Report on Performance

Overview of Ministry Goals and Linkage to Government Strategic Goals

In early 2002, the government completed its Core Review of all ministries. The Core Review provided direction on three major areas of action for the ministry:

• Environmental Protection — shift to results-based regulation, industry responsibility and market incentives.
• Environmental Stewardship and Conservation — shift to results-based regulation and focus on priority ecosystems for protection.
• Outdoor Recreation — increase partnerships and private-sector involvement and move toward market-rate fees for service.

This direction, in conjunction with the ministry's mission and the government's strategic goals, is the foundation for the ministry's strategic direction.

Government Strategic Goals

The government's Strategic Plan is the guiding document for all government ministries. It outlines the government's goals for the province's economy, social fabric, communities and physical environment. It is the umbrella plan under which ministry service plans are developed. The government has set three strategic goals to support its vision of British Columbia as a "prosperous and just province, whose citizens achieve their potential and have confidence in the future." These goals are:

1. A strong and vibrant provincial economy.
2. A supportive social fabric.
3. Safe, healthy communities and a sustainable environment.

Ministry Strategic Goals

Under the government's Strategic Plan, the ministry is assigned the most accountability for achieving the government's objectives under Goal 3. However, all of the ministry's goals support the government's vision, values and strategic direction. These goals are:

1. Protect the environment and human health and safety by ensuring clean and safe water, land and air.
2. Maintain and restore the ecological diversity of fish and wildlife species and their habitats.
3. Provide and enhance park, fish and wildlife recreational services and opportunities for British Columbians and others.
4. Provide effective and efficient planning and support for ministry programs.

Over the past three years, the ministry has made considerable progress in meeting these goals and supporting the government's strategic direction by encouraging effective partnerships to protect the environment and by promoting economic renewal.

Report on Results

Each of the ministry's goals is supported by a set of objectives that shape ministry programs and activities and aim at achieving longer-term outcomes. These objectives are supported by strategies, which are developed within each program area. The strategies show the general approach the ministry is taking to achieve its objectives. Goals, objectives and strategies are updated as key initiatives are completed, new priorities evolve, innovative business models are developed or clarification is needed for public understanding.

To monitor our progress toward meeting the goals, the ministry has developed a set of performance measures. These measures are intended to provide a balance of outcome and output measures. Targets are set by programs based on historical accomplishment, government priorities and availability of resources.

For some measures, targets were set for years beyond the 2004/05 reporting year, and therefore were not specified in the ministry's 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan. As well, since the publication of the Service Plan, some measures have been discontinued. However, for completeness, Figure 2 shows how all of the ministry's goals, objectives and performance measures were linked in 2004/05. The following section provides further explanation of the measures and their results.

Figure 2. Synopsis of Ministry results

Goal 1: Protect the environment and human health and safety by ensuring clean and safe water, land and air.

Clean and safe water, land and air support healthy communities and the economy in British Columbia. This goal reflects the ministry's commitment to developing results-based environmental standards and workable regulation, protecting air and water quality and enabling the removal of contaminants from land.

Core Business Area: Environmental Protection

Objective 1: Streamline standards and improve monitoring, reporting and compliance.

The ministry has been shifting from a prescriptive approach to environmental regulation to a results-based approach informed by science and is streamlining standards and processes to remove unnecessary impediments to business and to foster economic development. The ministry is working to change some of its processes, clarify regulatory requirements and improve the use of science for informing decision-making.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Reduce prescriptive regulatory requirements to decrease costs and processing time, and allow flexibility in the methods used to achieve environmental standards.
2. Revise legislation and associated regulations to enable implementation of innovative and results-based approaches.
3. Amend legislation and focus ministry efforts to ensure effective clean-up of previously contaminated sites that pose a high risk to human health and the environment.
4. Update the scientific information used to develop guidelines and standards for environmental protection.
5. Implement an effective data collection process and information network that supports air and water quality monitoring, tracks trends and provides for transparent progress reporting.
6. Maintain regulatory activities to monitor achievement of standards.
7. Work in partnership with stakeholders to develop new compliance tools, such as stewardship initiatives, which prevent violations and result in higher rates of compliance.

Performance Measure and Results

Reduction in backlog of applications for medium- and low-risk contaminated sites.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

A key objective of the ministry's recent legislative and regulatory changes was to enable more timely decisions on applications from businesses. As indicated in the Premier's letter to the Minister in the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan, a priority for the ministry is to eliminate contaminated sites regulatory backlogs within 24 months (i.e., by March 31, 2006). This performance measure was introduced to monitor the reduction in the backlog of applications for low- to moderate-risk contaminated sites.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry has placed a high priority on reducing the contaminated sites application backlog and, as a result, most of the applications for low- to moderate-risk sites that were in the backlog have been addressed.

Considerable progress was made in 2004/05 to improve the regime for contaminated sites administration, including the coming into effect of the Environmental Management Act and related regulatory changes, as well as changes to approval processes. Effective November 1, 2004, all applications for low- to moderate-risk sites must be reviewed by an approved professional (i.e., someone selected from a government-established roster of private-sector environmental professionals) prior to being submitted to the ministry. This new requirement will reduce the time required by the ministry to handle new submissions for low- and moderate-risk sites and will enable staff to focus their efforts on addressing high-risk sites and issues.

Currently, the ministry's turnaround time for 90% of applications that use the roster-submission process is one to two weeks. One out of ten roster submissions is subject to a detailed quality review or "audit" to ensure an ongoing high level of performance by approved professionals.

Future Direction

The ministry is currently working with the Roster Steering Committee, which is responsible for administration and management of the roster of approved professionals, and with the Science Advisory Board for Contaminated Sites to expand the number of approved professionals as well as the scope of applications that they can review.

The ongoing efforts to streamline the contaminated sites regulatory regime will enable further reductions in processing times for contaminated sites applications.

Performance Measure and Results

Average processing time for issuing permits, compared to Alberta.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

The ministry is streamlining, where practical, the regulatory requirements perceived as an impediment to economic development and diversification of regional economies in British Columbia. This will result in consistent processing standards, encourage greater compliance and enforcement and result in lower costs to government and industry. Efforts to align environmental management approaches between British Columbia and Alberta are currently underway. This performance measure was introduced in the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan to assess the average processing time for issuing similar permits in British Columbia compared to Alberta.

