FRONTCOUNTER BC & OGC PROVIDE COMBINED EXPERTISE

FORT ST. JOHN – FrontCounter BC has opened in Fort St. John to deliver services to natural resource clients throughout the Peace region, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Richard Neufeld announced today on behalf of Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell.

“FrontCounter BC provides a single point of contact for citizens and business to access natural resource agencies and ministries,” said Neufeld. “This unique office includes Oil and Gas Commission staff who will handle applications relating to oil and gas activities on both private and Crown lands.”

The Oil and Gas Commission operates an efficient, integrated one-window point of contact for the provincial oil and gas industry. FrontCounter BC complements those services by providing a single point of contact for small and medium-sized natural resource based-businesses as well as citizens.

“This logical partnership further streamlines efforts to provide one-stop service for Oil and Gas Commission clients and local small and medium-sized businesses in the Peace region,” said Neufeld.

“Our city and region will benefit tremendously from this innovative partnership,” said Fort St. John Mayor Jim Eglinski. “FrontCounter BC and the Oil and Gas Commission working together can only create greater economic opportunities in B.C.’s northeast and greater prosperity for our people.”

FrontCounter BC staff ensure clients fully understand the appropriate authorizations required for their businesses. They help research and apply for Crown land use decisions, regardless of which agency or ministry holds responsibility for the area. Staff do not ‘lobby’ to have projects approved; they act as liaisons between the client and host ministries and agencies, advocating for timely decisions and responses.

“FrontCounter BC has really saved me time,” said Mackeno Ventures land development consultant Jim Little. “Instead of running all over trying to track down information on Crown land and natural resources from the various agencies, I can just go into one office and deal with one person, and they do the rest of the legwork, which allows me to focus on my business.”

FrontCounter BC staff help clients identify environmental, public health and safety issues relevant to completing the decision-making process for natural resource tenuring applications. These important concerns are addressed as an essential part of the process, while the authorization process proceeds efficiently. Last year, FrontCounter BC gained major recognition by taking top honours in the cross-governmental integration category at the Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Awards.

In addition to its single-window service for clients of provincial natural resource ministries and agencies, FrontCounter BC also offers OneStop Business Registry services, as well as access (via a Community Access Terminal) to a wide range of government information and services available online. FrontCounter BC also provides access to Small Business BC services, helping clients obtain information on how to start a small business, exporting, and other business-related information.

FrontCounter BC and the Oil and Gas Commission in Fort St. John are located at 100 – 10003 110 Avenue. The office is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is open through the lunch hour. For more information on FrontCounter BC, visit www.frontcounterbc.gov.bc.ca or call toll-free 1 877-855-3222 (FCBC).

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Media contact:	Liz Bicknell Communications Director Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 250 356-2862 250 213-3072 (cell)	Lee Shanks Communications Manager BC Oil and Gas Commission 250 261-2097 250 896-8588 (cell)

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