From Strategy to Results Case Study on Integrated Planning from Ontario Ministry of the Environment Operations Division National Environmental Partnership Summit Natasha Bartlett May 20 th,

About Us What Did We Do? How Does It Work? What are We Achieving? What are We Learning? 2 Overview

About Us Operations Division is the delivery arm: – Delivers programs to protect air quality and water quality/quantity; manage the disposal of wastes; and control pesticides use – Ensures compliance with environmental laws and initiates legal action against polluters – Administers approvals, environmental assessments, and licensing programs Provides front-line program delivery to the public, other levels of government, businesses & industries across the province Approx 1000 staff across a province-wide network of branch, region & district offices 3 The Ministry of the Environment works with all Ontarians and engages partnerships with businesses and governments to restore and protect the environment, prevent pollution, and enhance public health and economic vitality.

Context in Ontario Approximately Regulated Entities Growing at 2 to 3% annually 7 pieces of legislation governing actions of the regulated entities and growing Current compliance capacity allows for approx planned district & sector inspections annually Ministry receives approximately 6000 submissions for environmental approvals annually Ministry has capacity to process a fraction of these applications resulting in excessive wait times 4

Tomorrow’s Environmental Stewardship and Protection Enhanced Compliance Enhanced Behaviour Enhanced Public Trust Increased focus on impact & performance based inspections, approvals & enforcement Responsive/flexible legislation/regulations Enhanced clarity & understanding of rules & responsibilities (education & outreach) Greater overall coverage of regulated community Increased movement toward place-based compliance approaches Areas of Focus Outcomes Enhanced use of incentives to reduce emissions & streamline oversight Improved emitter accountability (self reporting/declaration) Greater percentage of the regulated community making environmental sustainable decisions Increased number and scope of partnerships with regulated community Greater adoption of green technology Greater understanding of ministry initiatives by the public Enhanced public access to environmental performance information Greater community involvement in environmental decision-making Ontario positioned as a leader in Environmental Protection and Stewardship 5

Need for A New Approach External Drivers Growth of regulated community (2-3% per year) Heightened public & political expectations Increased public demand for accountability and transparency regarding government decisions Complexity & impact of environmental challenges Internal Drivers Limited capacity to meet growing mandate and deliver day-to-day business Greater collaboration with partners to develop new programs Need for clear direction on where to focus efforts Opportunity to build on past successes with project management

What Did We Do? Strengthen role of executive committee as “board of directors” for decision-making around priorities & resources Establish an integrated planning and reporting system to: – Establish clear priorities that balance government commitments and core environmental protection outcomes – Align efforts and resources with priorities – Provide collaborative decision-making to proactively address opportunities & respond to emerging challenges – Strengthen communication of goals & achievements – everyone sees themselves and how their work contributes Adopt a project management approach to deliver on priorities Create a dedicated unit to sustain this new approach 7

Build Framework to Translate Strategies into Results 8

Identify Annual Planning Cycle Assess – Identify emerging internal & external factors/long-term trends that may impact our priorities and business delivery Strategize – Define priorities & associated measures of success Plan – Create action plans and targets at the program, region/branch & local levels; translate into individual commitments Implement – Undertake specific actions & projects to meet targets Report – Periodically report on progress in meeting targets Evaluate – Review successes, issues & risks in meeting targets; ID adjustments 9

Monitor, assess & report on Program performance and Implement improvements Administer environmental assessments and issue approvals and permits Conduct compliance, abatement, and enforcement activities Protect Ontario’s environment by ensuring programs, guidelines & operational policies are developed based on the latest trends, current science & available technology Timely, accurate identification of trends & gaps to determine the quality, relevance & effectiveness of programs; proactive anticipation of vulnerabilities & opportunities to identify improvements Ensure risks to the environment and human health associated with municipal, industrial and commercial activities are minimized Verification that environmental rules are being implemented and facilities are operating in a manner that doesn’t cause risk to the environment; effective deterrents for non-compliant behaviour 10 Define What Business We’re In What do we do? What are we trying to achieve? Develop program regulations, operational policies and guidelines

