The Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development was established in 2010 to foster integrated decision making on the land. Much has changed in the last 10 years and in light of this Premier John Horgan has asked Nathan Cullen, the current Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations, to assess whether land use objectives that support economic activity, environmental sustainability and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples can be more effectively achieved through restructuring.
To undertake this work, the Lands and Natural Resource Operations Secretariat (LNROS), led by Deputy Minister Lori Halls, was formed in January 2021. The Secretariat will take a thoughtful and inclusive approach to assessing the effectiveness of the current organizational structure, and in developing restructuring options for the Premier’s consideration. One of the options that will be considered is the development of a plan to create a new Ministry for Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
The Secretariat is guided by the following design principles. Each principle refers to the effectiveness of all organizational components – structure, systems and process, tools/technology and people. In applying these principles, we will consider how they support the Province’s three overarching goals of economic activity, environmental sustainability, and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
As part of the Assessment phase, Minister Cullen and Secretariat staff will be engaging with representatives from First Nations, Indigenous organizations, industry, non-government organizations, local government, labour and crown entities to better understand what is working well within the sector, where improvements can be made, and how the natural resource sector could be better structured to achieve the three goals of government.
Read the British Columbia BHA's letter to the ministry here.
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