GOVERNMENT FORESTRY PROGRAM MAINTAINS ISO 14001 CERTIFICATION

The provincial government forestry program has maintained ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS), following its recent six-month follow-up audit.

The forestry program was certified in January of this year, following a rigorous independent audit of its system by KPMG Performance Registrar Inc. of Vancouver. The company conducted a repeat audit in May to ensure that the standard is being successfully maintained. ISO 14001 is the internationally recognized standard for certification of such systems.

"The EMS helps keep us accountable for our goals and action plans," Environment Minister David Forbes said. "The recent audit confirms that the system we have in place is solid, and functioning well."

The EMS provides a framework to manage the environmental impacts of activities associated with the province's forestry program. Transparency, accountability and continuous improvement are built into the system. The EMS for Saskatchewan Environment's forestry program is the first province-wide government program in the country to achieve ISO 14001 certification.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a network of national standards institutes from 148 countries. Based in Switzerland, it is the source of the ISO 14001 environmental standard.

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For More Information, Contact:

Al Willcocks Environment Prince Albert Phone: (306) 953-2486