How we will continue to be a leading edge jurisdiction for the 21st century

In 1999, Alberta's Commitment to Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management was released. Signed by Premier Ralph Klein, this policy document reconfirmed Alberta's commitment to sustainable development. It outlined the government's approach to ensuring a prosperous economy and a healthy environment – it was built on a shared vision, clear provincial direction, effective decision-making, and an effective and up-to-date legislative/regulatory regime.

In late 2001, the government explored this further looking at regulatory systems. A report by Vance MacNichol, A Proposal for Regulating Resource Development, was completed in December 2002. The report proposed six interconnected recommendations that focused on a shared commitment to “direction setting and management”:

• integrating cross-ministry policies for sustainable resource and environmental management
• assigning a single regulator responsible for the full life cycle of each resource project/activity
• developing and harmonizing sustainable resource and environmental management standards
• ensuring a formal, transparent and procedurally fair appeal process
• integrating environmental and resource information systems
• developing a transition plan to implement the new integrated direction setting and management and “one regulator” delivery approaches

Later in 2002, Alberta Environment recognized the need for regulatory reform but saw that this had to be looked at in a much broader and more strategic context – regulatory changes alone would not solve the challenges facing the ministry and government. We had to deal with a number of “drivers for change” –continued economic and population growth, increasing complexity of environmental issues, rising public expectations, the need for better information, and unsustainable staff workloads.

The department could address these issues, and the issue of regulatory reform, by moving from being a traditional regulator to taking a strategic approach to managing the environment supported by five strategic shifts: government-wide vision and shared implementation across departments, shared responsibility, place-based approaches, more flexible regulatory and non-regulatory tools and incentives, and continuous improvement.

Where to from here?

The 2005-08 Business Plan discusses the challenges the department was facing and how we were adopting a more strategic approach to environmental management that focused on priorities and environmental outcomes – the plan highlighted the five strategic shifts that would help move us beyond our traditional regulatory role.

This approach is driven by clear, concrete environmental outcomes and performance measures. It depends on a sound understanding of the environment (e.g., watersheds, airsheds, ecosystems) and an effective environmental management system, where the achievement of outcomes is supported by integrated policies across government, high environmental standards, effective delivery of programs and services, open and transparent performance assessment, and on-going adaptation for improvement.

All of this must be done in close collaboration with other government departments and many parties outside of the government (industry, NGOs, other levels of government, academic/scientific/technical communities, other stakeholders, and the public) – with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for achieving environmental outcomes.

Alberta Environment, as the “systems coordinator”, has the mandate to lead and facilitate government actions to achieve environmental outcomes.

Developing shared outcomes is the starting point. Achieving these outcomes has to be supported by integrated policies and standards, as well as integrated information systems. In 2005, the ministry remains dedicated to protecting our environment and ensuring our resources are developed in a responsible and sustainable manner. The greatest legacy we can leave for the future is our environment.