INTEGRATED OCEANS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

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Gordon Simpson
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Summary Notes Meeting 10 September 19, 2012 Teleconference Call Meeting Participants: Members and Alternates: Sector Member Alternates Present Commercial Fisheries Jim McIsaac Local Communities

1 Summary Notes Meeting 10 September 19, 2012 Teleconference Call Meeting Participants: Members and Alternates: Sector Member Alternates Present Commercial Fisheries Jim McIsaac Local Communities (Mount Waddington Regional Al Huddlestan District) Marine Conservation Kim Wright Bill Wareham Marine Transportation Stephen Brown Ross Cameron Kaity Stein Recreation Nick Heath Recreational Fisheries Urs Thomas Non-renewable Energy Kim Johnson Tourism Evan Loveless Aquaculture Richard Opala Facilitator: Craig Darling Observers and Ex Officio: Jenn Burt Les Clayton Sheila Creighton Steve Diggon Hilary Ibey Matthew Justice Megan Mach Bruce Reid Charlie Short CPAWS NCSFNSS Coastal First Nations Province of British Columbia Province of British Columbia September 19, 2012 IOAC Meeting Teleconference Call Page 1 of 6

2 1. Opening Craig Darling and Bruce Reid welcomed IOAC members and other meeting participants. Bruce Reid also extended a welcome on behalf of Bonnie Antcliffe who was not able to join the call. The agenda was reviewed, emphasizing that the focus of the meeting is on process, rather than content. Action items were reviewed as well, with no changes. 2. Planning Process Update Governance Update Steve Diggon provided an overview of recent developments to the PNCIMA governance framework. The Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative and the North Coast First Nations Stewardship Society are now reengaged in the planning process, as members of the Steering Committee. Agreement to this end was formalized with a signed Letter of Intent on June 7, Since returning to the planning process, First Nations have been briefed on all that has taken place and materials that have been developed since September Bruce Reid reiterated that Fisheries and Oceans is pleased that First Nations are reengaged in the planning process and contributing to the plan outcomes. A meeting of the PNCIMA Steering Committee took place on September 6, where they reaffirmed the goals and objectives and walked through a high level review of the plan. The Letter of Intent between First Nations and is not publicly available and it is not known when it might become available. Nanwakolas Council did not sign the Letter of Intent and has formally withdrawn from the collaborative governance MOU. There have been no changes in the relationship between MaPP and PNCIMA. All MaPP subregions (except for Haida Gwaii) are currently entering their second round of stakeholder discussions. Draft Plan Status Hilary Ibey provided an update indicating that an internal draft plan has been written and is currently undergoing internal review with collaborative governance partners. The primary focus of the phase 1 internal review is to ensure that the plan resonates with the priorities and mandates of Steering Committee members departments, ministries and organizations. The Steering Committee looks forward to sharing it with IOAC when the internal review is complete. Revised Timeline Charlie Short spoke to the revised timelines for PNCIMA, which were shared with the IOAC in August via Basecamp (File: Summary of Key PNCIMA Dates). The revised timelines were developed in response to concerns over the pace of the review process voiced by the Province and First Nations. A considerable amount of time has been added to the review process and parties are comfortable with the new approach. The review process is comprised of three phases: 1. Internal review (currently underway); September 19, 2012 IOAC Meeting Teleconference Call Page 2 of 6

3 2. IOAC and Non-MOU First Nations review (expected to begin October 24); 3. Public Review (expected to begin early 2013). Final endorsement of the plan is expected to take place in late Feb/March Indications were that the revised timeline is much more reasonable. Risk Assessment Hilary introduced Megan Mach, who started work with DFO in August to head up further work on the ecological risk assessment. Since joining the team, Megan has been reviewing and familiarizing herself with the work done to date. At the June IOAC meeting, it was decided to not use the risk assessment to set priorities for the plan. Therefore, more time is available to work on the risk assessment. While the original intent had been to have the level 1 risk assessment completed by the end of the summer, DFO is now aiming to have it complete by December Over the next few months, the species VECs list will be reviewed and quality checked, along with the stressors list. With First Nations now reengaged in the planning process, time will also be needed to bring them up to speed on the risk assessment process. As the risk assessment and the draft plan are now following different timelines, it is challenging to understand how the results of the risk assessment might influence the plan. DFO indicated that while the results of the risk assessment won t influence the plan directly, results of the risk assessment will be considered in the implementation of the plan. Consideration of how to incorporate socio-economic values and issues into the risk assessment will also be important. DFO indicated that this important element has been considered in the drafting of the plan and that the department will continue to work with the IOAC to ensure that this is reflected in the plan. Fisheries and Oceans is open to discussion and feedback on dates and processes for the risk assessment. Action: Megan Mach to follow up with IOAC members to set a meeting to discuss further details on the risk assessment framework. September 19, 2012 IOAC Meeting Teleconference Call Page 3 of 6

