Goal 3: Sound governance of land and resource management

Core Business Area: Sound Governance and Property Assessment Services

Objective 1: An effective policy regime for land and resource management

The ministry identified a full range of opportunities to reduce its regulatory burden and the resulting workplan is nearly complete. The ministry surpassed its 19.2 per cent deregulation target set for March 31, 2004 by reducing its regulatory burden by 24.1 per cent, and is expected to exceed its overall target of 30 per cent by June 2004. The ministry will soon undertake a review of the potential for a performance-based regulatory regime as part of the next phase of deregulation.

Principal Strategies:

• Review and develop effective strategic policies and legislation, particularly for property assessment, revenue, land and water linked to the Minister's Council⁴;
• Develop performance-based regulatory approaches; and
• Reduce the number of regulatory requirements.

This performance measure is used to gauge the progress in the ministry's efforts to support the government-wide goal of reducing the regulatory burden and outdated policies.

Accomplishments

• The Private Managed Forest Land Act created a mechanism for the continued regulation of forest practices on private land subsequent to the elimination of the Forest Land Reserve. The act provides for the continued protection of environmental values on private managed forest land and has created a new governing council representing an innovative partnership of members appointed by government and by owners of private managed forest land.
• The Sustainable Resource Management Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act underscores government's commitment to operate more efficiently, by eliminating duplicate or redundant requirements and by improving administrative processes in several acts. These amendments repeal a number of obsolete provisions and increase the efficiency of the application and licensing process for Crown land.
• Amendments to the Assessment Act clarify the authority of BC Assessment to assess tax-exempt properties. These changes avoided a potential loss of tax revenue for taxing jurisdictions of up to $75 million.
• Amendments to the Land Title Amendment Act will support an electronic filing system. These amendments allow the Land Title Office to accept strata property transfer forms electronically.
• Completed a review of land and resource pricing to ensure a fair return to British Columbians and to help create a competitive investment climate. The ministry also established a framework for negotiation and consultation with all resource sectors for going forward with reviews of all pricing regimes.
• Revised policies concerning free Crown grants and nominal rent tenures to improve government accountability for these dispositions of Crown land and to ensure that they support government's strategic goals.
• Streamlined the Property Assessment Review Panel process to improve client services and timely results. For example, the ministry developed a computer-based, interactive training program for members of the Property Assessment Review Panel.
• Initiated a property assessment review of port lands to ensure their long-term competitiveness.

Objective 2: Crown land and resource decisions are informed by First Nations' interests

Significant progress was made on this objective before the transfer in June 2003 of the ministry branch to the Treaty Negotiation Office. For example, the ministry led the development of strategic policies, including consultation policies and treaty mandates, to ensure that First Nations' interests informed Crown land and resource decisions.

Principal Strategies:

• Lead the development of strategic policies, including consultation, accommodation policies and treaty mandates, to ensure that First Nations' interests inform Crown land and resource decisions; and
• Provide corporate direction and advice on First Nations' interests for Crown land and resource decisions.

Note: Both strategies were transferred to the Treaty Negotiations Office.

Accomplishments

• Provided advice and support on corporate consultation issues to support ministry land-use planning and other ministries on operational guidelines for consultations, as well as on specific consultation issues.
• Helped negotiate protocol and other agreements with First Nations on economic development, land-use and resource management planning, data exchange and other matters, which will encourage investment and assist rural community development.

Objective 3: An integrated sustainable resource management framework that informs Cabinet and Treasury Board decisions

Upon ministerial direction, the scope of this objective was narrowed during the year so that a framework for sustainable resource management will only be applied to ministry strategic planning and policy initiatives. This will be accomplished through the application of Governance Principles for Sustainability. The performance measure was revised accordingly.

Principal Strategies:

• Develop policy guidelines for the implementation of the sustainable resource management framework;
• Develop an indicator report series — State of Sustainable Resource Management in B.C. — in collaboration with other resource agencies and the B.C. Progress Board; and
• Improve application of governance principles to land and resource management.

Note: The first strategy has been completed (see explanation of variance below) and the second and third are ongoing.

Accomplishments

• Finalized and posted on the ministry Website the Governance Principles for Sustainability, and developed application guidelines for the principles. The principles will be applied to ministry-led strategic resource management policies and plans such as the Working Forest Initiative, LRMPs and SRMPs.
• Co-hosted a workshop in November 2003 on "The Business Case for Sustainability."
• Worked with the Mining Association of B.C. and the Ministry of Energy and Mines to initiate development of a "Sustainable Mining Strategy for B.C."
• Co-chaired the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region.
• Participated in a five-year evaluation of the Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative.
• Was a key signatory to the "Framework for Collaboration: Launching the Five-Year Georgia Basin Action Plan."

Objective 4: Effective and efficient delivery of the ministry's mission

In order to achieve this objective, the ministry adopted performance planning, reporting and evaluation strategies to ensure that its performance is effective, efficient, accountable and risk-managed. The performance measure was chosen to gauge the progress of implementing performance reporting.

Principal Strategies:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive performance-management system.

Accomplishments

• Quarterly reporting system used by all divisions.
• Corporate calendar used by ministry executive.
• Released 2002/03 Annual Service Plan Report in June 2003.
• Successfully completed annual senior management planning meeting in late September 2003.
• Released 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan in February 2004.
• Implementing enterprise-wide risk management. High-priority risks have been identified and risk mitigation plans are being developed for these as the first stages in this implementation.