2003/04 – 2005/06 SERVICE PLAN Environmental Assessment Office

Goals and Core Business Areas

Core Business Areas

The core functions of the Environmental Assessment Office form the basis for fulfilling its mandated responsibilities. These core functions are delivered through two business areas:

Major Project Environmental Assessments

The Environmental Assessment Office oversees and manages the province’s major project environmental assessment process. The environmental assessment process examines environmental, economic, social and other aspects of proposed projects in the following sectors: industrial, mining, energy, water management (dams, dykes, reservoirs), waste disposal, food processing, transportation and tourism (destination resorts).

Corporate Operations

Many of the Environmental Assessment Office’s corporate operations are shared with the Ministries of Sustainable Resource Management and Water, Land and Air Protection. Corporate operations which are the responsibility of the Environmental Assessment Office include service planning, budgeting, staff development, policy and legislation, records management, and management of the Project Information Centre and website.

Goals

The core business areas support two broadly-stated organizational goals, four key objectives, and a series of specific strategies designed to achieve the mission of the Environmental Assessment Office.

Goal 1: Efficient and Effective Delivery of Environmental Assessment

This goal will be met by achieving two objectives — continual improvement of provincial environmental assessment and greater timeliness and procedural certainty where both the provincial and federal review processes are triggered.

This goal also supports the government’s commitment to enhance the alignment between environmental assessment and permitting/licensing and to fulfill government’s legal obligations to First Nations.

Since a large majority of proposed major projects trigger both a federal and provincial environmental assessment, operational processes (including work plans and dispute resolution mechanisms) will be implemented to enhance federal/provincial cooperation and minimize overlap and duplication.

Goal 2: Organizational Excellence

This goal is achieved by ensuring that the Environmental Assessment Office supports organizational development to optimize its ability to provide efficient and effective delivery of environmental assessment. It also entails ensuring effective communication with all those involved in environmental assessment.