Achievements and Key Issues

Base data for this performance measure are not yet available. Due to progress on two broader initiatives described below that have implications for the ministry's permit requirements and related processing times, it is not yet clear what base data would be appropriate for this measure.

As has been indicated in previous ministry Service Plans and Annual Service Plan Reports, the bringing into effect of the Environmental Management Act in the summer of 2004 and the subsequent implementation of regulatory amendments, codes and protocols are expected to result in significant changes to the environmental management regulatory regime. This will impact the operations and activities that are required to have permits, as well as the overall permitting processes. These changes are expected to decrease processing times for permits and other authorizations.

After signing a Memorandum of Understanding on May 26, 2004, British Columbia and Alberta are working to develop a better understanding of the environmental management approaches used by each jurisdiction. This work aims at determining the similarities and differences between approaches and to identify and prioritize harmonization opportunities. Permit processing is one of several areas that are being considered for harmonization.

Providing a meaningful comparison of permit processing times requires that both jurisdictions have similar permit requirements for specific operations and activities. Given the regulatory reviews and changes underway in both British Columbia and Alberta, efforts to acquire data for this measure will focus on the areas in which there will be similar permit processing requirements following the changes to the regulatory regimes.

Future Direction

The ministry will continue working to streamline permit requirements and processing so that they do not cause unnecessary costs or delays for permit applicants. Work will also continue to identify areas where harmonization of permit processing with Alberta would be beneficial.

Performance Measure and Results

Turnaround time for pesticide certification.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Applicators and dispensers of pesticides are required to be certified and candidates must pass the appropriate examination. In past years, candidates were required to wait at least six weeks for their examination results. This was viewed as excessive for candidates whose jobs depended on certification. In conjunction with the development of the Integrated Pest Management Act, the process for examination delivery was reviewed and streamlined with the intent to reduce the typical turnaround time to two weeks. This performance measure was introduced in the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan to monitor ministry progress in streamlining the approval process for pesticide certification.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry has introduced a streamlined approach to delivering examinations for pesticide certification in partnership with the Government Agents office in Nelson. This approach has enabled the ministry to not only meet its target of a two-week turnaround for providing examination results, but has also increased accessibility for those wanting to write the exams.

Future Direction

It is possible that the turnaround time for pesticide certification and other pesticide use authorizations issued by the ministry could be expedited further by incorporating additional electronic approaches to application and issuance. The ministry may explore this in the future.

Objective 2: Limit air pollution and contribute to British Columbia's efforts to respond to climate change.

Protecting the quality of air remains a key component of the ministry's goal to protect the environment and human health. This objective addresses that component of the goal. The ministry is undertaking action in a number of areas related to air quality issues in the province and supports the government's climate change action plan.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. In partnership with other levels of government, support the development of a climate change strategy and ensure the province's interests are addressed in a national strategy.
2. Encourage incorporation of environmental technology and clean energy into government and other operations.

Performance Measure and Results

Percentage of monitored communities achieving the Canada-wide standard (CWS) quality objective of amount of fine particulates in the air under 2.5 microns per cubic metre (PM_2.5).

Rationale for the Performance Measure

The outdoor air contaminant of most concern in British Columbia, from a human health perspective, is particulate matter (PM). Particles smaller than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) are believed to pose the greatest health risk. The ministry, in conjunction with regional districts and industry, collects PM_2.5 data from approximately 60 air quality monitoring sites from over 40 communities across the province. The percentage of monitored communities achieving the Canada-wide standard (CWS) for PM_2.5 has been selected as the performance measure. Use of this performance measure is designed to help the ministry determine how effectively it is achieving its air quality improvement targets.

Achievements and Key Issues

The results for this measure refer to the percentage of monitored communities that achieve the specified air quality objective. Historically, sampling efforts tended to focus on those areas experiencing air quality problems related to particulate matter. More recently, the focus has been on community-based monitoring in populated areas. As such, trend results should be interpreted carefully to determine if trends reflect actual changes to air quality, changes in the monitoring network, or other factors.

In 2004/05, the ministry continued to support several initiatives related to protecting or improving air quality in the province:

• Funding and regional technical support was provided for airshed activities in Port Alberni, Nanaimo, the Sea-to-Sky airshed, Golden, Nelson, Williams Lake, the Bulkley Valley-Lakes District and Prince George.
• A number of technical studies were continued or initiated to better inform air management decisions at the provincial or airshed level. These studies looked at:
• improved estimates of air emissions, including the finalization of the year 2000 emission inventory;
• odour standards used in other parts of Canada and elsewhere;
• meteorology's role in degraded air quality; and
• best management practices for application of winter road traction material.
• Stakeholder input was sought as a step toward finalizing a guidance document to assist users of dispersion models.
• Through the Wood Energy Technicians of British Columbia, a total of 22 Burn-it-Smart public awareness workshops were held throughout the province to educate the public on how to burn wood in a safer, cleaner and more efficient manner.

Future Direction

The ministry is working closely with other jurisdictions through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) toward improved implementation of the CWS for both PM_2.5 and ozone. Cooperation with other jurisdictions is essential because air emissions and air quality are trans-boundary issues.

Efforts are ongoing to improve our understanding of PM_2.5 sources and ambient levels in British Columbia. For example, special studies in Prince George, in addition to ongoing work in Golden, will use the chemical composition of PM_2.5 samples and other measures to estimate source contributions to ambient PM_2.5 levels.

Performance Measure and Results

Per capita greenhouse gas emissions relative to other provinces.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Elevated levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere are causing changes to global climates and climate-sensitive physical and biological systems. Reducing emissions on a worldwide scale is expected to slow the rate of climate change, and thus the timing of its impacts.

