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Only top-level descriptions British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management British Columbia. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
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Administrative records of the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management

  • GR-3818
  • Series
  • 1992-2007

The series consists of administrative records concerning land and resource use planning activities related to legislation, agreements, committees, reports and programs. The majority of the records come from the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, however some files originate from its successor body the Integrated Land Management Bureau, part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. Some records may also originate from the Land Use Coordination Office.

A portion of the records deal with legislation. These records include files related to Ministry meetings on legislation, legislative programs, projects and the deregulation of statutes as recommended by the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, These records include proposals and numerous Requests for Legislation (RFLs), as well as status reports on the progress of bills, records of changes and a legislative calendar. Deregulation records include ministerial orders. Other orders cover the appointment of new members on advisory boards, commissions and councils (including First Nations). The records also include position statements on issues submitted by other ministries.

Report files include presentations related to land use planning and implementation, including public review drafts for general reference purposes, and trust reports such as that of the Coast Sustainability Trust.

Other records relate to conferences and committee work done by the Ministry. This includes work with the Mining Association of British Columbia, the Union of BC Municipalities, and Land and Water BC. There are also several records from committees working with or for the Fraser Basin Council Board, the Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative, BC Indicator’s Networking Group, and BC Rural Team. It also includes ministerial meetings and liaisons with federal agencies.

Records are mainly summary reports, agendas, summaries of decisions and actions, progress reports, minutes, schedules, information notes, speaking notes and copies of correspondence. Belonging to this series is a number of records of informational value that were physically arranged beside or near the committee files. These concern agreements such as those with Environment Canada to develop public reports and work, and with the United States to work together on the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin International Task Force, treasury board submission guidelines and the transfer of records related to commercial back country recreation from the custody of Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management to the Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development. There are also files on conferences, seminars, and symposia, again mostly related to the work of the committees. These include First Nations engagement workshops, Corporate Sustainability conference, Living Lakes conference, Fraser Basin State of the Basin conference, Georgia Basin-Puget Sound research conference, Governance for Sustainability conference, and Union of BC Municipalities conference. These files include invitations, correspondence, terms of reference, briefs, updates, event programs, organizers and sponsors, backgrounders, participants, facilitator notes, and workshop guidelines. The series also includes a limited amount of Grant files, however many grant forms are also included in committee or conference files.

The records are arranged according to ARCS schedule 100001 and cover several primary numbers under the Administrative Records Classification System (ARCS) under the primary numbers for Administration (102), Legislation (135), Agreements (146, 150), Committees (204), Conferences, seminars symposia (220), Cooperation and Liaison (235), Information services (324), Plans and programs (400), Records management (423), General reports/statistics (440) and Treasury board submissions (1250).

British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management

Approved plans, studies, and terms of reference

  • GR-3839
  • Series
  • 1991-2008

This series contains approved plans, studies and terms of reference produced as part of land use planning in British Columbia, particularly Land and Resource Management Plans. The records document the initial scopes of the plan and provide the framework and ground rules to which all plans adhered. The records provide evidential and informational value in regard to scope and mandate of the plans, as well as planning teams’ participant roles, responsibilities and authority.

Types of records in this series include the actual approved plans and terms of reference from different planning regions, as well as publications of planning strategies. Records also cover specific topics such as biodiversity and timber impacts, completion studies, and project feasibility studies that would impact the planning process.

The records are arranged according to the Resource Management Operational Records Classification System (schedule 144100) using the following primary numbers:

17000: Resource Management – General
17550: RMP – Land and Resource Management Plans
17580: RMP – Landscape Unit Plans
17670: RMP – Regional Land Use Plans
17730: RMP – Sustainable Resource Management Plans
And the secondary numbers -01 (general), 02 (approved plans), 03 (terms of reference), 06 (resource management studies and information releases)

This series currently contains records from the Fort St. John, Kamloops, Lillooet and Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP tables. The records from the associated accession(s) cover all types of land use and resource planning, including landscape unit plans, sustainable resource management plans, land and resource management plans, local and regional resource use plans, and other land and/or resource use plans as they were all part of a greater land-use strategy.

