This Business Plan for the three years commencing April 1, 2004 was prepared under my direction in accordance with the Government Accountability Act and the government’s accounting policies. All of the government’s policy decisions as at February 27, 2004 with material economic or fiscal implications of which I am aware have been considered in preparing the Business Plan.

The Ministry’s priorities outlined in the Business Plan were developed in the context of the government’s business and fiscal plans. I am committed to achieving the planned results laid out in this Business Plan.

[original signed]

Mike Cardinal, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
March 2, 2004

THE MINISTRY  

The Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development consists of the Department of Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB), the Surface Rights Board (SRB) and the Land Compensation Board (LCB).

The Ministry ensures that the values and benefits Albertans receive today from public lands and natural resources (forests, rangelands, fish and wildlife) are sustainable for future generations. Working with other Ministries, and within a strategic framework defined by 11 Acts and associated regulations, the Ministry develops and implements policies on land use and resource development that respect a dynamic balance among conservation, development, access and opportunity.

Figure 1: The Ministry supports the Goals of the Government Business Plan.

Alberta's public lands and natural resources (forests, rangelands, fish and wildlife) are managed within a policy, administrative and regulatory framework that benefits both present and future Albertans.

MISSION

To ensure the benefits Albertans receive from Alberta's public lands and natural resources (forests, rangelands, fish and wildlife) are achieved in a manner that is sustainable, equitable, responsible and in the public interest. 

SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Alberta's natural resources contribute to the high quality of life, and the high level of education, health and social programs Albertans enjoy. Alberta's dynamic economy and the ability to maintain it over the long-term are the direct result of the sustainable management of the province's natural resources. It requires a balance among environmental, economic and social benefits that Albertans receive from these resources. Key to achieving success in sustainable resource management is viewing natural resources and environment as interrelated parts of a single system. A number of emerging challenges and opportunities are influencing the strategic directions of this Ministry. Specifically:

• Industrial Footprint and Access Management: Resource development will continue to be an important part of the Alberta economy into the foreseeable future. Many sectors (oil and gas, forestry, agriculture, tourism) require access to public land and natural resources to support their economic viability and growth. Current growth trends in these sectors and in Alberta's population put considerable pressures on these public resources and challenges the Ministry's ability to manage for the multiple values Albertans expect from them.
• Sustainable Resource Management: Export-reliant economies that depend on natural resource industries need regulatory regimes that support sustainable resource management, in order to ensure reliable market access. A significant trend from the marketplace has been the requirement for resource industries to demonstrate the sustainability of their business practices. Within the forest sector, this trend has translated into requirements for certification that demonstrates sustainable forest management practices and challenges the Ministry to ensure that its policy, legislative and regulatory framework support and facilitate progress towards sustainable resource management.
• Climate Variability: The Ministry faces challenges arising from natural phenomena, such as climate variability. Recent years have seen significantly milder winters and lower precipitation, resulting in drought, extreme fire seasons, and pest outbreaks - such as spruce budworm, mountain pine beetle and grasshoppers. These natural challenges highlight the need for the Ministry to have regulatory practices that are responsive and adaptive to changing environmental conditions.

Arising from these challenges are significant opportunities to improve Alberta's sustainable resource management system, such as:

• access management approaches that minimize the industrial footprint on the landscape;
• strategic management approaches that demonstrate the effectiveness of Alberta's regulatory regime to achieve landscape and ecosystem sustainability and biodiversity;
• regulatory approaches that incorporate other values and users of the landscape; and
• forest management practices that incorporate natural disturbance characteristics and improve forest fuel management where practical and within the approved annual allowable cut.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2004-07

In response to the significant opportunities and challenges, the Ministry will be pursuing several strategic priorities over the course of the business-planning period. These are in addition to the important ongoing core activities of the ministry.

CORE BUSINESSES, GOALS, STRATEGIES AND MEASURES

The Ministry delivers its mandate through four core businesses:

1. Wildfire Management;
2. Natural Resource and Public Land Management;
3. Natural Resources Conservation Board; and
4. Surface Rights and Land Compensation Management.

The first two core businesses are delivered by the Department of Sustainable Resource Development. The latter two core businesses are the purview of the three boards, and are guided by specific legislation that provide the boards with their mandates.

The Ministry manages its core businesses through a performance management framework that demonstrates the relationship among desired impacts, inputs, core businesses, outputs and outcomes. Figure 2 summarizes this framework and reflects the current status of its development. Ministry staff will continue to work with all core businesses to evolve the performance framework as the Ministry explores and develops appropriate performance measures.

Figure 2: Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development Performance Management Framework
- linking what we do to why we do it.

