Introduction to the Ministry Policy Manual

Welcome to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Policy Manual.

The Ministry Policy Manual outlines a framework of corporate level policies to manage ministry activities; which is in addition to corporate ministry policy outlined in legislation (statute or regulation).

Corporate level policy is defined as policy that provides broad overarching principles and guidance, formulated and administered by the Ministry of Forests, Lands & Mines, to direct and limit actions on broad issues within or across business areas or programs.

SECTION ONE: Manual Overview

Purpose and Role of the Policy Manual

The purpose of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Policy Manual is to provide an accessible repository of official Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations policy for ministry staff, licensees, interest groups, and other interested members of the general public.

There are numerous other ministry manuals and documents that communicate a variety of essential information to staff.  To avoid confusion, the term Ministry policy is reserved for corporate level policies that are contained in the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Policy Manual.  Other information or directives distributed are usually termed program procedures, guidelines, standards, interpretative memorandums or other applicable terms and are available from individual branches.

Authority of Policies

Ministry policy is subordinate to and must conform with government policy, providing aid in delivering upon legislation and regulation.

Policy must be reviewed and approved by the Deputy Minister before being included in this manual.  Further details regarding the development of policy are included in section two below.  Branch Directors are responsible for ensuring that all corporate level policy issues are included within the manual and that policies are reviewed on a regular basis.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Policy Manual is to be used as an aid to Ministry policy only and is not to be used for the purpose of legal interpretation of any acts or regulations covered herein.

Policy and Trade Relations Branch (PTRB) is responsible for the management of the manual, on behalf of the Ministry and in support of the Deputy Minister.

Structure of the Policy Manual

The manual is divided into two volumes:

• Volume 1: Resource Management contains policies covering the operations of the Ministry, such as fire protection and timber harvest management.
• Volume 2: Management Services contains policies covering the administration of Ministry programs, such as financial management, human resources, and information systems

Each volume is divided into chapters representing specific functional areas, such as Range Management, Enforcement, and Administrative Services.  Functional areas may include policies that are the responsibility of a single or multiple branches.

When a policy is revised, the entire policy is re-published within the manual.  Policies that are repealed are removed from the manual, but copies are retained in a formal file record managed by SPPB.  A historical log of amendments can be found on Policy Manual homepage.

Policy Publication and Maintenance

The policy manual and the policy file record are maintained by the Policy Development and Legislation section, Policy and Trade Relations Branch Branch.  The policy manual is available in an online format only, however individual policies can be downloaded in a printer-friendly version.

Questions or comments regarding the policy manual or policy development can be directed to the Manager of Policy Development and Legislation, Policy and Trade Relations Branch at Forests.PolicyAndTradeRelationsBranch@gov.bc.ca.

Evaluation

This manual is for your use. We welcome your comments and suggestions on how to improve its use and readability.  Please direct your comments to the Manager of Policy Development and Legislation, Policy and Trade Relations Branch at Forests.PolicyAndTradeRelationsBranch@gov.bc.ca.

SECTION TWO: Process for Preparing and Submitting New & Revised Policy to the Policy Manual

The process for preparing and submitting new or revised policy to the Policy Manual is outlined below and illustrated in Figure 1.

Step 1: Submit policy proposal to Corporate Policy Process

Once the need for a new or revised policy has been identified (but prior to detailed policy analysis work being completed) the policy proposal (idea) should be submitted to the Corporate Policy Process (CPP).

The submitted policy proposal is then reviewed by the Policy Secretariat - a team of policy experts from all divisions and various locations across the ministry who administer the CPP.  The Secretariat will review the policy proposal in order to outline key considerations to explore during detailed policy analysis such as internal branches/areas to consult, potential cross ministry & stakeholder implications, in addition to identifying linkages with other ministry policy work and assessing the policy's alignment with the current strategic direction of the ministry and/or government.

To begin this step, a Policy Initiation Form needs to be completed.  The Policy Secretariat will review the Policy Initiation Form and provide feedback as outlined above.  As a part of Secretariat review, the policy proposal will also be presented to the Executive and/or the appropriate Assistant Deputy Minister to obtain "in principle approval", confirming that the Executive has agreed to commit staff resources for the proposal to be developed into a full policy.