Establish Priorities Strategic Alignment (e.g. Premier/Minister Commitments, Regulatory Requirements, External Audit Recommendations, Partnership Commitment) Project A Project B Project C High Low Benefit (e.g. Benefits to Environment, Public Health, Organizational Effectiveness; Public Engagement; Breadth of impact) Project AProject B Project C High Low Feasibility (e.g. Resource capacity, Schedule, Funding Availability, IT/IM Complexity, Precedent) Project A Project B Project C High Low Project AProject B Project C High Low 11

Map Priorities to Work 12 S t r a t e g y / A p p r o a c h Strategy: coordinate and communicate the implementation of sediment clean-up activities Region A – provide technical support to guide clean-up activities Region B – manage environmental clean-up contracts Branch A – consultation with First Nations in impacted areas Strategy: collaborate with Policy Division to develop policy framework and supporting regulations Region C – stakeholder liaison and support to legislative development Region D – stakeholder liaison and support to legislative development Branch A – consultation with First Nations in impacted areas Strategy: lead development of program IT infrastructure and provide timely expert input into regulation development Region A – develop operational procedures Region C – Provide technical input into the development of a risk based submission assessment process Branch B – develop approvals criteria and processes to support submissions O u t c o m e s O b j e c t i v e s Provision of technical and compliance expertise to support the creation of the Act and resultant regulations - De-listing of identified areas of concern Provision of technical and compliance expertise to support the creation of regulations associated program D i v i s i o n a l P r i o r i t i e s Priorities in Support of Government/Ministry Commitments Great Lakes Areas of Concern Contaminated Sediment Clean - Up Lake Simcoe Protection Act Brownfields Regulation and Program Development / M i n i s t r y C o m m i t m e n t s Protection of Lake Simcoe Cleaning up Ontario’s Great Lakes Remediation and redevelopment of Ontario’s contaminated sites 4 PYs8 PYs3 PYs

Right Projects Project requirements scoped and prioritized Project teams assigned based on priority, skills, expertise & availability Done Right Use of standard project management tools to strengthen collaboration & decision-making Clear guidelines on roles & responsibilities Results Achieved Consistent & timely reporting on project status Achievements and lessons learned monitored and communicated across division Establish Projects to Deliver on Priorities 13

14 Define Compliance Targets In Line With Priorities and Risks Compliance Direction Local Considerations Past Performance Facility Risk Ranking Planned Inspections Compliance Promotion ? Vulnerabilities Commitments Risks Analysis StrategyPlanningDelivery Known High Risk Emerging or Unknown Good Performers

Use Results to Drive Decisions Emerging Environmental Trends Government Priorities Program Level Analysis Divisional Priorities Risk/Performance Based Planning Compliance Planning Program Development Planning - Inspection Activities - Compliance Promotion Activities - Program Development Activities Compliance Rates Facility Performance Program Development Achievements Reporting Better Organizational Alignment & Capacity Driving Behaviour 15

What Are We Achieving? A common set of priorities that clearly link to government objectives and our environmental outcomes Everyone can see how their work connects to outcomes Better understanding of workload across the organization Ability to bring the right people together at the right time Greater flexibility to make shifts, manage issues and adapt to change as it occurs Stronger collaboration with partners on critical priorities Ability to document and communicate achievements and progress throughout the year 16

Critical Success Factors Strong leadership commitment throughout the planning cycle Collaborative decision-making and front-end involvement by staff creates real “ownership” in the process “Big picture” focus allows us to set targets and track progress over multiple years Clear prioritization criteria and process guides direction-setting Regular status reporting focuses on critical decisions, issues and changes as they emerge Built flexibility for adjustments into the annual cycle to be responsive to emerging needs and trends Analysis of results better informs priority-setting for next year Ongoing communications and engagement 17

What’s Next? Build organization’s performance measurement maturity Adoption of automated system for project planning and reporting Better integration of all internal reporting systems 18