As stated in the 2003/04 Annual Service Plan Report, the ministry replaced its earlier measure — total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in British Columbia — with the current per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to other provinces outcome measure. This measure was previously selected by the B.C. Progress Board and is considered more appropriate since a per capita measure accounts for the largely unknown effects of future GHG commitments and clean technology development that are likely to apply to all provinces. The target of maintaining or improving on the province's current ranking of third lowest emissions per capita in Canada reflects British Columbia's commitment to keeping pace with, or exceeding, the overall national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Achievements and Key Issues

The target was met as British Columbia continues to maintain its ranking of third lowest GHG emissions per capita compared with other provinces based on 2002 data (see Figure 3).²

In December 2004, the ministry released Weather, Climate and the Future: B.C.'s Plan. This plan responds to and protects the interests of British Columbia. It builds upon the significant investments already made in clean energy, infrastructure and forestry and is complemented by actions already underway to adapt to challenges presented by the mountain pine beetle, forest fires and drought. The list of 40 actions contained in the plan are complemented by specific emissions-related targets for agriculture, buildings, government operations and other sectors. While government plays an important technical role in the development of policy options, industry sectors have a more direct role in making business decisions that can help mitigate climate change.

Future Direction

Ongoing efforts coupled with new initiatives by several provincial agencies, and by numerous other provincial stakeholders, will continue to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage the risks associated with the impacts of climate change.

Objective 3: Ensure safe, high-quality drinking water and reduce discharges that threaten water quality.

This objective addresses the component of Goal 1 that pertains to ensuring clean and safe water. A major priority is to implement strategies such as the one below. In 2004, the ministry enacted Phase 1 of the Ground Water Protection Regulation to ensure that wells are properly constructed, maintained and protected from run-off contamination.

Key Strategy

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategy for this objective:

1. Protect surface water and groundwater from health-threatening contamination by implementing groundwater regulations.

Performance Measure and Results

The trends in environmentally significant variables, such as metals and nutrients, that indicate the health of water for 30 water bodies monitored under federal/provincial agreement.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

British Columbia has 25% of the flowing freshwater resources in Canada. Protecting water quality requires ongoing efforts to monitor, protect and manage water resources on both province-wide and watershed-specific levels. This performance measure focuses on trends in surface water quality for 30 water bodies measured under the federal/provincial agreement. This outcome measure monitors trends based on environmentally significant variables, such as metals and nutrients. Tracking such trends will indicate the cumulative effect of multi-agency land use activities and resource management activities in source watersheds. This information helps inform how performance standards, authorizations and further monitoring activities are established for water bodies in the province.

Achievements and Key Issues

The target is for water quality trends in the monitored water bodies to be maintained or improved by 2006. In 2004/05, 96% of the monitoring stations in the 30 water bodies had stable or improving water quality trends, which is an improvement in the results from the previous year.

Data are collected and reviewed annually for each of the 30 water bodies to assess whether there has been a significant variance from the trend, and each water body is subjected to a detailed statistical analysis approximately every five years. Variances from the trend are usually a result of a significant event or issue and are reviewed further to determine the nature of the event or issue, and if any action is required to mitigate the potential risks to the water body.

Future Direction

The results reported for this measure reflect only the trends for variables and water bodies monitored under the federal/provincial agreement. There are also other variables and water bodies that are being monitored. Data from some monitoring stations indicate that the concentrations of some of these other variables, such as chloride, are increasing. This may be the result of human activities, or be related to lower water flows due to lower-than-normal precipitation. Such situations will continue to be monitored.

The ministry is working to improve the efficiency and expand the water-monitoring network. The ministry is revisiting former stations from which monitoring had been suspended for a period of time to ensure that past results remain valid and no new trends are forming. The ministry is also adding new stations to improve the spatial coverage and representativeness of British Columbia's water bodies in the monitoring network.

Objective 4: Reduce/remove toxins and wastes that contaminate land.

This objective addresses the component of Goal 1 that pertains to ensuring clean and safe land. The following strategy continues to be important for ministry effectiveness in attaining this objective.

Key Strategy

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategy for this objective:

1. Create a business strategy that enables producers to remove high-risk components from the waste stream and expand the number of products that can be recycled.

Performance Measure and Results

Number of product categories that pose a high risk to the environment with industry-led product stewardship.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Many provincial and international jurisdictions are encouraging development of industry-led product stewardship programs in order to expand producer responsibility for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products. Efforts tend to focus on reducing waste from product categories that pose relatively high risks to the environment. Hence, this measure of the number of product categories with industry-led product stewardship should be a reasonable indicator of success in attaining the objective.

This performance measure is easy to monitor at minimal cost. One limitation, though, is that the ministry is not solely responsible for attaining the targets related to this measure, and so cannot be totally accountable for its achievement. Performance targets are based on the expected lead time for industry-led product stewardship programs to be developed for additional product categories.

Achievements and Key Issues

The target of an industry-led product stewardship program being introduced in 2004/05 for an additional product category was not met. However, the ministry was successful in enacting a single, outcome-based, regulation for all regulated product categories. The Recycling Regulation, which consolidated the Beverage Container Stewardship Program Regulation and the Post-Consumer Residual Stewardship Program Regulation into a single industry stewardship regulation was enacted in the fall of 2004. This regulation provides a framework for all product categories that may be added in the future.

Other successes in 2004 included the role British Columbia had in leading a Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) task group in the development of a set of Canada-wide Principles for Electronics Product Stewardship, to assist and support jurisdictions in the development of e-waste programs. The CCME approved the Principles in the summer of 2004, and established a subsequent Electronics Product Stewardship Task Group, chaired by Environment Canada and consisting of the same members as the first task group. The mandate of the new task group is to promote consistency among jurisdictions in the implementation of the principles. In support of the principle that adjacent jurisdictions will strive for consistency in e-waste products collected, the task group developed a list of potential e-waste products that are most likely to contain toxic and hazardous substances.

The industry-led product stewardship program for recycling used oil that was launched in 2003/04 was expanded in 2004/05. The B.C. Used Oil Management Association, a non-profit, industry-led organization, has set up a network of collectors to pick up used oil materials from more than 4,000 commercial generators and more than 500 collection sites (125 collection sites were added recently). In the first nine months of 2004, the program collected more than 33 million litres of used oil, 3.6 million oil filters and 763 000 kilograms of plastic oil containers. This is a marked increase from the previous year.

