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Strategic Policy Division

The Strategic Policy Division provides corporate leadership, coordination, analysis and inter-agency communications services to the Ministry. Its success is based on championing innovative business approaches, and building and maintaining constructive and co-operative relationships with its partners both within and outside of the ministry. The Division consists of three branches: Policy, Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations; Service Planning and Performance Management; and Science, Economics and Analysis.

Functions of the Division include: coordination of the ministry's legislative program; corporate policy analysis and development; coordinating and leading on inter-governmental files at the municipal, provincial, national and international levels; providing committee support to the Deputy Minister and other members of Executive; development of "state of the environment" reports; economic analysis; development of policy and decision-making tools; Ministry service planning, reporting, and performance management; and, tools, expertise and support of Ministry evaluation activities.

Policy, Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Branch

Intergovernmental Relations:

Manages, analyzes and monitors relations between governments, including:

• key federal-provincial environmental programs;
• ministry participation in Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment;
• ministry participation with the State of Washington and other United States jurisdictions;
• ministry involvement with Union of British Columbia Municipalities; and
• international activity that affects the ministry, including trade agreements and global economic organizations and activities.

Legislation:

Manages the annual legislative cycle including:

• coordination of the annual legislative summary;
• identification and recommendation of legislative priorities;
• support and expert advice to executive, regions and programs on the development of requests for legislation and drafting instructions;
• consultation with Legislative Counsel and ministry programs in drafting legislation;
• support for the minister and executive to facilitate the progress of bills through the Legislature;
• management of the ministry's deregulation initiatives; and
• coordination of ministry Orders in Council.

Policy:

Leads or participates in the development of management approaches to public issues related to environmental protection and environmental stewardship, helping to ensure:

• that requirements of central government agencies are met;
• the integration of cross-ministry perspectives; and
• appropriate stakeholder consultation.

Planning and Performance Management Branch

Service Planning, Reporting and Performance Management:

• Facilitates ministry strategic planning activities and development of ministry vision, mission, goals, and objectives.
• Works with divisions/branches to:
  • develop strategies to support ministry goals and objectives;
  • identify information needs for effective decision-making; and
  • develop performance measures to track progress.
• Facilitates the integration of business planning across divisions and alignment with ministry and government goals.
• Works with ministry executive to develop service plans and annual reports.
• Provides support in the development of the government strategic plan.
• Sponsors a biennial Environmental Scan Workshop to explore trends (e.g. economic, social, environmental, political, business) that may influence or impact the ministry’s service planning and delivery.

Evaluation and Business Planning:

• Implements the ministry’s evaluation plan and provides guidance, tools, expertise and support to ministry evaluation activities

Science, Economics and Analysis Branch

BC State of Environment Reports:

The Ministry’s regular environment report, Environmental Trends in British Columbia, presents key environmental indicators based on the best scientific information available. It shows what is happening, why and what is, or can be, done about it. Environmental Trends in BC was released in 1998, 2000, 2002 and will continue to be released at 5-year intervals. In the interval, the focus is on issuing comprehensive reports on special sectors or regions.

The first of these sectoral projects, British Columbia’s Coastal Environment 2006, reports on the coastal land and marine regions of BC. This project was done in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre and the University of Victoria Geography Department, with contributions from Environment Canada. Presented in a series of six peer-reviewed technical papers, the results include background information on the issues, environmental indicators and supplementary metrics as wells as indicator summaries, links to detailed technical information and complete data sets. The reports focus on: Population and Economic Activity, Industrial Contaminants, Climate Change, Ecosystem Protection, Biodiversity, and Fisheries. The indicators along with information on "taking action" are made accessible to a broad audience through the website and a poster/brochure.

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Contacts

General Inquiries:

Strategic Policy Division
PO Box 9335 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria BC V8W 9M1
Telephone (250) 387-9666
Fax (250) 387-8894

• Laura Singer (Laura.Singer@gov.bc.ca)

State of Environment Reporting:

• Linda Gilkeson (Linda.Gilkeson@gov.bc.ca)