Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview of Ministry Goals

The Ministry's three goals are:

1. Thriving and competitive energy, mineral and petroleum resource sectors;
2. Safe and environmentally responsible energy, mineral and petroleum resource development and use; and
3. The Ministry, First Nations, communities and industry working cooperatively for the responsible development and use of British Columbia's energy, mineral and petroleum resources.

The Ministry's first goal is important because thriving and competitive energy, mineral and petroleum resource sectors are significant sources of employment for British Columbians and revenue to the Province, paying for education, health care and other essential government services. As we all need energy and minerals in our daily lives, our second goal is particularly relevant. The Ministry recognizes how important safe and environmentally responsible resource development is to British Columbians. With respect to our third goal, the engagement of communities and industry to work cooperatively for the responsible development of our resources is vital for the industry to thrive and prosper.

Linkage to the Government's Great Goals

Create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada
A wide range of Ministry strategies are being implemented in support of this goal, including: expanding opportunities for job training and placement; facilitating First Nation involvement; engaging communities and stakeholders; and ensuring reliable low cost electricity is available to support economic development and job creation.

Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none
The Ministry will continue to pursue best practices for oil and gas development, maintain effective, efficient regulation of mines and mineral exploration sites aimed at health, safety and environmental best practices, and promote the development and use of alternative energy technology and energy efficiency measures.

Cross Ministry Initiatives

The Ministry is working jointly with other agencies on the following initiatives:

Mountain Pine Beetle

Projections indicate the mountain pine beetle infestation could kill 80 per cent of the pine forest in British Columbia by 2013. Pine forests dominate the interior of B.C., and their loss has significant implications to the forest environment, economy and the communities that depend on those forests for sustainability. The B.C. government, through coordination by the Ministry of Forests and Range and the Provincial Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan, is working across a number of ministries to minimize and mitigate negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of the infestation, while recovering the greatest value and protecting public health, safety and infrastructure. In collaboration with other ministries, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources is accelerating the identification and development of energy, mineral and other non-forest economic opportunities and related infrastructure requirements in areas where the mountain pine beetle has attacked wood.

Asia Pacific Initiative

The British Columbia Asia Pacific Initiative ensures the province has a coordinated and targeted strategic plan in place that takes full advantage of B.C.'s Pacific Gateway advantages and Asian cultural and language base. The Asia Pacific Initiative defines B.C.'s future role in the Asia Pacific economy and identifies the immediate priority actions that must be taken to further integrate the province into Asian markets.

The Ministry supports the government's Asia Pacific Initiative by: promoting increased investment in British Columbia's mining sector and in new and existing pipelines, both within the province and through British Columbia from Alberta; streamlining and updating legislative and policy frameworks to minimize regulatory burdens and increase British Columbia's competitiveness; and the ongoing promotion of British Columbia's alternative energy generation technologies and hydrogen, fuel cell, and mining services sectors.

The Minister of State for Mining and staff attended the November 2006 China Mining Congress in Beijing to gather information, build relationships with key Chinese officials in the mining industry, and to attract direct investment into British Columbia mining opportunities. The forum was an opportunity to promote British Columbia-based mining, energy service and technology businesses, including mine engineering, reclamation and environmental consulting services, the Province's hydrogen fuel cell sector and alternative and green energy technology businesses.

2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

All provincial ministries, agencies and Crowns have been working together to ensure every available opportunity to develop sustainable economic legacies are explored and pursued so that businesses and communities in British Columbia receive benefit from the Games. The Ministry will highlight examples of excellence in British Columbia that support the concept of a "green Olympics" for both the Beijing and Vancouver Olympic events.

Regulatory Reform

British Columbia continues to make regulatory reform a priority across government, making it easier for businesses to operate and succeed in British Columbia, while still preserving regulations that protect public health, safety and the environment. A citizen-centred approach to regulatory reform will reduce the number of steps it takes to comply with government requirements or access government programs and services.

The Ministry supports the government's regulatory reform initiative by meeting its target of no net increase in regulations over the next three years. Any new regulation will be balanced with ensuring that those regulations that no longer serve a useful purpose are eliminated. This will shift the Ministry's regulatory climate to more cost-effective, results-based regulatory requirements that are responsive to our fast changing world.

The Ministry is leading or supporting a number of intergovernmental initiatives aimed at making material improvements to the efficiency of the regulatory and project assessment processes applied to mining and energy projects. These initiatives include those directed by the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers of Energy and Mines from across Canada, as well as proposed streamlining initiatives being developed bilaterally between British Columbia and Canada.

The Ministry's Oil and Gas Regulatory Improvement Initiative will advance the government's results based approach to regulation and reduce the regulatory burden on citizens and businesses. In addition, the Ministry has identified access improvements to Petroleum Titles Online as our Citizen Centred Regulatory Reform Project, and will be working to map the business process improvements by April 2007.

Citizen-Centred Service Delivery Initiative

Citizen-centred service delivery is a government-wide initiative to coordinate information, programs and services so that they can be presented to citizens in a way that takes their needs into account from beginning to end. The vision is to make it possible for citizens to access the government information and services they need in a simple and timely manner with a phone call, a mouse click or a visit to a service centre, no matter how many programs or ministries are involved in their request.

Examples of Ministry support for the goals of citizen-centred service delivery include an ongoing program for the upgrade and improvement of Mineral Titles Online and Petroleum Titles Online to meet client needs and provide public information, evaluating options for Coal Titles Online, and the planned establishment of two positions in Fort St. John to carry out First Nations and community engagement.

