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This review provides an important opportunity to fix how the provincial government oversees industry's activities on the land base, so that the environment and the public interest are better protected.
Vancouver (04 Jan. 2018) — The B.C. government has initiated a review of the professional reliance model in the natural resource sector. Many members of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) find their day-to-day shaped by this regulatory model.
Land oversight eroded with cuts to staff and funding
The professional reliance model effectively lets the fox guard the henhouse, leading, in some cases, to the mismanagement of our resources and harm to the environment. Combined with deep cutbacks to sfaff and funding to responsible ministries and agencies, strong public oversight of land has been seriously eroded.
This review provides an important opportunity to fix how the provincial government oversees industry's activities on the land base, so that the environment and the public interest are better protected.
BCGEU/NUPGE members encouraged to bring forward issues
The BCGEU/NUPGE is able to confirm that the employer has agreed to extend to members a protection outlined in the BCGEU/NUPGE collective agreement under article 32.13, Disclosure of Information. Specifically, no employee shall be disciplined for bringing forth in good faith an allegation of wrongdoing during the review.
The BCGEU/NUPGE encourages members to take part in the in-house review and speak candidly about their experiences with the professional reliance model. Members have been sharing their concerns with this model for years, and this is a great opportunity to proactively and productively seek to fix issues with the model through constructive dialogue with the review panel.
The online portion of the survey is open until January 19. If members have not done so already the review can be found at http://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/consultation/professional-reliance-review/.