CORE BUSINESS ONE:  Wildfire Management

GOAL 1: Alberta's forests and forest communities are protected from wildfires.

What it means

Wildfire Management protects the multiple values received from forests within the Forest Protection Area of the province by working cooperatively with municipalities, industry, and other stakeholders to prevent and suppress wildfires.

Strategies

• Provide a preparedness framework that enables the Province to respond to the event of wildfire in the Forest Protection Area of the province. Key elements of the framework include: effective policies, readiness/training, prevention, detection and early response.
• Reduce the risk and potential damage caused by wildfires within the Forest Protection Area by actively incorporating FireSmart practices and principles within communities, in cooperation with community stakeholders.
• Respond to the event of wildfire through a wildfire management regime that quickly contains and suppresses wildfires within the Forest Protection Area to minimize fire losses.
• Reduce the economic burden of wildfires on communities and their residents by implementing the Municipal Wildfire Assistance Program in partnership with Alberta Municipal Affairs.

Outcome Performance Measures¹

Output Performance Measures¹

CORE BUSINESS TWO:  Natural Resource and Public Land Management

GOAL 2: The values Albertans receive from forests and forest landscapes are sustained and enhanced for future generations.

What it means

Alberta's public forests and forest lands are managed in a manner that supports opportunities to sustain or enhance forest productivity, respects other, non-timber values from forested landscapes, and ensures Albertans receive an economic return from the province's forests.

Strategies

• Provide a clear, balanced approach to forest and forest landscape management through a policy, legislative and regulatory framework that maximizes the benefits Albertans accrue from forests and forest lands.
• Manage infestations of insect, disease and weed pests in Alberta's forests through effective detection and management strategies that recognize shared responsibility with industry, municipal and federal governments.
• Ensure sustainable forest management through adaptive forest management planning and practices by government and industry, coupled with appropriate compliance, assurance, and reporting mechanisms
• Increase the value of forest products produced from Alberta's forest resource through: unleashing innovation, competing in the global market place, leading in learning and strengthening Alberta's economy.
• Partner with International and Intergovernmental Relations and other jurisdictions to work towards a resolution for the softwood lumber trade dispute.
• Ensure Albertans receive an economic return for use of fibre produced on forested public lands consistent with the valuation of the resources.

Output Performance Measures

GOAL 3 :  The values Albertans receive from wild species are sustained and enhanced for future generations.

What it means

Alberta's wild species are managed and used in a manner that maximizes the environmental, social, and economic benefits that Albertans receive from these resources while ensuring they are sustained for future generations.

Strategies

• Provide a clear, balanced approach to fish and wildlife management through a policy, legislative and regulatory framework that maximizes the benefits Albertans accrue from these resources.
• Ensure high levels of compliance with fish and wildlife legislation by delivering appropriate education, prevention and enforcement programs; monitoring the use of fish and wildlife resources and ensuring timely and effective responses to non-compliance.
• Mitigate and reduce negative interactions between wildlife and humans.
• Consult with Aboriginal communities to sustain traditional uses of fish and wildlife resources within an overall framework of conservation.
• Maintain up-to-date management plans for all game species and species at risk to ensure decision-making enhances benefits of these resources to Albertans.
• Promote healthy fish and wildlife populations by working with stakeholders to mitigate, detect and manage threats from disease and invasive alien species.
• Sustain the recreational enjoyment of wildlife resources with appropriate allocation and licensing decisions and by supporting non-consumptive uses.
• Maintain a sustainable commercial fishery through the delivery of the commercial fisheries buyout program.
• Encourage sustainable fisheries by improving the fish stocking system, habitat maintenance and restoration, management information and public education, within budgetary constraints.
• Maintain Alberta's natural advantage through the development of an Alberta approach to biodiversity, including the development and testing of a biodiversity monitoring system for Alberta.

Output Performance Measures

GOAL 4 :  The values Albertans receive from rangelands are sustained and enhanced for future generations.

What it means

Alberta's public rangeland resources are allocated and managed to maximize their multiple uses while ensuring the rangeland remains healthy for the future.

Strategies

• Provide a clear, balanced approach to rangeland management through a clear and balanced policy, legislative and regulatory framework that maximizes the long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits that Albertans receive from these resources.
• Ensure that Alberta's livestock industry has access to long-term, secure public rangeland grazing.
• Support sustainable range management practices and decision through coordinated inventories, knowledge transfer and applied research programs.
• Encourage good stewardship practices by monitoring utilization of public rangelands.
• Manage public rangelands in a manner that supports the co-existence of multiple uses and resource values.

