(SREM)
The recommendation that follows is addressed to three Deputy Ministers. For this reason, our observations have been placed in this standalone section.
Previous recommendation and government action
IRM now called
SREM What is now referred to within government as Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management (SREM) used to be called integrated resource management. Up until now, we have directed our recommendations on integrated resource management to the Ministry of Environment, whose Deputy Minister was one of the co-chairs of the Sustainable Development Coordinating Council (SDCC). This Council is responsible for implementing Alberta’s Commitment to Sustainable Resource and Environmental
Management, which was published in 1999.
The Commitment sets out the principles for “the wise management of Alberta’s natural resources and environment…now and in the future.”
In our 2002–2003 Annual Report (page 105), we reported that progress to complete the undertakings in the Commitment was slow. We recommended that the Deputy Minister of Environment, working with SDCC, should:
• plan and report against the Commitment annually to the Standing Policy Committee; and
• complete the legislative and regulatory regime review required by the Commitment.
We were concerned that without annual planning and reporting against the Commitment, accountability was lacking, and awareness of and interest in integrated resource management might diminish.
Three ministries
jointly responsible Instead of reporting against the Commitment in the spring of 2005 as was originally planned, in August 2004 the Departments of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development presented a report to the Standing Policy Committee recommending that the three Ministries be jointly responsible for developing and integrating cross-ministry policies for
Audits and recommendations Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management
The SDCC had reviewed the Commitment and concluded:
“The broad direction of the Commitment is still valid, but that the specific agenda may have been superseded by other initiatives, such as those highlighted in the Alberta government 20-year strategic plan. As well, approaches to decision-making and regulatory reform have changed substantially since the time of the Commitment document. Cross-Ministry involvement in policy is now the norm, but there has been less success in regional-scale cross ministry initiatives. As well, stakeholder
involvement has been inconsistent.”
The three Deputy Ministers (Energy, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development) believe there has been significant progress in advancing the Commitment as evidenced by the:
• report to the Standing Policy Committee identifying the high level priorities for implementing the principles of the Commitment
• recognition of their shared complementary responsibility for SREM
• creation of the SREM Project Office
As impediments to progress have now been resolved, and as our previous recommendation cannot be implemented as presented, we are making a new recommendation on the actions the three Ministries should take to maintain the momentum they have created.
Recommendation No. 14 Implementation
plan needed We recommend that the Deputy Ministers of Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Resource Development, with the help of the Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management (SREM) Project Office:
• publish a SREM implementation plan with projects, deliverables and deadlines, together with responsibilities and costs, and
• report annually to the Standing Policy Committee on their progress in implementing the SREM strategy envisaged in Alberta’s Commitment to Sustainable Resource and
Environmental Management.
Background
Resource decisions affect many stakeholders
Provincial resources include air, water, timber, oil and gas, coal and other minerals, and public lands. The government’s approach is to manage these resources by integrating decisions, policies, programs and activities so that the long-term benefits to society are optimized and conflicts between
competing stakeholders are minimized. Resource decisions can significantly affect businesses such as agriculture, oil and gas, and forest companies, along
Audits and recommendations Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management
The government’s objective for Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management (SREM) is:
• outcome-based management systems
• government-wide integrated management policies
• streamlined regulatory processes using the principle of one application, one approval, one regulator, one appeal and clear accountability
To achieve this objective will require the three Ministries to develop:
• government-wide vision with specified outcomes, and shared performance measures and information systems
SREM requires implementation of shared vision across ministries
• roles and responsibilities for multiple ministries
• approaches that integrate resource demands in a particular location (i.e.
place-based) taking into account cumulative effects on the environment
• systems to monitor, report and evaluate the quality of the environment
• tools and incentives to encourage, support and reward effective environmental performance
Criteria: the standards we used for our audit
We use the province’s accountability model to assess the success of the three Ministries in implementing integrated resource management, now referred to as Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management (SREM). Those who use public resources should:
1. Set measurable goals, and responsibilities 2. Plan what needs to be done to achieve goals 3. Do the work and monitor progress
4. Report on results
5. Evaluate results and provide feedback
We intend to report in our next Annual Report our assessment of whether the three Ministries have made satisfactory progress in meeting these criteria. For us to consider our recommendation implemented, there must be evidence that
SREM can and will be brought into operation in accordance with the expectations of the Commitment.
Our audit findings
Evidence of
progress As evidenced by its 2005–2008 business plan, the SREM strategy is the Ministry of Environment’s strategy for managing the environment. Both the Ministries of Energy and Sustainable Resource Development cite streamlined regulatory processes for sustainable resource development in their 2005–2008 business plans.
Audits and recommendations Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management
SREM Project Office, which is scheduled to begin operating by September 2005.
Implications and risks if recommendation not implemented In the absence of a timetable to make integrated resource management a functioning reality, there is no basis for assessing the success or otherwise of Alberta’s commitment to sustainable resource development.
Audits and recommendations Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development