Internal Management

Strategic Management of Resources

In the spring of 2010, the MVLWB created the Policy, Planning, and Communications (PPC) Department. The role and purpose of the PPC Department is to:

• Carry out a governance review of the Full Board of the MVLWB to determine more effective means of delivering standard and consistent corporate services (completed in December of 2010);
• Ensure the Full Board of the MVLWB is actively participating in the review of external initiatives impacting the Board’s core functions; and,
• Deliver policy, planning, and communications services to the Full Board of the MVLWB.

As a result of the governance review, the Full Board of the MVLWB has decided to focus its efforts on two key areas for 2011–2012:

• New Governance Structures: In December 2010, the Full Board of the MVLWB made a decision to provide increased responsibilities to the Chairs and Executive Directors of the Boards, so they could achieve strategic results with respect to Working Group operations and corporate service delivery (e.g. shared communications, policy, planning, technical, IT, and data management). This has resulted in the approval of the Chairs and Executive Directors Committees which will, on behalf of the Full Board, ensure the strategic objectives of the Full Board are carried forward, as well as manage the day-to-day work required to meet these targets.
• Shared Services: A key component of ensuring that standard and consistent procedures and decisions are made and that our clients are aware of these initiatives is the timely delivery of high-quality corporate services, including communications, training, policy and planning, technical, and IT support. The Boards recognize that these corporate services cannot be housed within each organization, and that, due to capacity and funding constraints, these services need to be shared amongst the Regional Boards. Currently the Full Board is evaluating a number of models for the formal delivery of shared services.

The objectives of this initiative are to:

• Maximize the operational effectiveness of various corporate sectors;
• Optimize the use of collective resources;
• Increase efficiency;
• Ensure consistent policies and process (e.g. human and financial);
• Maximize retention of corporate knowledge; and,
• Enhance Board governance.

In summary, the need for clarity, consistency, and certainty of regulatory processes is recognized by all parties. Through the section 106 Working Groups and internal governance review initiatives, we feel we are making good progress on issues within our jurisdiction.