British Columbia. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

Consultation case files

  • GR-3834
  • Series
  • 1991-2004

The series contains records relating to consultations conducted as part of the Land and Resource Management Planning process. These consultation case files include interactions with different agencies of the provincial government, local governments and the general public. Provincial government files mainly pertain to statements of interest from different ministries (in relation to natural resources and land use). Local government files include municipalities, regional boards and district representatives discussing their interests, concerns and how the land and resource management plans affect them (e.g. in relation to water systems, landfills, roads, park and rec programs, sewer, insect and weed control, zoning and drainage). Public consultation files consider the concerns of non-profit groups (e.g. wildlife protection groups), companies and local businesses as well as the general public.

The records include news releases and publications announcing the start of the planning process and calling for participants. The records include correspondence between public servants and others setting up meetings and open house dates. There are a number of refusal and agreement letters from prospective participants.

Throughout the files are various materials meant to inform discussions about land use and resource management. These include government reports for considerations as well as copies of legislation. There are also guideline books to help public servants with their duties and to explain the consultation process to all types of participants.

The records also include draft goals, presentations, meeting notes, status reports and reviews from those involved in the coordination of the consultation process. Finally, there are letters received from various activist groups, companies and members of the public explaining their interests in the land and resources of the region.

The records are arranged according to the Resource Management Operational Records Classification System (schedule 144100) using the following primary numbers:

17550: RMP – Land and Resource Management Plans
17730: RMP – Sustainable Resource Management Plans
And the secondary number -20 (consultation case files).

This series currently contains records from the Kamloops, Lillooet and the Okanagan-Shuswap, Cariboo Chilcotin and Kootenay tables. The records from the associated accession(s) cover all types of land use and resource planning, including landscape unit plans, sustainable resource management plans, land and resource management plans, local and regional resource use plans, and other land and/or resource use plans as they were all part of a greater land-use strategy.

British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management

Development case files

  • GR-3835
  • Series
  • 1989-2008

The records in this series document the development of Land and Resource Management Plans and provide evidence of the nature and evolution of the planning process.

The records are mainly organized by topic and region. They cover discussions on specific areas and subjects of concern, such as wildlife, tourism, recreation and conservation. Many of the files include discussions about existing legislation to guide plan development. The records also include other reference material such as documents related to the Protected Areas Strategy with summaries of different forest districts, literature reviews, studies, reports (particularly those about the Protected Areas Designation Process) and interim management direction statements from BC Parks. Many files relate to the LRMP table discussing possibilities to designate new protected areas through land use planning. The records also include various working group plans and recommendations, framework plans for a coordinated approach to planning, as well as guidelines to help participants write these plans.
There are also several folders organized by Resource Management Zone (RMZ) with printouts of maps depicting the area, as well as separate files for interests submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Ministry of Forests, BC Assets and Land Corporation, and Ministry of Transportation and Highways.

The records are arranged according to the Resource Management Operational Records Classification System (schedule 144100) using the following primary numbers:

17550: RMP – Land and Resource Management Plans
17730: RMP – Sustainable Resource Management Plans
And the secondary number -30 (development case files).

This series currently contains records from the Kamloops, Lillooet LRMP and the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP tables. The records from the associated accession(s) cover all types of land use and resource planning, including landscape unit plans, sustainable resource management plans, land and resource management plans, local and regional resource use plans, and other land and/or resource use plans as they were all part of a greater land-use strategy.

British Columbia. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

Energy projects review case files

  • GR-3852
  • Series
  • 1981-2006

This series contains records relating to assessing the environmental, economic, social, cultural, heritage and health impacts of energy projects under the Environmental Assessment Act. These records were created and kept by the Environment Assessment Office (EAO) that is involved in the entire process, providing advice and recommendations to the proponent.

The records in this series cover initial enquiries, reviewable and non-reviewable project enquiries. A non-reviewable project means that the proposed project may proceed without an environmental review. A project is determined to be non-reviewable if it does not meet or exceed the thresholds defined in the Reviewable Projects Regulation (B.C. Reg. 370/2002). Also, according to the Act (s. 10(1)(b)), a project which meets or exceeds these thresholds may also be deemed non-reviewable at the executive director’s discretion. Non-reviewable projects may also become reviewable if the proponent voluntarily asks for an environmental assessment (i.e., “opts in”) and the executive director agrees (s. 7) or if the minister deems the project to be reviewable.

