Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Nova Scotia Voluntary Planning Board (VPB) was established in 1963 as the Voluntary Economic Planning Board to assist and advise the Minister of Finance in the development and implementation of measures to increase the rate of economic growth in the Province by means of "voluntary economic planning." A Board of Directors was in charge of recruiting and directing planning projects in primary economic sectors.
In 1970, the Board's mandate expanded well beyond economic planning to embrace most areas of public policy in the Province, including the environment and tourism, and it was renamed the Voluntary Planning Board. More recently, the VPB have provided the Premier and Cabinet with volunteer-driven, citizen-based advice through the work of its sector committees. Projects were developed as requested by the Provincial Government, seeing sector committees working for a set period of time to engage citizens and experts in the production of reports presenting findings and recommendations.
In 1999, the sector committees were discontinued, though they were temporarily reinstated between 2001-2004. The VPB Board of Directors undertook a strategic review in 2004-2005 which resulted in the permanent discontinuation of the sector committees. In December 2010 the Voluntary Planning Board office was closed and staff moved to a new Public Engagement Support Unit under the Treasury Board, and subsequently under the Office of Policy and Priorities.