Cost Recovery Advisory Group (CRAG) Terms of Reference

November 2007

Introduction

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Cost Recovery Advisory Group (CRAG) is a vehicle through which group members will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the operational management of CNSC’s cost recovery program.  Group members will consist of stakeholder representatives from industry and a representative from CNSC. 

CRAG will: 

• provide stakeholder representatives information on the operational management of CNSC’s cost recovery program:
• allow stakeholder representatives the opportunity to provide feedback to CNSC on the operational management of its cost recovery program; and
• allow CNSC to seek  input from stakeholder representatives should any changes be proposed to CNSC cost recovery program.

Mandate

The mandate of CRAG is to provide a forum for ongoing open and transparent consultation with group members with regard to the operational management of CNSC’s cost recovery program.

Scope

CRAG’s mandate includes discussing items concerning the operational management of the CNSC’s cost recovery program and CNSC financial updates.  This includes the presentation of any relevant benchmarking studies or financial audits.

Respecting the independence of the Commission, as well as the established legislative and public regulatory processes, CRAG’s mandate does not extend to:

• discussing items or issues currently before the Commission (e.g., licence applications);
• negotiating issues to be part of the Commission’s regulatory agenda;
• discussing regulatory policy issues beyond the scope of the cost recovery program;
• discussing the appropriateness or extent of CNSC’s regulatory effort with respect to individual licensees; and
• discussing the appropriateness of any federal policy or legislation on cost recovery or user fees.

Roles and Responsibilities

CNSC’s Executive Committee is responsible for establishing and amending, as required, the terms of reference for CRAG.  

The Chair of CRAG is responsible for:

• setting the date, time and place of all CRAG meetings and for ensuring that this information is provided to members;
• organizing all CRAG meetings and ensuring that minutes of the meetings are taken and distributed to members and posted on the CNSC website;
• ensuring that CRAG members are given a fair opportunity to present their points of view;
• providing CRAG members with information on CNSC cost recovery program, cost structure, costing and fee setting methodology, when requested; and
• for reporting the views of CRAG members to the CNSC Executive Committee.

Stakeholder representatives are responsible for presenting the views and ideas of the organizations they represent and for reporting the views of CRAG members to the licensees they represent, where possible.

Membership

CRAG will consist of eighteen (18) members holding office for a two year renewable term. 

Representation in CRAG is indicated in the following table, and includes:

• Seventeen (17) stakeholder representatives - senior representatives from licensing groups and associations or councils,
• One (1) senior representative from CNSC who will be the chair and will report to CNSC Executive Committee.

Licensees exempt from paying cost recovery fees will not be represented on CRAG.   Since many of CNSC’s licensees hold more than one type of licence, membership on CRAG will be restricted to one representative per organization, irrespective of the number of licences held by that organization.

The CRAG membership will be reviewed periodically and revised, if necessary, based on changes in the field and at the discretion of CNSC.

Meeting Schedule

CRAG will meet at least once annually with additional meetings called as required. 

Meeting Place

CRAG meetings will be held at CNSC offices in Ottawa. Telephone conferences will be considered to save both travel time and costs.