This study assesses the compliance self-inspection system introduced for the Ontario forest sector from April 1998 onwards against criteria of governance, performance and accountability. The system was adopted in the context of a 50% cut in the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) budget for forest management. The self-inspection system has now been adopted in all but one of the province's 68 forest management units. Similar approaches have been applied to other natural resource industries regulated by the MNR, and are being considered in other jurisdictions. The report finds that MNR-employed inspectors identify instances of forest industry non-compliance with forest management, environmental protection and public safety laws and regulation at a rate of two to three times that of industry-employed inspectors. However, the report finds that there is now only one MNR-employed inspector per 550,000 hectares of Crown forest under licence. The report concludes with recommendations that the Ontario MNR pursue alternatives to the self-inspection system.
Forest Industry Self-Inspection and Compliance in Ontario
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