All other projects which meet or exceed the thresholds are reviewable. For reviewable projects, terms of reference are created by the proponent, in consultation with the review agencies, in order to ensure that the application will contain the necessary information. Reports and studies are typically created by the proponent in order to fulfil the requirements of the Terms of Reference, but they may also be created by any other involved party at any stage in the review process. The application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC) is then submitted by the proponent and once the application meets the EAO’s standards, the formal review process begins. Application review includes: review by government agencies, First Nations, and the public; First Nation and public consultation; a formal public comment period; and opportunities for the proponent to respond to issues raised.

After the application review is complete, EAO staff prepare an Assessment Report for the minister, which documents the findings of the environmental assessment, including the issues raised in relation to the project and how these issues have been or could be addressed. The environmental assessment process concludes when a) The minister approves the EAC and the project proceeds, b) The minister rejects the project, c) The minister decides that no assessment is required, or d) The proponent withdraws the project. An EAC (previously known as a Project Approval Certificate [PAC]) may contain conditions to ensure that necessary mitigative and compensatory measures are in place to prevent or reduce any adverse effects of the project.

The records in this series document the business case for proposed projects, provide initial information to determine if projects meet the reviewable threshold or not, and documents the EAO ruling on whether or not the project is reviewable. Types of records that can be found in this series are certificates of public convenience and necessity, lists of options, applications for project approval certificates, memorandum, letters of intent for cooperation agreements (such as between a First Nations group and the proponent), correspondence, information notes, executive summaries of decisions, project descriptions, lists of environmental concerns (issue summaries), minutes of information presentation meetings, maps of proposed sites and a diverse range of reports and studies. Types of projects that appear in this series include natural gas pipelines, wind turbines, substation redevelopments, electric transmission systems, coal powered plants, hydroelectricity dams and others.

The records from accession 95-4252 and 95-5291 are classified under the Environmental Assessment Operational Records Classification System (Schedule 132564) and cover the following primary number:
30050: reviewable enquiries and projects – energy
And the following secondary numbers:
-05: non-reviewable energy project enquiries
-40: pre-application reviewable enquiry case files

British Columbia. Ministry of Environment (2005-2017)

Implementation and monitoring case files

  • GR-3836
  • Series
  • 1995-2006

The series contains records pertaining to the implementation and monitoring of strategic land use plans, including the development of such procedures.

The records cover a range of activities, from advisory committees, public gatherings, monitoring tables, member appointments and invitations, as well as inventories on range, wildlife, old growth forests, habitats and archaeological sites among other topics. Records particularly pertain to feedback received on approved plans prior and during implementation in order to identify issues and suggest amendments. Many of these comments come from Open House sessions with the general public. The series also includes a copy of a Implementation and Monitoring Framework as well as Terms of Reference for monitoring table duties.

The series also includes Protected Area Orders for areas chosen and approved to be protected areas under the Park Act. These orders are accompanied by maps of the area in question.
The records are arranged according to the Resource Management Operational Records Classification System (schedule 144100) using the following primary numbers:

17550: RMP – Land and Resource Management Plans
17730: RMP – Sustainable Resource Management Plans
And the secondary numbers -40 (effectiveness monitoring case files) and -50 (implementation case files).

This series currently contains records from the Kamloops, Lillooet LRMP and the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP tables. The records from the associated accession(s) cover all types of land use and resource planning, including landscape unit plans, sustainable resource management plans, land and resource management plans, local and regional resource use plans, and other land and/or resource use plans as they were all part of a greater land-use strategy.

British Columbia. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

Integrated Cadastral Initiative Society records

  • GR-3885
  • Series
  • 2000-2004

This series contains records relating to the Integrated Cadastral Initiative Society (ICIS).
ICIS is a non-for-profit organization and a partnership between local governments, the Province of British Columbia and major utility companies in British Columbia. The goal of this initiative is to develop, use and maintain a province-wide integrated cadastral database of all legal land parcels and their related infrastructure (spatial data). ICIS would handle infrastructure to enable access to the data by its members which would benefit business communications and processes by only needing to go to a single source to obtain the data required to meet operational needs. This would encourage quality data and cost savings resulting from the elimination of duplication of effort.

Currently, the series contains records dating from before its incorporation in 2002 up until 2004. The records were kept by the manager of the Spatial Data Management Section, Crown Land Registry Services of the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management and by the MSRM Partnerships Branch. The records represent a provincial government’s perspective into this multi-member partnership.