In support of the governments' FrontCounter BC initiative, the Ministry is working directly with the Integrated Land Management Bureau to support that agency's delivery of "single point of contact" services in a number of regional centres on behalf of natural resource ministries and agencies. The Ministry's clients will be able to seek information and make application for certain services through the Bureau. In addition, the Ministry is committed to making best efforts to achieve target adjudication times on applications that have been agreed to between the Ministry and the Bureau. Examples of services available through Bureau offices include: applications for Oil and Gas Permits, Notice of Work Placer and Notice of Work Mineral and Coal Bulk Sample/Small Mine Permits.

Performance Plan

Performance Plan Summary Table

1. Attract investment by working with industry to develop and implement focused marketing and investment programs to showcase British Columbia as a centre of excellence for energy, mining, oil and gas development.
2. Work with industry, post secondary institutions, the federal government and provincial agency partners to further establish British Columbia as an innovation and high technology research and education centre.
3. Promote innovative and aggressive conservation and electricity procurement programs.
4. Work to diversify British Columbia's fuel supply.
5. Improve British Columbia's competitiveness in energy, mineral and petroleum development, by providing leadership and information, and investing in infrastructure.

1. Review regulatory issues in cooperation with other levels of government to ensure British Columbia remains competitive, and monitor the provincial regulatory environment for global competitiveness.
2. Continue to identify opportunities for appropriate regulatory reductions while ensuring the integrity of environmental, health and safety standards.
3. Develop and implement a faster and simplified approach to multi-agency exploration and mining approvals, with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources as the single coordinating agency.
4. Expand and improve online service delivery and the use of e-business.
5. Introduce new, targeted royalty and incentive programs to stimulate development of oil and gas resource opportunities, and review existing programs to ensure that they are still current and relevant.

1. Work with industry to develop and implement focused training and marketing programs to inform British Columbians about opportunities in the energy, mining, and petroleum industries.
2. Build community and industry relationships by engaging them in discussion about the benefits and opportunities of resource development, and developing an offshore oil and gas benefits sharing model.
3. Increase provincial awareness of energy opportunities by engaging school students in a discussion of responsible energy, mineral and petroleum resource development.
4. Pursue financial and cooperative energy partnerships with industry, such as those developed with Independent Power Producers, communities and other levels of government.
5. Manage Columbia River Treaty and Downstream Benefit Entitlement matters.

1. Develop leading health and safety standards and practices in cooperation with labour and industry groups.
2. Improve safety compliance through inspections and audits.
3. Work with individuals, industry, environmental groups, universities, colleges and other government organizations to expand environmentally responsible energy, mining and petroleum development.
4. Improve environmental compliance through inspections and audits at development sites.
5. Encourage the development and adoption of "Clean" technology through innovative funding mechanisms.

1. Work with electricity generators, electricity utilities and consumers across British Columbia to ensure an active and coordinated focus on energy conservation in the province.
2. Increase the participation of local governments in the Community Action on Energy Efficiency Program and expand the First Nation and Remote Community Clean Energy Program.
3. Encourage the procurement of electricity from BC Clean sources.
4. Pursue strategic alliances with the federal government to further develop the hydrogen fuel cells industry and other technology that supports alternative energy.

1. Improve working relationships between industry and local communities and landowners by clarifying and simplifying processes, enhancing dispute resolution methods, and offering more support and information.
2. Support First Nations in providing cross cultural training to agencies and industry.
3. Assist industry with engaging First Nations in development proposals at an early stage.
4. Provide information about local development activities to local governments, education and health service providers to inform the development of social infrastructure.
5. Examine tenure policies and develop guidelines to address areas that require special consideration.

1. Engage First Nations to identify opportunities to participate in and benefit from energy, mineral and petroleum resource development.
2. Develop partnerships between First Nations, industry and government to fund skills, employment and business development opportunities.
3. Negotiate First Nations Agreements which engage First Nations from pre-tenure through to reclamation.
4. Involve First Nations and coastal communities in the development of an offshore oil and gas regulatory and benefit sharing model, and a remote Community Clean Energy Program.

1. Seek public opinion on the energy challenges and opportunities faced by British Columbia over the next ten years.
2. Host regional mining and community forums each year.
3. Continue the annual Sustainable Mining Award (implemented 2006) to recognize the achievements of communities, industry and organizations.
4. Review and improve all points of access to information currently provided by the Ministry to make more user friendly, and evaluate and improve existing public information strategy.

The Ministry made minor wording refinements to some of its objectives in the Service Plan, which clarify but do not alter the intent of the objectives.

The Ministry has revised all its strategies to reflect current and emerging policies and the British Columbia Mining Plan.

The Ministry added a new performance measure for community engagement, which we undertook to do in our 2006/07 Service Plan. The new measure is "Percentage of significant Ministry initiatives with communities/stakeholders/First Nations engaged".

A new performance measure was added to support our second ministry goal, which is, "Safe and environmentally responsible energy, mineral and petroleum resource development and use". The new measure is: Cumulative gigawatt/hours of electricity saved through the PowerSmart and PowerSense conservation programs. This measure replaces a measure from our 2006/07 Service Plan which was, "Percentage of new electricity generation from "BC Clean" and clean self generation sources" as the new measure is more easily understood.

Also supporting our second goal, the Ministry has redefined the flaring reduction measure as an index to make it more meaningful and easily understood. Based upon the aim of reducing flaring at oil and gas producing wells by 50 per cent in five years, the revised measure is "Flaring at oil and gas production wells", and is expressed as an index declining from a base of 100.