The “professional reliance” model was adopted by the former B.C. government in the context of an extensive plan to reduce “red tape” by eliminating environmental and health protection laws and concurrently reducing, by over 25 percent, B.C.’s civil service professionals responsible for stewarding and policing B.C.’s natural environment.

The newly released report points to significant failings in the professional reliance model and makes clear that “regulatory outsourcing” compromises the public interest and the environment. Read the full report by Mark Haddock at https://engage.gov.bc.ca/professionalreliance.

A coalition of environmental, labour and professional organizations, the Professional Reliance Working Group, formed to be a strong, unified voice urging the government to take back primary responsibility for stewardship of the environment by restoring laws, standards, and compliance systems. The group asserts that weak planning, oversight, compliance and enforcement processes has resulted in disasters such as Mt. Polley and Shawnigan Lake, and has led to endangered and threatened fish and wildlife populations, airshed pollution and logging that compromises drinking water.

“We want to see recommendations in the report implemented immediately,” said group member Devon Page, the executive director of Ecojustice, Canada’s largest environmental law charity. Page said, “As a result of the former government gutting the province’s natural resource laws, the public has lost confidence that we’re appropriately stewarding B.C.’s amazing natural legacy.” Page wants the government to move as quickly as possible to take back its role as steward of the natural environment.  He said, “This includes restoring land use planning, protecting endangered species, updating our mining laws, achieving water sustainability, restoring sound forest practices, and embracing First Nations reconciliation.”

Scott McCannell, executive director of the Professional Employees Association, said, “We deserve an independent professional reliance system that the public can trust to protect their health and safety and to safeguard the province’s environment and natural resources.  This means the government is going to need to start to address the 25 percent reduction of its own professional staff.”

“The government needs to reclaim its leadership role in resource and environmental stewardship,” said B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union president Stephanie Smith. “Corporations shouldn’t be allowed to certify their own resource plans or police their own operations. It’s a conflict of interest, pure and simple.”

“We applaud the initial focus on better regulation of professionals and ensuring they meet a high standard,” said Pat Moss, executive director of the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research, an organization that has worked on resource issues in northwest B.C. for over 20 years. Moss cautions that without strong laws and government oversight, this risks being regulatory outsourcing done better.  She said, “We look forward to the B.C. government following through on introducing strong environmental and resource legislation, and restoring the B.C. government oversight and decision-making role.”

The Professional Reliance Working Group is unanimous that to achieve these goals government must ensure that:

• Strong, enforceable laws protect at-risk species, fish and wildlife habitat, old growth forests, riparian areas and the populations they support.
• Strong, enforceable laws require sustainable use of our natural resources including thoroughly assessing harm to the environment and public health, considering cumulative effects, and clarifying how socio-economics factor into decision making.
• Professions responsible for decision-making regarding natural resources are required by law to have, maintain and enforce high standards, and to be held responsible for their failure to do so.
• Rebuild government expertise and professional staff capacity to enable oversight and to ensure monitoring of laws and regulations for compliance and effectiveness.

Professional Reliance Working Group: Who Are We?

We are a working group of concerned and knowledgeable individuals who reflect the concerns of the public, government professionals, retired professionals, ENGO and Union community regarding the process of professional reliance.  Members of the working group are:

Northwest Institute

Professional Employees Association

Ecojustice

Organizing for Change

BC Wildlife Federation

BC Government Employees Union

Fraser Watershed Initiative

Evidence for Democracy