Environmental Assessment Office Role and Services

Vision

Sustainable economic development that reflects the social, cultural and environmental values of British Columbians.

Mission

Provide British Columbians with a well-designed and well-delivered environmental assessment process that reflects the government's objectives for economic growth, strong communities and sustainable resource management, based on maintaining high environmental standards.

Principles

The Environmental Assessment Office is guided by the following principles:

• Neutrality — Neutrally and centrally administered process.
• Fairness — Fair and open process.
• Balance — Decisions are based on impartial, balanced and informed recommendations.
• Science-based decision-making — Best available information, knowledge and technologies are considered and utilized.
• Consultative — Participatory and transparent, ensuring meaningful opportunities for public, First Nations and local government input.
• Inter-jurisdictional coordination — Streamlined process minimizing duplication and overlap.

Values

The Environmental Assessment Office is guided in its organizational behaviour by the following values:

• Cooperation and teamwork;
• Respect for the values and opinions of others;
• Continuous improvement to ensure quality service;
• A professional and high-performance culture, encouraging innovation and creativity;
• A healthy workplace supporting staff development, recognition, and opportunity; and
• Accountability to the people of British Columbia.

Overview, Core Business Areas and Structure

Overview and Core Business Areas

The Environmental Assessment Office leads reviews of proposed large-scale projects in British Columbia as required under the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act. The current Act came into force in December 2002, replacing the former act which had been in place since 1995. The current Act provides greater flexibility and timeliness than the former act.

Environmental assessment is a process for identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating potentially significant adverse impacts of major projects. The process examines a broad range of possible effects — environmental, economic, social, health and heritage - and supports balanced decision-making. Issues or concerns identified by provincial, federal and local governments, First Nations and the public may trigger modifications or changes to a project as it moves through the environmental assessment process. In addition, proponents have specific accountabilities in the review process.

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:

(i) Core Business — Major Project Environmental Assessments

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

(ii) Corporate Operations

Many of the Environmental Assessment Office's corporate services are shared with the Ministries of Sustainable Resource Management and Water, Land and Air Protection. Corporate operations that are the responsibility of the Environmental Assessment Office includes service planning, budgeting, expenditure control, staff development, human resources, policy and legislation, records management, and management of the electronic Project Information Centre (ePIC) and website. Resources for corporate operations are included under the Environmental Assessment Office's "Core Business".

The Environmental Assessment Office experienced significant budget pressures in 2004/05 due to the increased volume of reviewable projects. On average, 26 of the 29 FTEs were utilized and $2,834,000 of the $2,897,000 of the operating budget was expended.

Structure

For every project that comes into the environmental assessment process, the Environmental Assessment Office assigns a "project lead" and "core project team" to work with the proponent as they move through the various phases of review. This approach ensures that appropriate expertise is assigned to each project review. The "core team" approach also provides for a more efficient and flexible distribution of resources by allowing additional team members to be added or subtracted if and when required. All Environmental Assessment Office employees benefit from the developmental opportunities provided through project team work.

In addition to the project teams associated with each project, the Environmental Assessment Office has created sector leads to increase efficient and timely client access to sector-specific issues. For more information please refer to our website at http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca, and search for project leads in ePIC or sector leads under the contacts section.

Operating Context

The number of reviewable projects has nearly tripled compared to levels expected when the Service Plan and budget were first developed in 2001. The reforms made to the Environmental Assessment Act which streamline the environmental assessment process are providing greater process efficiencies for the Environmental Assessment Office and other provincial agencies. These reforms are also ensuring that British Columbia maintains a fair and balanced process that is competitive with other jurisdictions.

In 2004/05, the Environmental Assessment Office looked internally at Enterprise-wide Risk Management practices in order to assess risks and determine mitigating steps. For more information on the proactive management of our risks, please refer to the performance measurement section.

One project, the Vancouver Island Transmission Reinforcement Project, opted into the process in 2004/05. Internal and external factors contributing to the number of new projects that entered the environmental assessment process last year include:

British Columbia Economy — British Columbia's total real GDP per capita grew by 3.9 per cent in 2004, leading all provinces in Canada, after growth of 2.5 per cent in 2003. Domestic activity continued to be the main driver of economic growth last year and business investment in the province grew by 11.7 per cent.

Energy Sector Development — A variety of government initiatives have created a number of market opportunities in the energy sector. Projects in the environmental assessment process proposed by Independent Power Producers in 2004/05 were: Toba Inlet Montrose Creek Project (hydroelectric power), South Meager Project (geothermal power), Upper Harrison Project (hydroelectric power) Nahwitti Wind Farm Project (wind power), Knob Hill Wind Farm Project (wind power) and Holberg Wind Energy Project (wind power). Another energy project that entered the environmental assessment process last year was a liquid natural gas project located in Kitimat.

Mining Sector Development — Increasing metal and coal prices have resulted in increased investment in mining in the province. In 2004/05 there were a number of mining projects active in the environmental assessment process and a number expressing interest in entering the process. Those projects that were active included: Wolverine Coal, Cariboo Gold Mine, Orca Sand and Gravel, Red Chris Porphyry Copper-Gold Mine, Bear River Gravel Project, Brule Mine Project, Cogburn Magnesium, Galore Creek Gold/Silver/Copper Mine, Kemess North Copper Gold Mine, Morrison Copper Gold Mine, and Mount Klappan Coal Project.

Provincial Infrastructure Development — A number of major projects have been submitted for review in the last two years. The Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre; the Sea to Sky Highway Upgrade and the New Fraser River Crossing were certified in the year 2004/05. Still in various stages of review are the rapid transit link between downtown Vancouver and the airport, the expansion of Deltaport Berth Terminal, and the South Fraser Perimeter Road.

First Nations — The Environmental Assessment Office continues to work with First Nations to facilitate their participation in reviews and to ensure that potential impacts on First Nation's asserted aboriginal rights and title are identified and addressed through meaningful consultation and accommodation (where indicated) in accordance with applicable policy and case law requirements.

2010 Olympics — In 2003, British Columbia was awarded the right to stage the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2004/05 the Environmental Assessment Office led a harmonized federal/provincial review of the Whistler Nordic Centre.

Federal Government's Role — As a result of the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Environmental Assessment Cooperation (2004), there has been ongoing communication to facilitate agreement on project-specific timelines, the introduction of more effective management of federal participation, and the harmonization of federal/provincial reviews.

Risks to EAO — The above factors represent risks and opportunities to the EAO in managing project reviews to meet legislative timelines. The EAO is proactive in anticipating and scheduling activities to manage all projects within timelines.

New Era Commitments

While no New Era commitments refer specifically to environmental assessment, or the Environmental Assessment Office, the environmental assessment process contributes to the achievement of government commitments. The goals, objectives, and strategies of the Environmental Assessment Office reflect government's commitment to operate in an innovative, results-oriented, and accountable manner.