4 3. Structuring IOAC Review At the June 2012 meeting, the IOAC requested to have adequate opportunity to review draft plan prior to public release. This request was factored into the revised timelines for PNCIMA, along with concerns shared by the Province of B.C. and First Nations. The revised timeline now incorporates a 5 week review period for the IOAC to review the draft plan. It is expected that this review period will commence on October 24, Comments received from IOAC members will be reviewed internally and discussed with governance partners with a view to addressing identified issues and strengthening the PNCIMA plan. Sheila Creighton introduced and spoke to the proposed process for the review of the draft PNCIMA plan by the IOAC (posted to Basecamp). The objectives of the review process were presented, checking to see that they align with IOAC interests. After some discussion, as noted below, the objectives were agreed to by the IOAC, with some concern noted about how IOAC members will connect and communicate with their constituencies. The recreational fishing sector noted that SFAB meetings start late October/early November 2012, with regional meetings on Dec 8 th and 9 th. It was requested that it would be helpful to use the regional meetings to have more discussion on the north and south coast about the draft plan. DFO noted that timelines have been developed to ensure that the draft plan is ready for public release by the end of the year. Extending the time would be challenging, however DFO is willing to explore options to accommodate additional input to the plan. The Regional District of Mt Waddington expressed interest in discussing how best to solicit input on the plan. Hilary Ibey reminded all on the call that Phase 2 of the review period is strictly for IOAC and Non-MOU First Nations. Input from Regional District staff will be welcomed over the course of the IOAC review phase, however the public review phase will not take place until It was suggested that a conference call with the IOAC would be held on October 25 to introduce various aspects of the plan that may be new to the IOAC. As there is a Moore Foundation meeting planned for October 25, an alternate meeting time will be required. It was suggested that it would be helpful for IOAC members to have a few days to review the draft plan prior to such a meeting with the planning team. Timelines for spring 2013 may be tight, making it hard to get a draft of the plan that reflects public input back to the IOAC prior to endorsement. DFO committed to sharing a summary of public input with the IOAC, and the planning team s intended responses. Depending on how things evolve, we will need to determine the need and identify timing for an IOAC meeting in the New Year. There is no date set yet for plan endorsement, nor is it clear whether the Minister will sign off on the plan or not. The goal is to have a final plan by the end of March Action: Urs Thomas to contact Hilary Ibey on September 21 to discuss options for SFAB input on the draft plan. September 19, 2012 IOAC Meeting Teleconference Call Page 4 of 6

5 Action: Craig Darling to work with Sheila Creighton to continue developing the IOAC plan review process. 4. Next Steps Timelines and Public Review Charlie Short reminded all IOAC members that during the public review phase, there will also be community forums/open houses taking place. This third review period will be another opportunity for anyone, including IOAC members and their constituencies, to comment on the plan. IOAC members may be asked to assist with organizing/participating in public open houses. Process for Plan Completion Additional revisions to the plan will be required after the public review period, prior to endorsement. The endorsement process is still being finalized, however it is anticipated that the plan will be endorsed by the Pacific Regional Committee on Oceans Management (RCOM), which is co-chaired by and the Province of B.C.. It has been proposed that a special meeting of RCOM be held in March 2013 for endorsement of the plan. At this meeting, members of the collaborative governance partnership who are not part of RCOM will be invited to participate to endorse the plan. It was clarified that the Ministry of Forestry, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (which also runs the MaPP process) is the Provincial body represented on RCOM. Other provincial and federal ministries also sit on this committee. Steve Diggon flagged that it is also important to recognize that as First Nation have returned to the planning process, they will also be present at the RCOM sign off meeting. Not much has been shared yet in relation to plan implementation. Hilary Ibey indicated that the planning team will be prepared and able to speak to this at the November IOAC meeting. Al Huddlestan and Katie Stein expressed interest in receiving more information relating to the experts have assisted with the review of VECs. Hilary Ibey indicated that most of the people consulted on VECs in the winter of 2012 were individuals who had originally agreed to participate on the PNCIMA MTAT. Kim Wright noted that it would be helpful to know who has reviewed the draft plan when it is circulated to the IOAC in October. DFO indicated that a record of all comments received on the draft plan is being kept and that they would make available to the IOAC a list of the organizations/departments involved in the first phase of the plan s review. Kim Johnson observed that it would be helpful to have a document that lays out the similarities and differences between the draft PNCIMA plan and plans developed for other LOMAs in Canada and circulate to the IOAC at the same time that the draft plan is made available. Action: DFO to circulate a list of those individuals who were invited to comment on the draft list of VECs and any experts that provided comment on VSECs. September 19, 2012 IOAC Meeting Teleconference Call Page 5 of 6

6 Action: DFO to share a list of which organizations/departments were involved in the first phase of the plan s review when the plan is made available to the IOAC for review. Action: Planning team to develop a document that summarizes the similarities and differences between the draft PNCIMA plan and plans developed for other LOMAs in Canada and circulate to the IOAC at the same time that the draft plan is made available. 5. Wrap Up Summary of Action Items Action Item Megan Mach to follow up with IOAC members to set a meeting to further discuss details on ecological VECs and the risk assessment framework. Urs Thomas to contact Hilary Ibey on September 21 to discuss options for SFAB input on the draft plan. Craig Darling to work with planning team to refine the IOAC plan review process. DFO to circulate a list of those individuals who were invited to comment on the draft list of VECs and any experts that provided comment on VSECs. DFO to share a list of which organizations/departments were involved in the first phase of the plan s review when the plan is made available to the IOAC for review Planning team to develop a document that summarizes the similarities and differences between the draft PNCIMA plan and plans developed for other LOMAs in Canada and circulate to the IOAC at the same time that the draft plan is made available. Next meetings IOAC meeting November 13-14, 2012, in Richmond, BC Conference call to introduce the plan to IOAC in October date to be confirmed Bruce Reid thanked all for joining the call. September 19, 2012 IOAC Meeting Teleconference Call Page 6 of 6

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Organizational Structure. Presentation to Cohen Commission November 1, 2010

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Organizational Structure Presentation to Cohen Commission November 1, 2010 1 Outline Part 1 National Overview Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Mandate Departmental Governance