About Us - Natural Resource Online
Services
Natural Resource Online Services is managed by FrontCounter BC — a service that can assist you with licences, permits, registrations and other authorizations required to utilize the Province's natural resources.
The Natural Resource Sector can be divided into several broad groups, some of which are listed below. Natural Resource Online Services encompasses the most commonly-used information from these groups, but you may wish to visit their independent websites for more information.
The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the production, marketing, processing and merchandising of agricultural products and food.
The British Columbia provincial government works with many partners to provide timely decisions for new mountain resort proposals, major resort expansions and other existing projects, such as large marinas.
Crown land is land (or land covered by water like rivers or lakes) that is owned by the provincial government. This type of land is available to the public for many different purposes – from industry to recreation and research.
The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources is responsible for British Columbia’s electricity, alternative energy, mining and petroleum resource sectors.
The Fish and Wildlife Branch establishes legislation, policies and procedures for managing fishing and hunting activities, and for the allocation of fish and wildlife resources for recreational and commercial use.
B.C. is a world leader in sustainable forest management with leading-edge environmental practices. Owning 94 per cent of the land and forest resources lets us determine where, when and how forest resources can be used.
Major projects are complex natural resource development projects that require several different levels of planning and approvals. They usually require a significant capital investment, take place on Crown land, and involve multiple government authorizations.
The BC Energy Regulator (BCER) is a single-window regulatory agency with responsibilities for overseeing oil, gas and renewable geothermal operations in British Columbia. BCER oversees activities from exploration and development, to pipeline transportation and reclamation. Regulatory responsibility is delegated to BCER through the Oil and Gas Activities Act and includes specified enactments under the Forest Act, Heritage Conservation Act, Land Act, Environmental Management Act, and Water Sustainability Act.
A permit is required for many types of commercial use, land use/land occupancy, and research activities (see specific activities below) that take place in parks and protected areas designated under the Park Act, the Environment and Land Use Act or the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act.
The quantity and quality of our water supply is essential to public health and sustainable communities. A water right is the authorized use of surface water or groundwater. All water in British Columbia is owned by the Crown on behalf of the residents of the province.