Future Direction

Governments and industry across Canada are working together to seek common solutions for dealing with electronic waste. After lead-acid batteries, electronic waste is the second biggest source of heavy metals in landfills, posing new challenges to municipalities.

Now that the ministry has established a single regulatory framework for industry product stewardship, it will continue to work toward bringing new products, such as electronics, under the Recycling Regulation.

Future product categories suitable for industry-led product stewardship or extended producer responsibility will be determined by working with industry, local governments and consumer stakeholders.

Objective 5: Effective response to high-risk environmental emergencies.

Responding to environmental emergencies is an area in which the ministry is implementing its shift to focusing on high-risk issues. This objective pertains to all components of Goal 1, encompassing water, air and land. The ministry is undertaking a range of strategies to achieve this objective.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Implement a Flood Hazard Management Strategy to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the provincial government, local governments and others.
2. Respond effectively to high-risk environmental emergencies in conjunction with other ministries, local governments and industry.
3. Expand industry responsibility for response to and clean-up of spills.
4. Test industry, agency and ministry toxic-spill emergency response plans.

Performance Measure and Results

Percentage of high-risk environmental emergencies responded to effectively.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

The shift to focusing on high-risk issues is being achieved by increasing the use of partnerships and expanding industry responsibility for responding to low- and medium-risk spills. This outcome measure monitors the ministry's effectiveness in obtaining the objective of responding effectively to high-risk environmental spills, for which it has responsibility to respond. Due to the importance of responding effectively to high-risk spills, the target was set at 100%.

Achievements and Key Issues

In 2004/05, the ministry received 3,501 reports of hazardous materials spills in the province. Of these, 259 were high-risk spills. The ministry responded effectively to 100% of these high-risk events.

Evaluating effectiveness considers several issues, including identifying the spills that require attendance by ministry staff, timeliness of response, addressing the technical issues at the site, effecting proper response by parties responsible for the spill or by others when there is no responsible party, and ensuring appropriate clean-up.

During the last few years, the ministry has made considerable progress toward shifting the responsibility for low- and medium-risk spills to industry, local governments and other partners. The responsible party addressing a low- or medium-risk spill will report how impacts were mitigated to enable further monitoring and evaluation.

Future Direction

The ministry is continuing to monitor the use of the Risk-Based Spill Assessment Model, introduced in 2003, to ensure that it is accurately identifying the high-risk spills. The ministry is also working with local governments, industry, emergency response organizations (such as the Canadian Coast Guard), and other partners to improve the effectiveness of the response to all spills. Local governments are assessing the risk of all emergencies and developing response plans, which must be in place by 2006.

Goal 2: Maintain and restore the ecological diversity of fish and wildlife species and their habitats.

Maintaining and restoring ecological diversity, fish and wildlife species and natural habitats provides environmental, social and economic benefits for all British Columbians. This goal focuses on the development of effective legislation and the improved use of science, and promotes a shared-stewardship approach involving First Nations, other government agencies, stakeholders and communities within British Columbia.

Core Business Area: Environmental Stewardship

Objective 1: Clear strategies to protect and restore species and their habitats.

The ministry continues efforts to focus on environmental outcomes by providing clear direction and certainty for people who must comply with ministry regulations. To achieve this, the ministry develops standards informed by science and clearly identifies expectations and required results.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Reduce prescriptive regulatory requirements to decrease costs to government and industry and implement results-based stewardship.
2. Develop a strategy to provide a long-term vision and action plan for managing and conserving ecosystems, species and their habitats.
3. Work with the public, government and industry to identify, protect and restore species and their habitats for the conservation of ecosystems.
4. Provide clear guidelines and standards for appropriate protection and conservation of ecosystems, species and habitats on Crown land outside of the protected areas system.
5. Assess and respond to high-risk threats to ecological diversity (e.g., developing the Okanagan Mountain Park fire research framework) and identify opportunities to protect and restore key habitats within the protected areas system.
6. Undertake park management planning to ensure long-term management of conservation and recreation in parks and protected areas.
7. Streamline the Wildlife Act and other legislation, including clarifying the designation categories for parks and protected areas.
8. Maintain monitoring and reporting on the achievement of standards to manage and conserve species and habitats.

Performance Measure and Results

Ministry progress in establishing designations and objectives for fisheries, wildlife and water quality using statutory authorities under the Forest and Range Practices Act.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

The Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) is a critical piece of legislation for protecting and restoring species and their habitats. Therefore, it is important to measure ministry progress in establishing environmental standards under the FRPA. The ministry is assessing its progress under the FRPA by monitoring an output measure of the number of legal designations for wildlife habitat areas (WHA) and ungulate winter ranges (UWR).

Achievements and Key Issues

In 2004/05, an additional 160 WHAs were designated for a total of 320 (covering 658,935 hectares), which substantially exceeded the target of an additional 15 designations. An additional 13 UWRs were designated for a total of 28 (covering 2, 284,917 hectares). The UWR target of 15 additional designations for 2004/05 represented a doubling of the number of designations from the previous year. The target number of designations was substantially achieved and the total area established as ungulate winter range more than doubled.

Additionally, the ministry made significant progress in setting results-based environmental standards under the FRPA. Objectives were established for community watersheds and fisheries-sensitive watersheds. Also, licensees are now required to develop their Forest Stewardship and Woodlot Licence plans so that they are consistent with the FRPA's objective for wildlife.

Future Direction

The ministry will continue working to establish designations and objectives in all areas for which the ministry has responsibility under the FRPA. Data and targets for other areas, such as significant community and fisheries watersheds, may be provided as data become available. The ministry will also work to develop a long-term outcome measure and acquire trend data. Once designations are established, the ministry's focus will be on monitoring and reporting.

Objective 2: Improved use of science for the development of standards and for effective monitoring and reporting.