Output Performance Measures

GOAL 5: The values Albertans receive from public lands are sustained and enhanced for future generations.

What it means

The land manager strives to balance the environmental, economic and social values of Albertans within the context of sound resource management decision-making, through consultation with other departments, agencies, industries and stakeholders.

Strategies

• Provide an integrated, balanced approach to land use through a land management policy, legislative and regulatory framework that maximizes the benefits Albertans accrue from public lands.
• Develop and implement policies, guidelines and practices that effectively mitigate the footprint of industrial and commercial development on public land.
• Deliver clear, effective and efficient business processes that enable growth of tourism activities on public lands.
• Encourage sustainable land use practices through integrated land use planning by government and industry.
• Increase opportunities for fair and reasonable participation in the economic opportunities associated with resource development on public lands by working with resource based communities and industry.

Output Performance Measures

GOAL 6: Optimize the long-term benefits (environmental, social and economic) that Albertans receive from public lands through effective, efficient disposition management.

What it means

Land Use Disposition Management provides an integrated, balanced approach to managing dispositions on public lands, maximizing the long-term benefits Albertans accrue from public lands.

Strategies

• Ensure dispositions for the use of public lands are issued in a timely, effective manner with the appropriate and relevant conditions.
• Monitor existing dispositions to ensure the sustainability of public resources for other users.
• Provide an efficient and effective information management system for dispositions on public lands.

Output Performance Measures

Outcome Performance Measures for Core Business 2 - Natural Resource and Public Land Management

The following measures apply to all Goals within Core Business 2 - Natural Resource and Public Land Management:

CORE BUSINESS THREE: Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB)

GOAL 7:  All elements of the pubic interest are fully and impartially considered when reviewing major non-energy natural resource projects.

What it means

The Board, through the Natural Resources Conservation Board Act, ensures that where development occurs, it is within the overall public interest having considered the economic, social and environmental impacts of the proposed project. Project reviews include proposed forest, recreation, tourism, mining or water management developments.

Strategies

• Improve the hearing process to maximize the value of hearings to participants.
• Streamline and improve the energy, environmental and resource management regulatory systems in partnership with the Ministries of Energy and Environment.

Goal 8:  Alberta's confined feeding industry is regulated to ensure that its development balances the interests of the industry, the environment and the surrounding communities.

What it means

The Board ensures that development of Alberta's confined feeding industry reflects public policy, and that confined feeding operations and manure management practices are managed in accordance with the regulations under the Agricultural Operation Practices Act. This is done through the three business functions of assessment and approval, compliance and enforcement and reviews.

Strategies

• Streamline the application process by clarifying information gathering methods and requirements.
• Review proposals with consideration to social, environmental and economic interests.
• Enhance the existing compliance function to ensure timely and effective follow-up on complaints, strengthen ongoing surveillance of permitted operations, and implement appropriate enforcement responses to identified non-compliance issues.
• Enhance a communication and outreach initiative to relevant stakeholders in the confined feeding operations industry to improve awareness of regulations, increase overall compliance, and reduce the number of operations having unacceptable impacts on their neighbours and the environment.
• Use facilitation or mediation to assist parties in resolving issues prior to going to a hearing.

Performance Measures for Core Business 3 - Natural Resources Conservation Board

Performance measures for Core Business 3 are currently under development.

CORE BUSINESS FOUR: Surface Rights and Land Compensation Management

GOAL 9:  Fair access to private and Crown land for energy and oil and gas industry activities is provided.

What it means

The Surface Rights Board is an arbitration board authorized to allow entry on private and Crown land for energy activities. The Board also sets the compensation payable by the energy company to the persons affected by the entry.

Strategies

• Issue Right of Entry Orders to energy companies permitting activity on private or crown lands.
• Determine compensation for right of entry and review compensation throughout lifetime of the energy activity.
• Settle disputes and determine compensation for damages arising from energy activities.
• Recommend payment of compensation to landowner by the Minister of Finance where the operator defaults.

GOAL 10:  Compensation is provided where an authority expropriates private property.

What it means

The Land Compensation Board is an arbitration board authorized to determine the amount of compensation payable to a landowner or a tenant whose land is taken by an authority such as a municipality or the province for public works or projects.

Strategies

• Assess compensation amounts to be payable to landowners.
• Enhance public awareness and openness of Board proceedings by developing an information website and on line access to Board decisions.

Performance Measures for Core Business 4 - Surface Rights and Land Compensation Management

Performance measures for Core Business 4 are currently under development.

EXPENSE BY CORE BUSINESS

MINISTRY STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

CONSOLIDATED NET OPERATING RESULT

CAPITAL INVESTMENT BY PROGRAM

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