To access the Policy Initiation Form, and for more information see the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Corporate Policy Process (internal government only).

Step 2: Develop Policy or Make Policy Revisions

Once the policy idea has received in-principle approval from the Executive and feedback from the Policy Secretariat it is ready for full development (detailed policy analysis work).  The policy lead or office of primary responsibility (OPR) is responsible for all of the policy development, including consultation with stakeholders and other affected groups, research and analysis of impacts, and development of policy options.

Step 3: Submit Policy to Ministry Executive for Approval

Once the policy is fully developed or revisions completed, submit it to the appropriate ministry Executive for review and approval.  This process involves the submission of a briefing note and a draft of the proposed policy.  The briefing note provides an overview of the policy, including background information, analysis of the issue, and policy options.  The draft policy should be prepared utilizing the standardized template format as outlined in Section Three below.

Note: The approval process may vary between branches and standard branch protocol should be followed.

Step 4: Submit Approved Policy to Policy and Trade Relations Branch

Once the policy has been approved by Executive, the finalized version (formatted on the standard template) accompanied by a copy of the signed briefing note, is submitted to the Policy Development and Legislation section of the Policy and Trade Relations Branch at Forests.PolicyAndTradeRelationsBranch@gov.bc.ca.  The policy will be added to the formal file record of the Policy Manual and posted online in the Ministry Policy Manual.

If you have further questions contact the Policy Development and Legislation section of the Policy and Trade Relations Branch at Forests.PolicyAndTradeRelationsBranch@gov.bc.ca.

Figure 1:
Flowchart for Submission of New and Revised Policy to the Policy Manual

SECTION THREE: Policy Format

Policy Format and Content

To ensure that Ministry policies are communicated in a consistent manner, all policies must be prepared using a standard template which includes the following three main headings:

• Scope
• Policy
• References

Scope: Describes the topic(s) or issue(s) contained in the policy in one or two sentences.  The intent is to clarify for the reader what the policy covers.  This section may also include a brief statement of the application of the policy (i.e. who it refers to and in what circumstances it applies) and/or a brief definition of technical term(s) included in the title.

Policy: Sets out the details of the actual policy, beginning with a short paragraph which summarizes the policy.  Sub-headings are encouraged to describe sections of the policy.  Possible sub-categories may include:

• Purpose
• Definitions of Key Terms
• Relevant Background Information
• Details regarding when and how the Policy is Applied
• General responsibilities for implementing the policy

References: Lists sources of information alphabetically, including acts and regulations (with section numbers, if appropriate), ministry program manuals, and other related documents.

To ensure that policies remain current and do not need to be revised frequently, avoid the following types of information:

• personal names (position titles are acceptable)
• addresses or telephone numbers
• specific costs or fees (if necessary, these should published on a separate fee schedule)
• specific reporting relationships
• topics covered by collective agreements

Policy Number

Policies need to indicate a volume, chapter and number.

Volume: Determine the appropriate volume reference.
R=Volume 1, Resource Management
M= Volume 2, Management Services).

Chapter & Number: then determine the appropriate policy number and title based on the Policy Manual Table of Contents.

If you have a new policy not currently included in the Table of Contents, contact the Manager of Policy Development and Legislation, Policy and Trade Relations Branch to have it added.

Note that repealed policy numbers remain in the Policy Manual Table of Contents to provide a record of Ministry policy and to make the search for old policies easier and as such cannot be re-used for new policies.

Writing Style

Ministry policy must be written clearly and concisely, and be understandable to all users (including the public).

Technical language and acronyms should be used sparingly and only to the extent necessary to explain the policy.  Acronyms should be spelled out the first time they are used. Definitions of technical terms and acronyms should be included where appropriate.

Most policies need some flexibility in their application, so they should not be rigidly worded.  It is the function of Ministry procedures manuals and program manuals to interpret policies to fit the variety of circumstances in which they will be applied.