The government recently combined aspects of the Ministry of Forest and Range, Ministry of Mines Energy and Petroleum Resources, the Ministry of Environment and the Integrated Land Management Bureau together to make one blanket ministry known as the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

A flow chart and map displaying the workings of the new ministry was shown to the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako board of directors recently.

"This has been the biggest change over the last 50 years," said Eamon O'Donoghue, regional executive director of the Skeena region, which 亚洲天堂 Lake and the Lakes District is part of.

The Ministry of Forest and Range Nadina District office in 亚洲天堂 Lake now falls under the jurisdiction of the new ministry, with Josh Pressey taking up the role of District Manager. Previously Pressey worked in the Nadina office under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Forest and Range as the operations manager.

According to Pressey there are two groups working out of the Nadina office which include the Babine Timber Sales Office and B.C. Timber Sales, also under the banner of the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

The new ministry covers a long list of portfolios, including but not limited to, forest stewardship policy, timber supply, inventory and tree improvement, pest and disease management policy, B.C. timber sales, tenures and pricing, Crown land allocation and authorizations, roads, bridges and engineering, independent power production, mineral and coal titles, water use planning and authorizations and licensing and permitting for angling, hunting and trapping

The new ministry is also responsible for FrontCounter B.C, wildfire management, fish, wildlife and habitat management.

"The changes have brought regional operations together," said O'Donoghue.

The eight region model, which includes the regions of Skeena, Kootenay, Thompson/Okanagan, Cariboo, South Coast, West Coast, Omineca and the Northwest, is deemed to be 鈥渕ore workable鈥� by O鈥橠onoghue who said the changes will work to streamline operations and decrease permitting times across the board.

He also said the assistant deputy directors for each of the eight regions will be working in the regions.

鈥淏efore, this was sporadic [directors working in their region] now there is a conscious effort to do this, it鈥檚 a significant change,鈥� he said.

O鈥橠onoghue said many people have asked him why the government decided to combine the ministries. 鈥淧eople are very attached to the old ministries,鈥� he said.

He explained that work loads are ever increasing, while staff resources are down creating extensive back log of work.

鈥淲e have 30 per cent less staff than we had five years ago,鈥� O鈥橠onoghue added.

鈥淟ooking back I can see how little we [individual ministries] talked to each other. Clients were frustrated and said they needed us to act like one government,鈥� he said.

O鈥橠onoghue went on to say that the new ministry will offer clients increased efficiency, better coordination of decisions, improved management of decisions, better service and improved interactions with local governments and First Nations.

鈥淭he accountability will be in one place for these projects, before when we had multiple decision makers the process was not efficient,鈥� he said.

According to O鈥橠onoghue many of the ministries had back logs of six months to one year for project approvals and permitting due to staffing levels and that it was the objective of the new Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations to reduce these back logs.

He went on to say that currently there is a back log of up to 65 independent power projects in the Skeena region.

O鈥橠onoghue said that major projects on the Skeena region鈥檚 list are double that of anywhere else in the province.

鈥淢ining is up dramatically and there will be even more exploration this year,鈥� he added.

Bill Miller, RDBN director of area B said to O鈥橠onoghue that it currently takes one to one and a half years to get a cutting permit on a wood lot. 鈥淭his is completely unacceptable, are these time lines something that the ministry is looking at improving,鈥� Miller said.

O鈥橠onoghue said he understood that turn around times have been increasing.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 make these changes quick enough [combining ministries]. Consultations with First Nations over the land base are also getting more complex. Over the last three years turn around times have increased significantly. It is a lag [in service] I am not going to pretend it isn鈥檛 and it will take time for things to get into place. In one to one and a half years the changes we have made will be more noticeable to clients,鈥� he said.

O鈥橠onoghue added that the Skeena region is vastly busier than other regions in the province.

鈥淭he North East region is also busy with oil and gas projects which is a massive revenue generator, but the Skeena region is the second revenue generator for the province.鈥�

For more information on the new Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations go to www.gov.bc.ca/for/.