The application of the best available science is a key part of developing environmental standards and monitoring and reporting on their implementation and effectiveness. The ministry continues to focus on a range of strategies to achieve this objective.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Acquire the data, information and knowledge to support an approach to conservation that is informed by science.
2. Implement monitoring and reporting programs to track the status for species and habitats and their responses to management actions.
3. Develop standards and an assessment process to support an approach to the protection of fish habitat in urban areas that is informed by science.
4. Work with private- and public-sector partners to develop environmental standards and best practices for the Forest and Range Practices Act.

Performance Measure and Results

The percentage of known native species that are threatened or endangered in the province.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

The ministry is using an outcome measure of the percentage of known native species that are threatened or endangered in the province to track its progress in achieving this objective. This measure involves monitoring the status of species in the presence of pressures on habitat and associated management responses by both the public and private sectors. Measures of species at risk are used nationally and internationally to indicate the status of ecological diversity, which is a commonly used indicator of environmental sustainability.

Achievements and Key Issues

The base data are from a federal government report that was published for the first time using 2000 data. The next report is to be published in 2006 using 2005 data. Tremendous progress has been made in recent years to compile information on wild species, but considerable challenges remain to expand, improve and update the information.

The ministry continues to engage actively with its partners — the federal government, local government, First Nations, industry, conservation organizations and communities — in support of species at risk protection and recovery planning. Nearly 50 recovery teams are active in the province, bringing forward the scientific and socio-economic information necessary to guide public and private sector actions on the protection and recovery of over 125 species that have been nationally designated as being at risk in British Columbia.

There remain some key issues that underpin the interpretation and application of this performance measure. Results from different years cannot be readily compared because the number and percentage of species that are threatened or endangered change based on several factors that are unrelated to the rate at which species are actually becoming threatened or endangered. For example, the rate at which the national Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has been adding species to its lists in recent years reflects the rate at which it is able to assess the status of species rather than the rate at which species are becoming at risk.

Future Direction

This measure has not been included in the 2005/06 – 2007/08 Service Plan because new data will not be available until 2006. However, the ministry will continue to report on its activities and progress regarding species at risk.

Provincial, territorial and federal wildlife agencies are committed to an ongoing and comprehensive process for wild species assessment and monitoring. The Province will increase the number and variety of species it assesses, and will periodically re-assess these species, addressing any data gaps it identifies. The Province will also continue working toward recovering currently listed at-risk species. A challenge is that there is often a time lag between when an action is taken and when its impact is reflected in the data, thus the ministry's recent progress may not be reflected in the data.

Objective 3: Increased number of partnerships to conserve species and their habitats.

Partnerships will be a crucial mechanism in the ministry's shift from being sole protector of the environment to promoting a shared stewardship approach. The following strategies remain key to the ministry's success in sharing the responsibility of environmental stewardship with others.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Establish and maintain relationships with First Nations, communities, environmental organizations and academia to undertake activities to conserve ecosystems, species and habitats.
2. Provide standards, guidelines, best management practices and encouragement to private landowners to develop and implement sustainable stewardship activities.

Performance Measure and Results

Number of collaborative management plans with First Nations.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Given that partnerships are an important mechanism for a shared-stewardship approach to protecting the environment, the ministry has developed a measure to monitor its progress in establishing these important relationships. The ministry is currently focusing on measuring its progress in the specific area of establishing collaborative management plans with First Nations. These are important types of partnerships through which the ministry is providing a significant role to First Nations for making recommendations for protected area management.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry developed and negotiated numerous partnership agreements with various First Nations groups during the year. One collaborative management plan for protected area management received formal sign off. The ministry also successfully finalized a stewardship agreement for fish and wildlife with the same First Nations group.

This brings the total number of collaborative management plans in place to 15. Another five collaborative management plans are in draft stage and it is expected that the shortfall in meeting the 2004/05 performance target will be met in 2005/06.

Future Direction

The ministry will be reviewing the current process for the development and implementation of collaborative management plans and establishing new targets for this measure. The ministry has several other stewardship partnerships in place and is working to develop more; thus, it may broaden the scope of this measure in the future. The ministry may also consider evaluating the effectiveness of individual partnerships, as it is difficult to report in aggregate on the extent to which all established partnerships are appropriate or of how effectively they produce the intended results and contribute to desired outcomes.

Goal 3: Provide and enhance park, fish and wildlife recreational services and opportunities for British Columbians and others.

Park, fish and wildlife recreation contribute significantly to the provincial economy. To help ensure that British Columbia's parks continue to showcase the natural beauty of the province and attract visitors, this goal focuses on the provision of high-quality outdoor recreational experiences and services to users of the provincial parks system and on the optimization of the economic contribution of outdoor recreation.

Core Business Area: Environmental Stewardship

Objective 1: High-quality park facilities, services and recreational opportunities.

The ministry continues to focus on providing high-quality client service in provincial parks. Key areas in which the ministry is working to provide high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities are identified below.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Implement a new management model for B.C. parks to increase visitation through day use, camping and lodge usage.
2. Initiate further opportunities for delivery of appropriate park recreation services, through partnerships with commercial operators.
3. Monitor park operations to ensure service standards are achieved, facilities are maintained and conservation and habitat-restoration priorities are met.

Performance Measure and Results

Visitor satisfaction with park and campground facilities and services.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Camping is one of the key types of outdoor recreation that the ministry provides, with campground facilities and services provided in provincial parks throughout the province. To directly assess the ministry's effectiveness in achieving client satisfaction, the ministry has conducted an annual satisfaction survey of visitors to campgrounds in the provincial parks system since 1985. This is an important outcome measure as the survey results enable BC Parks to capture campers' views about the quality of services being provided in campgrounds, and, therefore, to identify priorities for service and facility improvements.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry maintained its visitor satisfaction rating based on the five-year rolling average, thus the target was met. The target in the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan was increased from past years to reflect recent performance. The target had been set at 75% previously.

The Visitor Satisfaction Index is the overall rating, averaged for the province, that campers give in the survey to five categories: cleanliness of restrooms, cleanliness of grounds, condition of facilities, sense of security and control of noise. The rating is based on the percentage of responses that are "excellent" and "above average." The ministry uses the index to determine how well these five particular services are being provided from year to year, and how effective service improvements have been. Figure 4 shows the Visitor Satisfaction Index for the past 10 years.

