Core Business Areas

The ministry has five core business areas and a special account. The first two core business areas, Sustainable Economic Development and Integrated Land and Resource Information, account for approximately 83 per cent of the ministry's business. A further sub-vote is the responsibility of the Agricultural Land Commission, which has its own service plan.

Core Business Areas:

1. Sustainable Economic Development

This core business involves the development of resource-based economic opportunities through land and resource plans, improved tools for balanced decisions and increased participation with First Nations. The core business is delivered by the 110 FTEs of Resource Management division on an annual operating budget of $11.5 million over the next three years.

2. Integrated Land and Resource Information

The newly created Land Information Services division delivers this core business by providing integrated, science-based land, resource and geographic information. The planned resources for this core business over the next three years include 420 FTEs, an annual operating budget of $45.9 million and a capital expenditure of $7.4 million in 2004/05 and $5.5 million in both 2005/06 and 2006/07.

3. Sound Governance

The Corporate Land and Resource Governance division (CLRG) delivers this core business by developing principles, policies and legislation to guide resource planning, tenuring, disposal and pricing to ensure the optimal use of Crown land and resources. CLRG also sets strategic policies concerning property assessment and manages contaminated sites on provincial land. During the next three years this core business is planned to be delivered by 22 FTEs on an annual operating budget of $2.7 million.

4. Property Assessment Services

The Corporate Land and Resource Governance division manages the Property Assessment Review Panels, and the Corporate Services division supports the management of the Property Assessment Appeal Board. This core business operates under a $1,000 vote which is fully recovered from BC Assessment. It is supported by the work of 11 FTEs.

5. Executive and Support Services

This core business is jointly delivered by the Minister's Office, the Minister of State's Office, the Deputy Minister's Office and Corporate Services division. The latter division provides the finance, administration, information technology, internal communication and human resources support services for all ministry core businesses. It also provides some or all of these services to the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, the Agricultural Land Commission, the Property Assessment Appeal Board and the Environmental Assessment Office. Accountabilities to these different ministries and agencies are established by individual service agreements. Over the next three years the annual operating budget for this core business is $8.1 million, supported by 171 FTEs.

Crown Land Special Account

The Crown Land Special Account (CLA) is used to acquire land on behalf of government to preserve transportation and recreation corridors and sensitive ecological reserves. The CLA is also used to record land sales, land exchanges, land tenures and related disbursements associated with the acquisition, servicing, development and disposition of inventoried Crown land administered by Land and Water British Columbia Inc. Under a new accounting policy, the CLA is used to record free Crown grants and nominal rent tenures at fair market value for all of government. Except for $20,000 the budget shown in the Resource Summary is offset by a matching revenue resulting in a zero impact to the government's budget.

Related Organizations

The ministry provides strategic policy direction to Land and Water British Columbia Inc. (LWBC) and the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). The ministry also works closely with the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) by providing corporate support services.

LWBC administers Crown land and water allocation, and the ALC administers the Agricultural Land Reserve, while the EAO reports to the minister as a neutral provincial agency to coordinate assessment of the impacts of major development proposals in the province. Other related agencies, boards and commissions can be found on a chart of the ministry's organizational structure in Appendix 3.