The records were mostly classified under ARCS number 200-20: General Committees however the records cover nearly every aspect of ICIS daily functions and activities. Primarily, the records cover project management, administration, and financial information. Records relating to project management include meeting minutes and agenda from the steering committee, board meetings, annual general meetings and director meetings. They also include numerous reports (including annotated drafts) related to the establishment of the organization, Integrated Cadastral Fabric (ICF) standards and specifications, database design, marketing plans and business plans. Project charters, focus group meetings, short and long term plans, and executive summaries are also included.

Administration-related documents include correspondence regarding general inquiries, comments, and memberships. There are also signed and draft agreements with partners, relating to membership terms and to confirm sharing and licensing agreements. There is also information on ICIS history, constitution and by-laws, policies, procedures and organizational structures.

Financial information in this series covers funding, grants, banking services proposals, balance sheets, financial statements and audits.

British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management

Land and resource management committees

  • GR-3793
  • Series
  • 1982-2009

This series contains records relating to land use management in various parts of the province. The records document the creation and activities of various committees established by the planning region to address specific projects as needed.

The records represent the work of committees dedicated to the management of planning teams, emergency and disaster responses, information sharing, consultation guidelines, information management, safety, construction projects and communications.

Part of the series includes the Vedder River Management Committee which was chaired by the Water Management Branch. Other members included representatives from the Engineering Section of the Water Management Branch, Fisheries and Oceans, Fish and Wildlife Management, Inspector of Dykes, Ministry of Agriculture and the District of Chilliwack.

The records from the Peace Managers concern land management committees in the Northern Interior region as well their sub-committees. The records come from the office of Don Roberts of BC Parks; Peace Liard District who was the chair of Peace Managers (IAMC) and the Peace Manager's Oil and Gas Committee. Andy Ackerman, Manager of Environmental Stewardship, later succeeded him as chair.The Omineca Peace Interagency Management Committee's role oversees and guides the implementation of Cabinet approved Land Resource Management Plans and government corporate land use policies. There are representatives from various provincial agencies including : Ministry of Forests, BC Environment, Ministry of Energy and Mines, BC Parks, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, BC Assets and Lands Corporation, Oil and Gas Commission, Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Land Use Coordination Office and Muskwa-Kechina (Program Manager).

The Deputy Minister's Committee on Drought was established in 2003 following a severe drought in British Columbia that put pressure on many water resources. This multi-agency committee and task force conducted studies on precipitation, temperature and ground water conditions in addition to proposing several action plans and programs to help with water conservation. Their records relate to presentations and tours on water conservation, proposals and a list of options for consideration, as well as update reports. The committee disbanded in 2005 however many of the programs continued to be monitored.

The records in this series also show other forms of land management including projects to build dykes, remove gravel, establish campgrounds, restore natural habitat (particularly for salmon species), build infrastructure and grant land leases for farming, public works and other initiatives. Records include memos, meeting minutes, lease guidelines and copies, maps, blueprints, correspondence, expense reports, approvals, invoices and project reports.

Another part of the series includes committees established to encourage and maintain meaningful consultation with various First Nation groups during Land and Resource Management planning. These records include the grants for funding, protocols, strategic plans, work plans and meeting minutes.

British Columbia. Commission on Resources and Environment

Land and resource management planning teams

  • GR-3810
  • Series
  • 1991-2009

The series contains records relating to the development, implementation, monitoring and amendment of land and resource management plans (LRMPs). LRMPs are sub-regional integrated resource management plans that are large scale and cover a number of resource sectors (tourism, forestry, mining, etc.). There may be one to a half dozen LRMPs for each region of the province. Regions are divided into smaller management areas called sub-regions.
The records were produced by Interagency Planning Teams whose aims were to initiate and implement the management plans. This included preparing terms of reference, conducting research and assessments, compiling and analyzing data, consulting with interested parties, writing plan drafts and making changes prior to their approval. Types of records included in this series include meeting minutes, glossaries of resource planning terms, interest statements, working group documents, draft plans and comments, regional studies, briefing notes, correspondence, training materials, presentations, reports and other accompanying documents.
Accession 95-6853 contains records related to the Northern Region’s land and resource management plans. They include documents from several sub-regions including Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Prince George region and Peace region. These particular records were produced and accumulated by planning team members from the Ministry of Forest. Accession 96-7598 contains records from the Lillooet, Kamloops and Okanagan-Shuswap planning teams.

The records are arranged according to the Resource Management ORCS (Schedule 144100) and fall under the primary number 17550 : RMP – Land and Resource Management Plans and the secondary number -60 (planning teams).