Figure 4. Visitor satisfaction index from 1995/96 to 2004/05

Visitor Satisfaction Index

Future Direction

To improve customer satisfaction and increase the number of visits to provincial parks, the ministry will continue to upgrade campsites, trails, water systems and other facilities. The ministry will also consider innovative ways to address changing demographics and camper demand for new services. These efforts will ensure that the province's parks provide world-class outdoor recreation opportunities.

Objective 2: High-quality hunting, angling and wildlife viewing opportunities.

The ministry employs a range of strategies to provide high-quality outdoor recreational opportunities related to the province's fish and wildlife resources and works cooperatively with several partners in this area.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Work with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. to cooperatively manage the stocking of fish in lakes and streams, undertake conservation activities and promote freshwater angling.
2. Implement new projects or partnerships to expand, enhance and diversify fish and wildlife recreation.
3. Increase the involvement of First Nations and users in allocating natural resources for hunting, angling and wildlife viewing opportunities.
4. Provide hunting and angling authorizations, based on allowable harvest levels informed by science, to ensure the long-term sustainability of wildlife and fish resources.

Performance Measure and Results

Client satisfaction with fish and wildlife opportunities.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Hunting, angling and wildlife viewing opportunities are other key types of outdoor recreation that the ministry provides throughout the province. Client satisfaction is an important intended outcome of providing British Columbians and visitors with fish and wildlife recreation opportunities. This performance measure was selected to determine the ministry's effectiveness in achieving this outcome.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry is currently acquiring the necessary data for this performance measure through a regular paper-based survey of hunters and anglers administered in the fourth quarter of each reporting year. The survey conducted in 2003/04 indicated that 80% of hunters and 89.7% of anglers were satisfied with their experiences. The results for the 2004/05 survey will not be available until after the publication date of this report.

Future Direction

The ministry plans to implement a comprehensive electronic licensing and permitting application using a phased approach. At such time as electronic licensing is in place, a survey may be developed and administered to hunters and anglers who purchase licences over the internet. An electronic survey method may pose some data challenges, but it is expected to be a more cost-effective means of data collection than the paper-based method used currently.

The ministry will continue to focus its efforts on working with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. to manage existing and create new fisheries. Currently, the society is responsible for stocking approximately 1,000 lakes and streams throughout the province annually and provides conservation fish culture services that support steelhead and sturgeon recovery programs. The society is also developing programs to inform and educate the public about fish in support of this important recreational and economic activity.

Objective 3: Optimize the economic contribution of park, fish and wildlife recreation.

Economic contribution is an important factor that the ministry considers when determining the level and type of park, fish, and wildlife services and opportunities to provide. The ministry is undertaking initiatives in several areas to achieve this objective, which are identified below.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Promote participation in recreational opportunities in conjunction with the provincial resort strategy initiatives.
2. Work with communities on the development of key parks and special tourism destinations.
3. Provide unique hunting and fishing opportunities to enhance regional tourism.
4. Provide appropriate cost recovery and financial return to the province for fish, wildlife and recreation services.
5. Explore electronic service delivery to improve the timeliness of licensing, authorization and permitting processes for fish, wildlife and park recreation.
6. Work with Treaty Negotiations Office and First Nations to explore options for tourism partnerships related to park, fish and wildlife recreation.
7. Develop agreements/partnerships with other governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to improve park and wildlife recreation opportunities.
8. Provide communication and education about recreational opportunities and services to clients, using web-based information sources.

Performance Measure and Results

Number of basic hunting and angling licences sold.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Fish and wildlife recreational services and opportunities are important sources of regional tourism throughout the province. The economic contribution from these sources is an important factor that the ministry considers when determining the level and types of fish and wildlife recreational services and opportunities to provide. This performance measure currently reports on the actual number of hunters and anglers benefiting from these opportunities in British Columbia as the trend in this data should provide a reasonable indication of changes in the economic contribution resulting from fish and wildlife opportunities.

Achievements and Key Issues

In 2004/05, the number of resident and non-resident hunting licences sold increased from the previous year (see Figure 5 below). However, the number of angling licences sold to both residents and non-residents declined slightly. There are a number of factors that could have contributed to the number of anglers being slightly lower than in the previous year. These include the weather conditions over the past two summers and the potential threat of forest fires, and previous licence fee increases to which anglers may still be adjusting.

Figure 5. Number of basic hunting and angling licences sold from 2000/01 to 2004/05

Number of Basic Hunting and Angling Licences Sold

Future Direction

Economic contribution can be estimated and reported in various ways. With the demographic characteristics of hunters and anglers changing, and increasing pressures placed on fish and wildlife populations, the focus when allocating fish and wildlife resources for recreation purposes is shifting from increasing the number of participants to providing unique opportunities matched to the preferences of participants. With this shift, changes in the number of basic licences sold may no longer provide a good indication of changes in the economic contribution of fish and wildlife recreation.

In the future, the ministry may consider including different performance measures to report on the contributions of hunting and angling activities to the province's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment. Possible measures are the percentage of the province's GDP contributed by hunting and angling activities, as well as the number of jobs dependent on these activities. The ministry has worked with B.C. Stats to develop an economic model for estimating economic contribution more directly. In 2003, it is estimated that hunting and angling activities contributed more than $160 million (0.13%) to the province's GDP. These activities also generated employment for approximately 9,770 British Columbians.

Performance Measure and Results

Number of recorded visits to B.C. parks.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Recreational services and opportunities provided in provincial parks make an important contribution to local economies throughout British Columbia. This economic contribution is an important factor that the ministry considers when determining the level and types of park recreational services and opportunities to provide. A measure of the economic contribution of parks is being provided though an estimate of the number of park visitors (measured as the number of recorded visits to provincial parks). The trend in this measure should provide a reasonable indication of the trend in the economic contribution.

Achievements and Key Issues

As a result of recent changes to its business model, the manner in which BC Parks collects park visitation data has changed. This change has resulted in inconsistent park visitation figures and figures that do not accurately reflect actual visitation trends across the province. As a result, the ministry has conducted an extensive quality assurance review of all park visitation data from 1999 to 2004. This review has resulted in revised visitation numbers for 1999 to 2004 and has led to a new methodology intended to track annual visitation trends across the province.

As a result of this review, overall attendance figures for 2003 were revised from the 17.4 million previously reported in the 2003/04 Annual Service Plan Report to 19 million. For 2004, the quality assurance process showed total recorded visitation as 18.3 million.

BC Parks has determined that the best way to measure annual trends in visitation is to report figures collected at parks, campsites and day-use areas where there has been no change to the number of collection sites or the duration of the collection season. BC Parks has identified 115 campgrounds and 83 day-use areas where visitation has been consistently recorded since 1999. Using these sites, measured from year to year, BC Parks is able to provide more accurate annual trend data, and estimates that from 2003 to 2004, the decline in visitation was approximately 3%.

A variety of factors can influence park visitation, such as global tourism trends, weather conditions, forest fires, gas prices, new day-use fees, facility conditions, and changing demographics and preferences.

(See Appendix E: Notes on Data Completeness, Reliability and Methodology for more information about the methodology for this measure.)

Future Direction

The ministry's target is to increase recorded visits to provincial parks by 20% by 2010. This is expected to be attained through a general growth in tourism in British Columbia, as well as through improving the camping and day-use experience for park visitors by upgrading park facilities, implementing the government's resort strategy and working with communities on the development of key parks and special tourism destinations. Tourism British Columbia is forecasting growth in visitor volume in 2005 of 2.0% for British Columbia residents and 2.3% overall. (Source: Tourism British Columbia. 2005 Tourism Outlook. March 2005).

As with the performance measure above — the number of basic hunting and angling licences sold — changes in the number of participants will become a less accurate indicator of changes in the economic contribution of park recreation as the types of experiences provided become more varied. Hence, work may be undertaken to more directly estimate the economic contribution of parks to the provincial economy.

Goal 4: Provide effective and efficient planning and support for ministry programs.

This goal reflects the ministry's commitment to provide corporate leadership and services for ministry programs. Goal 4 also reflects the ministry's priorities of support for government initiatives, fiscal responsibility and efficient client service. In 2004, the core business area Compliance Operations was introduced in an effort to more fully support ministry programs.

Core Business Areas: Executive and Support Services Compliance Operations

Objective 1: Clear vision, leadership, direction and support for all ministry programs.

The ministry strives to ensure that its resources are used to address high-priority issues in the most effective and efficient ways. To obtain this objective, the ministry focuses on a range of strategies related to management, planning, deregulation, regulatory reform and compliance.

Key Strategies

The 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan identified the following strategies for this objective:

1. Provide guidance on how the ministry will make decisions about initiatives based on the consideration of all relevant factors, including economic, social and environmental factors.
2. Establish strong strategic policy leadership that focuses on broad directions, continuous improvement and innovation.
3. Undertake strategic planning and provide leadership and support to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to ministry initiatives in all regions of the province (e.g., delivery through an effective committee structure).
4. Eliminate, revise or develop new legislation as appropriate to facilitate delivery of the ministry's strategic shifts and to address deregulation requirements.
5. Continue to guide and support the integration of science and risk management in ministry decision-making.
6. Participate and provide leadership in intergovernmental forums and associated initiatives to achieve provincial objectives (e.g., Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment [CCME], Union of British Columbia Municipalities [UBCM]).
7. Participate in interministry forums to accomplish ministry and governmental objectives (e.g., Partnership Committee on Agriculture and the Environment, the Ministry of Transportation Memorandum of Understanding).
8. Support key government initiatives, such as the government's economic and fiscal strategy, B.C. Public Lands Trust, the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and the acquisition of Burns Bog.
9. Effectively communicate expectations and results to staff, clients and the public.
10. Establish a formalized mechanism for business liaison to address concerns and expedite the resolution of issues.

Performance Measure and Results

Progress toward delivery of a three-year deregulation plan (measured as percentage reduction in ministry's regulatory count).

Rationale for the Performance Measure

As part of its New Era commitments, the government pledged to reduce regulations by 33% overall by June 4, 2004. This was the initial step in reducing the economic burden of prescriptive regulations for industry and other stakeholders. To support this initiative, the ministry had a three-year plan to reduce regulations by 38%. This measure monitors ministry progress in delivering on its deregulation plan.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry exceeded its target for the deregulation plan by reducing regulations by 42.38% by June 4, 2004.

The original deregulation program ended in June 2004. The government has entered a second phase of regulatory reform (June 2004 to June 2007), which requires all ministries to achieve no net increase in their baseline regulatory count, which is measured as of June 4, 2004.

Future Direction

In the 2005/06 – 2007/08 Service Plan, this performance measure and the related targets were revised to reflect the next phase of regulatory reform. The new measure is progress toward delivery of a three-year regulatory reform plan, with performance targets of a zero per cent net increase in the regulatory count in each of the next three years.

The ministry will continue to be judicious about maintaining appropriate regulations and using non-regulatory approaches and best management practices.

Performance Measure and Results

Progress in implementing risk management processes throughout the ministry.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

The ministry has been doing risk management for many years (e.g., assessing risks to habitat and park facilities, as well as assessing risks related to contaminated sites). The ministry's Service Plans have included strategies to further integrate risk management into ministry business processes. This is now a government-wide requirement. The ministry introduced this performance measure in the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan as a pilot measure to assess its progress in implementing risk management processes based on the ministry's risk maturity matrix.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry is an active proponent of risk management and has considerable experience in examining risks related to human health, the environment, public and private property, Crown Assets and its own business operations. Examples of these include risks associated with revenue, habitat, park facilities and contaminated sites. During 2004/05, the ministry managed a number of risks linked to the achievement of its Service Plan goals and its capacity to deliver its mandate. Some of these are summarized in Appendix D: Risk Identification and Ministry Response.

