Part A: Ministry of Agriculture and Lands — Continued

Purpose and Vision, Mission and Values

Purpose

The mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands is to:

Agriculture and food sectors encompass the agriculture and food/seafood processing sectors, as well as the aquaculture sector, including fish, shellfish and marine plant farming and their products. These sectors as a whole generate consumer sales of more than $22 billion a year and over 280,000 jobs to B.C.'s economy. The Ministry supports the industry through a wide-range of activities, including assisting farmers and producers throughout the province to maintain safe agriculture and food systems, develop sound environmental practices and manage business and operational risks. These activities support the protection of human health and safety as well as enhance economic development and environmental sustainability.

The Ministry is also responsible for administration of Crown land, which comprises 94 per cent of the provincial land base. Its primary activities in this area are to develop policy to guide the allocation of Crown land and to support the implementation of this policy, including policy and guidance to promote effective involvement of First Nations. These activities are aimed at supporting economic growth in the province while balancing environmental and social values. This focus is essential to improving the global competitiveness of British Columbia, enhancing our ability to attract private investment and stimulating economic growth and job creation across the province. As part of this mandate, the Ministry is also responsible for managing those contaminated sites that are the responsibility of the province.

A complete list of legislation for which the Ministry is responsible is available at http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/PROCS/allacts/al.HTM.

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

World class food, agriculture and Crown land management systems that contribute to the prosperity of all British Columbians.

Mission

During 2005/06 the Ministry clarified its mission statement reflected in the 2005/06 – 2007/08 Service Plan Update, released in September 2005. The context and intent remains the same; however, we believe the new mission statement provides a clearer picture of what we do:

For the benefit of British Columbians, we will:

Values

The Ministry's core values shape and guide the development of our strategies, our decision-making and how we interact with clients and each other. They are consistent with and enhance government's corporate-wide values.

Fair and Equitable — We build and maintain an effective spirit of teamwork and cooperation based on trust, integrity, flexibility and innovation. We value our diverse workforce and create a work environment that is welcoming and inclusive. We listen to each other and remain receptive to ideas regardless of their origin. We engage people at all levels of the Ministry as we communicate our expectations and decisions. We balance personal and workplace expectations and strive to keep both in mind as we meet the demands of public service.

Responsible and Accountable — We emphasize responsible use of government resources and transparency in accounting for the use of those resources.

Service-oriented — We respond to the needs of the public, sector groups, communities and staff in a timely and courteous manner. We treat each other and those we serve with fairness, dignity and compassion.

Goal-oriented — We strive to improve our performance and recognize our progress. We encourage an entrepreneurial spirit by providing the tools for staff to make decisions to manage risks and achieve results.