These records are different to the series Land and Resource Management Committees (GR-3793) which are classified under ARCS Schedule 100001 and primarily deal with records relating to the overseeing and implementing Land and Resource Management Plans following approval from Cabinet.

British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

LRMP First Nations consultation case files

  • GR-3697
  • Series
  • 1993 - 2009

The series consists of records relating to the development of land and resource management plans (LRMPs) vis-à-vis the consultation that occurred with First Nations during the planning process. Land and Resource Management Planning was developed in British Columbia in the 1990s as an integrated, sub-regional, consensus-building process to produce plans for review and approval by government. The plans established direction for land use and specified broad resource management objectives and strategies. LRMPs covered a number of resource sectors -- natural or social resources such as tourism, forestry or mining. The process included development, implementation, monitoring and the amendment of land and resource management plans.

The files in this series were titled and organized in most instances as case files and based on the name of the First Nations involved in the consultation process.

The records relate to the development of the consultation process between ministries and First Nation groups for LRMPs which included preparing terms of reference, conducting research and assessments, compiling and analyzing data, consulting with interested parties, presenting plan drafts, taking the proposed plan through the approval process, and monitoring after implementation.

Record types include correspondence, memoranda, recommendations including legal advice, discussion papers, draft agreements for discussion, presentations, community meeting records, maps, plans, drafts of agreements between the Province and First Nations, briefing notes prepared for the Minister and Deputy Minister, forest company information, among numerous other types of records.

The Archives has retained these records because they provide evidence of provincial policy advice and direction for the management of public lands and resources, and evidence of the consultation that occurred with First Nations groups during the resource planning process.

British Columbia. Ministry of Environment (2005-2017)

Policy and procedures

  • GR-3838
  • Series
  • 1993-2007

This series assembles records related to the development of policies and procedures for all aspects of Land and Resource Management Plans. Currently the series contains the following policies and procedures:
-TSA (Timber Supply Area) landscape unit plans which outline policies to establish wildlife treepatch requirements in the Kamloops TSA as described by Forest Practices Code and LRMP.

-Provincial policy for consultation with First Nations including a FAQ section, definitions of terms, procedures for the consultation process and consultation guidelines.

-Management, tenure administration and disposition of Crown Land.
-Commercial recreation on Crown Land policy.
-Crown land use planning enhancement program.
-South Okanagan regional growth strategy.

The records are arranged according to the Resource Management Operational Records Classification System (schedule 144100) using the following primary numbers:

17020: Resource Management – Aboriginal relations
17400: RMP – Resource Management Plans
17430: RMP – Ad hoc plans
17580: RMP – Landscape Unit Plans
And the secondary number -00 (policy and procedures)

British Columbia. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

Socio-economic and environmental assessment review case files

  • GR-3837
  • Series
  • 1994-2006

This series includes records relating to the review of socio-economic and environmental assessments (SEEA). The records cover the development of policy and procedures for assessments and assessment analysis. They also document the reviews that have been performed in support of Resource Management Plans.
Every resource management plan requires socio-economic and an environmental assessment to confirm the objectives and viability of the plan. Typically a consultant is hired during the creation of a plan to perform the analysis which is then examined and reviewed to verify its accuracy and objectives.

The records in this series include various ministries’ comments on plans and requests for conservation and environmental protection measures in relation to proposed plans. Government produced documents also include notices of pending environmental certificates from developers, as well as briefing notes, news releases and announcements. The series also contains the records of related working groups and committees who were involved in facilitating workshops on assessing projects, organizing the process and analyzing the assessments.

Other records include third party evaluations of proposed developments, such as resorts and landfills, and analysis and impact concerns on wildlife, water resources and the environment in addition to socio-economic impacts. Some environmental assessment certificate applications submitted by developers are also included and cover research conducted for the assessment as well as maps and graphs.

The records are arranged according to the Resource Management Operational Records Classification System (schedule 144100) using the following primary numbers:

17400: RMP – Resource Management Plans

And the secondary number -40 (SEEA review case files).

This series currently contains records from the Kamloops, Lillooet LRMP and the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP tables. The records from the associated accession(s) cover all types of land use and resource planning, including landscape unit plans, sustainable resource management plans, land and resource management plans, local and regional resource use plans, and other land and/or resource use plans as they were all part of a greater land-use strategy.

British Columbia. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands