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Attached is the April 14th speech given by the Acting Minister of the Environment, Michael Baker. He outlines the budget's impact on the department, including program, office and staff cuts. * * * * Budget Address Acting Environment Minister Hon. Michael Baker Department of the Environment April 14, 2000 [Note: This speech was given by the Minister to the House of Assembly's Sub-Committee on Budget Estimates. The sub-committee examines the government's budget in detail.] Mr. Chair, it is my distinct honour to present you, your colleagues and the people of Nova Scotia, with the details of this year's budget for the Department of the Environment. As the first department to sit before you, this is a special honour. This year's budget has been eagerly awaited. This presentation will start to give shape to redefining what government will do, and just as significantly, what government will no longer do. The frankness of my presentation may surprise some, but not those who know that fulfilling the mission of providing environmental services essential to Nova Scotians is the goal of this government and this department. It goes without saying that a clean and healthy environment is, and remains, a priority of this government. My cabinet colleague, the Honourable Neil LeBlanc, Minister of Finance, said in his budget address, that this budget is about finding the right balance. The right balance between what the government is best equipped to do and what the private sector, non-profit sector, or individuals can do better. Mr. Chair, the public expects high standards, and this year the Department of the Environment will continue to meet those standards with the budget estimates you see before you today. The Department will be smaller, but it will also be better organized and more focused on providing the services that matter most to Nova Scotians. In making the tough decisions, we looked at what is most important: our core services. Those core programs, the ones that best protect our environment, have been maintained. But equally important is the increased role each and every Nova Scotian must play in protecting the environment. In our personal lives and business lives, we must all consider how we can best protect our land, water and air. The changes mean staff will concentrate on key department functions such as inspection and monitoring. Inspectors located province-wide will focus on those high priority areas like contaminated sites, sewage management, and solid waste management. The department has identified staff dealing with low risk areas and will redeploy them on higher risk situations. It is also worth noting the amalgamation of the Department of the Environment with the Department of Labour and other regulatory groups from across government. This is a positive move, offering the chance for one department to build on the strengths of the other. At the same time, this new department will focus on the cornerstones of our government: quality service, fairness to all people and regions, value for money and accountability for all Nova Scotians. The 2000-2001 budget target is $13.132 million dollars. That is reduced from $15.678 million dollars for 1999-2000. Currently, the Department employs 236 staff in a decentralized office structure. We provide direct service delivery from offices in four regions across this province. This budget estimate includes a decrease of 17.8 positions for the department, a reduction of 8 per cent. Despite this reduction, core programs have been protected, those programs that have been deemed essential include the following: Contaminated sites management. An essential program that ensures identified sites are managed or remediated to minimize adverse effects on the environment. Environmental assessment. A program that provides for environmental assessment of projects, early in the planning stages, to identify, to correct and to prevent adverse environmental impacts. As well as the following programs: dangerous goods management; industrial waste management; municipal water supply; radiation surveillance; sewage management; solid waste-resource management; technical training; watercourse alteration; environmental education; water use allocation. Mr. Chair, this budget estimate will also outline the following program changes for the Department of the Environment. First, consolidation of the department's regional offices that will be considered are: Consolidation of the Liverpool office with Bridgewater. Consolidation of Windsor and Shubenacadie with Bedford. Consolidation of Port Hawkesbury with Antigonish. Consolidation of Digby and Shelburne with Yarmouth. And consolidation of Middleton with Kentville. All of the offices being considered for closure are small. We will also aim to enhance services. This is a different way of delivering services. This initiative will also push us to developing alternate means of service delivery including e-mail and the internet. Further analysis of the regional office consolidation will be carried out during restructuring of the department before a final analysis is determined. As well, staff will be reduced in the Protected Areas division office, now housed in Debert as part of the DNR facility there. That office will focus on their highest priority work. The program will now be redirected and limited to the 31 areas currently designated under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act. The staff will strive to ensure an equitable balance between the environment and the economy. We intend to keep the Youth Conservation Corps summer employment program. The department is unable to fund its traditional $175,000 contribution, however it will continue to administer the program's operation. Federal funds, as well as funding from the provincial employment program, has been maintained. This year, the Youth Corps will partner with 20 community groups. The projects will concentrate on quality, more than quantity. Last year, 175 students participated, this year, 60 will. The State of the Environment Program will also be eliminated. We will, however, also continue to track and report on the state of the environment by focusing on special projects, where attention is needed. Mr. Chair, up to this point, I have spoken about redefining what the department will do. Now I will outline what the government no longer needs to do. For years, approximately 4,000 homeowners annually, have taken advantage of our on-site or home sewage disposal program. Anyone building a new home would call the department and an inspector would come out and assess their lot, recommend a design or design a septic system and do the installation. This was service. A service for a select few. A service that the taxpayers of Nova Scotia can no longer afford. The Department of the Environment is getting out of this business and turning it over to the private sector. It will create jobs in rural areas where these services are most in demand. That will enable the Department of Environment to refocus on inspection and enforcement. Inspectors can now fully and solely focus on high priority areas like contaminated sites, sewage management, and solid waste management. I think it is a good time to ask this question. It is a good time to use common sense. Should we be installing home sewage systems or should we be tracking polluters to ensure our water is pristine and that our land and air are clean? Freeing up inspectors allows us to be more proactive in regulating and monitoring industry. We can refocus our resources on doing what is essential. Our fiscal circumstances mean we can't hire more people. Instead we must get out of businesses we shouldn't be in. Our solution is to re-deploy those people on critical tasks. It is the same philosophy that will guide our amalgamation with the Department of Labour. Focus your resources on key tasks. For example, the department will turn the investigation of complaints respecting domestic well water quality and quantity over to the private sector. The department will, however, be maintaining the role as regulator of domestic wells. The department has also proposed other ways to generate contributions to its budget. We are following the example of most other Canadian provinces in adopting these measures. In revamping home sewage disposal, a $50 application fee will be introduced to assist the department in regulating the systems. Those fees will only be targeted at users of that service. For the vast majority of taxpayers, a service like industrial waste management, is one you would never use. Why should you pay for it? It makes sense to pay for what you use. As well, fees will also be introduced for petroleum tank tagging, industrial waste management and watercourse alteration. The cost of those fees is yet to be determined. However, it is estimated they will bring in more than $200,000 a year in revenue. Under our system of government, there are always checks and balances. I sit here today reviewing my government's proposal for this year's budget. Decisions have been made, priorities determined, this budget will go forward. But as we build a new department, we are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating our direction. We are constantly looking for input and ways to fine-tune our decisions and make them better. It is the basis of democracy. Mr. Chair, to help us, a comprehensive, public review of the Environment Act is currently underway. Three outstanding members of our community are traveling across the province asking the people what can be done to improve the Environment Act. This is another opportunity to examine what is, and isn't working, and perhaps what we need to do differently. This review will ensure that priorities and standards appropriate for Nova Scotia are met. They will deliver me their report on July 1. I look forward to receiving it. The final piece of my speech focuses the impact of these changes on staff. Regrettably, in any restructuring, people are affected. But our government is committed to doing this fairly. Earlier, I mentioned that 18 positions will be lost. Ten employees will be affected and 7.8 are vacant positions. Those losses cut across management, professionals and administration. In Halifax region, 3 employees will be lost. In Colchester, 3 employees. In Cape Breton, 2 employees. In Hants, 1 employee. In Yarmouth, 1 employee. Half of the losses are term or probationary employees. 14 are bargaining unit employees, 3 are management and 1 is casual. We will be working diligently, in consultation with the NSGEU, to minimize the impact of staff reductions affecting bargaining unit employees. Mr. Chair, thank you for your time today and thank you to everyone interested in the Department of Environment's budget estimates. We are doing business in a new way. Nova Scotia must move in a new direction. That means a new way to think about how to improve government. Thank you. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list (sust-mar). http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Sponsors: Chebucto Community Net http://www.chebucto.ns.ca Sierra Club - Chebucto Group http://www.sierraclub.ca Volunteer moderator: Paul Falvo mailto:sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca
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