The province has announced it is initiating an independent review of E-Comm and 911 service across B.C. after concerns were raised by a number of stakeholders, including the municipalities of North Cowichan, Duncan and Ladysmith.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said in a statement on Dec. 5 that the review is meant to ensure that there is a reliable and sustainable model for 911 services in British Columbia.
"You can never predict when you'll need emergency help, but if it happens, we need to ensure a dependable, reliable and accessible 911 system is there," said Garry Begg, the new minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
"We are launching an independent review to understand the reasons behind ongoing cost increases, and to ensure these services remain effective and sustainable for years to come."
E-Comm 911 is a multi-municipality agency that provides emergency communications operations for British Columbia.
North Cowichan, Duncan and Ladysmith, as well as seven other communities on south Vancouver Island, had been told by the ministry that they will be responsible for taking over 100 per cent of the costs of the E-comm 911 service as of April 1, 2025.
Currently, funding for the service is split between the province (70 per cent) and the federal government (30 per cent), but the responsibility for costs associated with police dispatch transitioned to the South Island municipalities in 2019 as a result of a change in service provider from the RCMP to E-Comm.
But, in recognition of municipalities’ concerns about the impact of additional costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the province agreed to continue to provide 100 per cent of the 10 municipalities’ dispatch costs through to March 31, 2025.
Meanwhile, the provincial and federal governments said they intended to continue funding for the dispatch service in most other areas across B.C.
In North Cowichan, the downloading of the costs means the municipality would have to pay $800,000 per year for the service beginning in 2025 for the first time, on top of the other burgeoning policing bills for which it is responsible.
The mayors of North Cowichan, Duncan and Ladysmith met with the former Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth at the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting in September and requested that the E-comm 911 costs be deferred for at least one more year while further efforts are made to ensure the equal distribution of these costs for municipalities across B.C. that are currently not paying for the service.
In a letter to North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas in November, Douglas S. Scott, the province’s Deputy Solicitor General, said the 10 municipalities will be responsible for taking over 100 per cent of the costs of the E-comm 911 service as of April 1, 2025, as planned.
But now the government has said it will review E-Comm and 911 service in B.C. after concerns were raised by the Union of BC Municipalities, the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, municipal police boards and emergency service providers about E-Comm's lack of operational and financial transparency and performance, and escalating costs from unstainable levy increases.
The ministry said the independent study will assess E-Comm's financial sustainability, operational efficiency and governance structure, and will make recommendations for the future of 911 services in B.C.
The ministry said this includes a review of financial records for a deeper understanding behind the ongoing rise in costs to communities serviced by E-Comm, E-Comm's financial forecasting, board management and governance.
“It will also include recommendations to inform changes that may be needed to ensure sustainable funding and operations for B.C.'s 911 and dispatch service delivery," the ministry said. “During the review, people will be able to access 911 services without disruption, and public safety will remain unaffected.”
