fee;
Marine Communication and Traffic Services — Canadian Coast Guard Radio Communications Charges;
Hydrography — Sale of charts and publications; and
Fees charged for processing of access requests under the Access to Information Act.
DFO also collects external charging revenues through contractual arrangements that fall under the purview of separate federal governance instruments. The revenue information associated with these revenue arrangements continues to be reported in the tables on respendable and non-respendable revenues.
Marine Navigation Services Fee
Service Standard (1)
Short Range Aids to Navigation identified as required to support commercial shipping in Canadian waters are operational not less than 99% of the time in accordance with established levels of service.
Performance Results (2)
Short Range Aids to Navigation identified as required to support commercial shipping in Canadian waters were operational not less than 99% of the time in accordance with established levels of service.
Stakeholder Consultation
The current Marine Navigation Services Fee's rates and application were developed in co-operation with the commercial shipping industry in 1998.
Service Standard (1)
All vessel traffic services identified as required to support commercial shipping in Canadian waters are available from the Canadian Coast Guard's Marine Communication and Traffic Services Centres in accordance with established levels of service.
Performance Results (2)
All vessel traffic services identified as required to support commercial shipping in Canadian waters were available not less than 97% of the time in accordance with established levels of service.
Stakeholder Consultation
The current Marine Navigation Services Fee's rates and application were developed in co-operation with the commercial shipping industry in 1998.
(1) As established pursuant to the Policy on Service Standards for External Fees: service standards may not have received parliamentary review; and may not respect all performance standard establishment requirements under the User Fees Act (e.g. international comparison; independent complaint address).
(2) Performance results are not legally subject to section 5.1 of the User Fees Act regarding fee reductions for unachieved performance.
Other Information
Canadian Coast Guard Fees: Canadian Coast Guard is conducting a review of Levels of Service (LOS) to validate the LOS and service standards provided. Clients will be closely engaged in this process. The scope of the LOS covers all main CCG activities for which LOS are appropriate, regardless of whether there are external charges associated with them.
Access Fees: Commercial fishing licence fees and recreational fishing licence fees identified in the User Fees Table under Fisheries Management are not reflected in the External Fees Table, as reflect the value of the privilege/benefit of access to a valuable natural resource owned by all Canadians. Decisions that could come out of DFO's Fisheries Renewal initiative and Commercial Fishing Licence Fee Review could inform what future role and links should be made between access fees and service standards. The Pacific Salmon Conservation Stamp also has an access element, but is primarily designed to support salmon restoration and enhancement initiatives. The Sport Fishing Advisory Board of BC supports the licence and salmon stamp fees.
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dpr-rmr/2008-2009/inst/dfo/st-ts02-eng.asp
The MNSF was designed to recover a portion of the total costs incurred by the CCG in providing marine navigation services by the people using those services. It is currently being charged to all “commercial” ships, except the users noted. Please note the term “commercial ships”? IAW the Oceans Act (1996, c. 31). If you don’t think they can legally charge and collect this (through collection agencies), just click “fees” at the following link and start reading sections 47, 48, 49, and 50. By your laws, they very well can charge this “fee” – to EVERYONE who uses those services, including ME.
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/O-2.4/
Now, if you really want to look at something interesting and further complicate things… start reading your: User Fees Act (2004, c. 6)
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/U-3.7/index.html
Yep, the Marine Navigation Service Fee is, being currently charged to the “commercial” sector (since 199? – or whatever). However, that current charge being assessed to the “commercial” sector, just might have a problem passing the requirements outlined in the User Fees Act (2004). Is there a valid complaint there? Just might be!
This fee is NOT governed by Transport Canada (TC) and NO definitions in TC currently apply, it is governed by Fisheries and Oceans! Any definition, rules, or requirements falling under TC do NOT apply to the administration of this fee, unless/until DFO uses TC as a reference for qualifying who this fee will apply to, which they will probably end up doing to get the “commercials” screaming about it "not being IAW the User Fees Act" – off their back. The commercials are currently simply saying – under the User Fees Act, if we pay… all users should pay! What do you think is eventually going to happen there?
Right now… if you are a “commercial” guide, with a “C” number, and don’t qualify as a “fishing vessel” (which in my opinion you should under definition by the CCG and DFO - NOT TC), YOU WILL BE PAYING THAT FEE!
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