To assess its progress regarding this performance measure, the ministry is piloting an organizational risk maturity matrix that is based on approaches used by the Risk Management Branch of the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia.³ The ministry's progress in implementing risk management practices is being assessed for a few areas (leadership; culture and training; integration with planning, budgets, and business processes; and monitoring and reporting).

Using the assessment ratings of the Office of the Auditor General, a preliminary review of the ministry's risk management practices indicates that, on average, the ministry's risk maturity rating is "in process." The degree to which risk management processes have been implemented varies between program areas in the ministry, with some areas having had key aspects of risk management practices incorporated into their business practices for many years, and other areas having recently implemented these practices.

Future Direction

This measure is not included in the 2005/06 – 2007/08 Service Plan. The ministry is attempting to reduce its performance measures to focus on a smaller number of key outcome measures. Risk management will continue to be done as a normal part of the ministry's business operations.

Objective 2: Efficient program management, fiscal responsibility and client service.

Managing programs efficiently, meeting fiscal targets and promoting client satisfaction enable the ministry to have resources available for more initiatives and to make greater progress in delivering its mandate. To achieve this objective, the ministry is working simultaneously in a number of areas as reflected in the strategies below.

Key Strategies

1. Implement a comprehensive performance management framework, including effective monitoring, reporting and performance measurement.
2. Implement a human resources strategy that acknowledges changing workforce requirements, fosters healthy and knowledgeable staff, and supports achievement of business objectives.
3. Ensure service requirements and fiscal targets are aligned.
4. Work with ministries and others to develop effective agreements and memorandums of understanding to share expertise, services and service facilities across the regions.
5. Identify methods to reduce the costs incurred by those who must meet environmental standards, reduce conflicts and litigation, and eliminate service backlogs.
6. Implement an effective information system strategy.
7. Coordinate environmental assessment referrals for the ministry.

Performance Measure and Results

Percentage of staff with an Employee Performance and Development Plan.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

Achieving this objective requires ministry staff to focus on developing key performance and development goals that will enable them to contribute to accomplishing ministry objectives articulated in the Service Plan. A key initiative for ensuring that this occurs is a ministry requirement for all staff to have an Employee Performance and Development Plan (EPDP). This plan identifies what work an employee is accountable for and makes clear links to the ministry's Service Plan. As the EPDP initiative is being implemented, the ministry is using an output measure to indicate the percentage of staff with an EPDP.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry substantially achieved its target. In 2004/05, 99% of eligible ministry staff had an EPDP that linked their work and development goals to the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan. The 1% of staff who did not have an EPDP were in transition with their work assignments and will have EPDPs in 2005/06. The EPDP is proving a valuable tool to assist staff in understanding how their efforts link to the ministry's objectives and broader goals of the government.

Future Direction

The Employee Performance and Development Plan identifies the work to be undertaken by an employee as well as plans for the employee's development related to his or her job and career development. To follow-up on the EPDPs, the ministry is also committed to having all staff have a review of their EPDPs conducted at the end of the year. The ministry is considering that eventually it will move to an outcome measure that shows the extent to which work performed and staff development are consistent with the EPDPs.

Performance Measure and Results

Survey of ministry employees to measure workplace wellness.

Rationale for the Performance Measure

In 2003/04, the ministry conducted a wide-ranging staff survey to measure workplace wellness. The survey was timed to take the pulse of the ministry following restructuring, implementation of budget targets and workforce adjustment. It was to provide benchmark data enabling comparisons of results with other public- and private-sector organizations, and to identify key areas for improvement and allow for monitoring changes over time. This performance measure would allow for ongoing monitoring and assessment of workplace wellness and of the impact of the ministry's human resource strategy.

Achievements and Key Issues

The ministry did not complete a survey of its employees to measure workplace wellness in 2004/05 and has no plans to conduct further surveys in this area because similar surveys are being conducted by other government agencies. The Office of the Auditor General conducted a work environment survey in November 2003, which collected information relevant for each ministry. The ministry wanted to review the findings of this survey before launching another survey of a similar nature. The report, Building a Strong Public Service: Reassessing the Quality of the Work Environment in the British Columbia Public Service, was released in February 2005 and is available at http://bcauditor.com/AuditorGeneral.htm. The Public Service Agency plans to conduct regular work environment surveys and hence the ministry will not duplicate those efforts.

Numerous initiatives are underway within the ministry to support employee wellness. Examples include:

• The development of the ministry's revised human resource management strategy — its People Strategy. Objectives of this strategy include improving communication on the status of human resource related initiatives, supporting work/life balance for all employees, and promoting a culture of learning and development.
• The ministry is supportive of a flexible work environment and promotes work/life balance, recognizing that this is unique to each individual.
• Numerous division-level initiatives are underway within the ministry to support workplace wellness.

Future Direction

This measure is not included in the 2005/06 – 2007/08 Service Plan as the ministry does not plan to conduct further surveys in this area. The Public Service Agency will be responsible for administering annual Work Environment Surveys, with the next being anticipated in the fall of 2005.

Deregulation

As part of its New Era commitments, the government pledged to reduce regulations by 33% overall by June 4, 2004. The ministry's three-year plan was to reduce regulations by 38%, and this commitment was met with an overall reduction of 42.38%. (See the performance measure for deregulation under Goal 4, Objective 1.) The ministry has undertaken significant deregulation and regulatory reform initiatives that aim to ensure British Columbia's regulatory climate enables economic development and recreational activities while maintaining environmental standards.

Regulatory reform has been and will continue to be undertaken under each core business area as the ministry pursues its shift from prescriptive to results-based approaches to regulation. For example, the bringing into effect of new legislation (e.g., the Integrated Pest Management Act; the Environmental Management Act) and the amendment of existing statutes (e.g., the Water, Land and Air Protection Statutes Amendment Act; the Parks and Protected Areas Statutes Amendment Act) are intended to reduce regulatory burden, clarify responsibilities and make more efficient use of ministry resources.

Another three-year plan for regulatory reform has been introduced by the government. Over the next three years, the ministry will continue its review of legislation and regulations (e.g., the Wildlife Act) and measure its progress in delivering this plan using the new targets set in the government's regulatory reform plan.