This thesis develops a set of criteria and a framework for assessing the productivity of the habitat
referral process operating in British Columbia.
The habitat referral process is a mechanism by which applications for projects potentially
affecting fish habitat are referred to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans by other government
agencies or directly by applicants. Approvals, usually in the form of permits, leases or licenses,
are issued or refused depending on the comments that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
and other agencies have expressed when reviewing the application.
There are four good reasons for studying this topic: 1) as one of the government's activities the
referral process is included in the major review of government programs that is presently being
undertaken; 2) there is evidence that some of the existing referral processes are unproductive:
discontent is being expressed by the people involved in referrals, and the process itself shows
obvious signs that there are problems (backlogs, delays, overtime); 3) criteria and a framework
for assessing the productivity of referral processes were not available before this study; and
4) referrals account for a considerable portion of the workload of the Habitat Management
function of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
In the thesis, firstly the referral process is set in the context of the governance system: its
relationships with the other processes and mechanisms used in decision-making for resource
management and protection are described. Secondly, a framework for assessing the productivity
of the referral process is developed. This was derived mainly from the literature on productivity
improvement and decision-making. Finally, the set of criteria is developed, drawing from the
interviews with people involved in referrals, an analysis of the evolution of the referral process,
and the specific literature on the referral mechanism.
The criteria are displayed in a tree, from the most general to the most specific. Criteria are then
explained and discussed individually, and examples of how the criteria can be translated into
practical terms are also provided. The criteria help identify problems in the referral processes
under review and suggest possible solutions.
The improvement of the performance of the referral mechanism is seen in the context of its
evolution. It is recognized that the trend is toward more upfront planning and consequently fewer
projects being reviewed through referrals.
This 'tool' - the criteria and framework - will prove useful to anybody who wants to assess the
productivity of the habitat or other referral processes. It will help them to identify the problems
and to find the appropriate solutions. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/3463 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Arduino, Maria Serena |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 7888609 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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