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An assessment of the lower mainland crown land planning process

University of British Columbia

In British Columbia Crown land is a vital resource. Covering over 90 percent of the Province, these lands provide for a variety of the residents' needs. With the expanding population and further: development of our- resources, increased attention is being directed towards the use of these lands by a broad range of public and private interests. In response, the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing (LPH), the steward of our unalienated Crown land resource, has developed a comprehensive planning program to assist in allocating these lands to their best use. This thesis seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the Crown land planning process in arriving at allocation decisions that are socially optimal. To this end, two Sub-District Crown land plans recently completed in British Columbia's Lower Mainland Region are utilized as case studies. To augment the analysis, a review of the evolution of Crown land administration in B.C. and an examination of the legislative base and administrative structure through which the alienation decisions are achieved are presented. Normative criteria are utilized to assess the procedural elements of the Lower Mainland Crown land planning process. The rationale for this research approach is based on the premise that a "good" planning system is more likely to facilitate better resource management decisions. It is postulated that a "good" process is one that parallels the normative elements embodied in liberal democratic theory, since these are the fundamental values which determine what types of decision-making processes are acceptable in our society. In light of this, the ensuing four "ideals" are utilized to assess the planning process: 1. Representation of affected interests in the decision-making process 2. Adequacy of information 3. Effectiveness of the process 4. Efficiency of decision-making In applying the foregoing criteria to the case studies several weaknesses were noted. The following recommendations are offered to strengthen the program in terms of the normative elements of the decision-making process, and in light of theories of political-administrative behavior. Foremost, the planning processes did not provide an opportunity for all affected parties to participate in deriving the Crown land plans. Excluded were the non-institutional interests such as the general public, the resource industries and the special interest groups. The inclusion of these interests, under the present system, is at the discretion of the regional planning staff. To alleviate this major weakness it is suggested that public participation become a required rather than a discretionary element in the planning process. The generation of adequate information for use in the planning processes appeared to be constrained by the participants' lack of knowledge regarding the breadth of the planning program and the extent of their involvement. It is suggested that a greater effort by the LPH Ministry to promote their planning efforts may alleviate this situation. At present, the LPH Ministry is concentrating its efforts on developing area-specific Crown land plans throughout the Province. The net result of this emphasis is that broader regional or provincial "needs" are not recognized and are perhaps being traded away under this structure. In light of this it is suggested that the LPH Ministry place a greater emphasis on preparing sub-regional and regional Crown land plans. The present administrative structure of the Ministry, as perceived from within, inhibits open communication between regional and headquarters' planning staff. To alleviate this it is suggested that a full-time person be appointed to liaise between the two groups. Perhaps the most important observation that may be drawn from this research is that B.C.'s Provincial planning environment is, at best, "turbulent". In the end, the ability of the LPH planning program to survive will depend upon its capacity to adapt to external influences.

Text

2010-03-26

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22742

Planning

University of British Columbia

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