Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative (ACSPI) | Public Safety Canada

Eligible expenses include expenditures such as:

• Fees and disbursements;
• Salaries and wage for permanent or temporary professional, clerical, technical and administrative services, including contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Commission, the Canada Pension Plan, the Workers’ Compensation Board, the Provincial Pension Plan or other Employee Benefit Plans;
• Services for personnel administration, accounting and bookkeeping, processing lawyers’ accounts and audit fees;
• Rent, normal utilities such as electricity, heat, water and telephone, maintenance of offices and other buildings, insurance and taxes, where these expenses are directly related to the project and are not core or ongoing expenses;
• Office equipment and minor capital acquisitions net of disposal. Minor capital acquisitions are defined as less than $10,000 per acquisition. The maximum expenditure threshold will be set at the time of Contribution Agreement development;
• Program supplies and materials;
• Travel and living expenses related to the delivery of the project, including transportation rental fees in accordance with the National Joint Council directive on Travel;
• Training programs;
• Administrative expenses should not exceed 15% of the total contribution provided by the Department for a specific project, if not already included within other line items. If administrative expenses are already included in other line items, then the percentage will be reduced accordingly;
• Honorarium. In Indigenous communities in Canada, it is deemed culturally inappropriate to “sell” knowledge as this knowledge cannot be owned by any one individual or institution. As a result, in Canada, Indigenous communities provide honorariums as a token of appreciation for services involving, or contributing to, cultural, traditional, or spiritual activities for which custom and/or propriety forbids a price to be set. Historically, Indigenous people were honoured with the gift of food, clothing or other necessities. In contemporary times, monetary gifts may be presented if it is given in the spirit of a gift, and not that of payment, in exchange for a culturally relevant service. Honoraria will be considered in line with accepted practices for a particular region;
• Computer services, library expenses, research costs and collection and analysis of statistics;
• Public awareness and educational activities consistent with the project’s objectives;
• Translation and simultaneous interpretation activities;
• Shipping charges, postage, licenses, and other fees;
• Printing and distribution activities; and
• Hospitality, based on the following criteria:
  In Indigenous communities in Canada, a great deal of the work that is done takes place in a communal setting – often, this takes the form of gatherings or ceremonies that have practical uses as well as fulfilling some of the spiritual and cultural needs of participants. Often more can be accomplished during a day-long gathering or ceremony than can be done in several meetings that take place on a regular basis or back to back. This is true for a number of reasons:
  • events take place that interrupt meetings
  • meetings are necessary for the purpose of doing business with government but not considered culturally important
  • gatherings and ceremonies involve more than just professionals and garner widespread community buy-in and support

  The sharing of food with participants, particularly at events with a cultural or spiritual element, is seen as an integral and important part of Indigenous protocol and culture. As a result, for Indigenous communities in Canada only, hospitality will be considered as an eligible expense for:

  • gatherings
  • feasts
  • ceremonies
  • circles

  Hospitality in this case takes the form of food and drink but does not include alcohol.