According to the government's Strategic Plan, "sustained economic competitiveness depends upon British Columbians maximizing the benefits from our natural resources, maintaining the quality of our environment, and enhancing the health of our communities."

British Columbia is world-renowned for its natural beauty, as well as its tremendously rich resource and land bases. It is the goal of government to balance sustainable economic development with protection of our physical environment, while always remembering it is precisely this sustainable economic development that provides government with the financial resources to maintain, protect and promote our physical environment.

Across our ministry, we will bring an approach informed by science to our actions. We will use a principled approach. And we will set clear standards. We will ensure that our standards for clean air, water and healthy sustainable communities continue to protect the quality of our environment.

In this three-year Service Plan, you will see that our ministry is committed to streamlining processes and regulation. By removing unnecessary process and outdated regulation we are focusing government resources on making decisions that provide certainty, clarity and results — and doing so quickly.

We are also committed to measuring our actions and activities. Taxpayers must hold government to account for the use of their tax dollars. You will see in our plan measurements for a number of the activities we undertake. I would ask you to read them, comment on them, and most importantly hold us to account for them.

British Columbia has a tremendous opportunity to showcase our province to the world with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We have incredible opportunities related to our physical environment. Our parks system is world class. Our backcountry areas bring visitors from around the globe. Our streams and rivers are a tremendous fishing draw. Our ministry will ensure that we work cooperatively with communities, stakeholders, the private sector and other levels of government to ensure that we are ready to welcome the world in 2010 — and for years to come.

We remain committed to the goals in this three-year Service Plan, and I look forward to working on behalf of British Columbians to ensure that we meet them.

Honourable Bill Barisoff
Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection

February 4, 2004