Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

The ministry has revised its goals and objectives to reflect a shift towards better integration of ministry priorities across departments in support of communities. The goals take a broader perspective, encompassing various aspects of the ministry's work to support communities and improve the well-being of the province's diverse population. These goals are supported by an internal ministry goal to continue developing integrated and collaborative approaches to community issues. Since its last Service Plan, the ministry has streamlined its measures and focused on outcomes, rather than outputs. It is also evaluating performance measures to ensure they are meaningful and appropriate to these common goals.

Government Strategic Goals		Ministry Mission The ministry supports the development of safe, healthy communities and the achievement of full social, economic and cultural participation for British Columbians by: providing a policy and legislative framework, funding and advice to support local governance; developing the legislative and policy frameworks for housing, building, safety of regulated systems and equipment and fire prevention; providing policy advice and delivering services through third parties for Aboriginal people, immigration and settlement, multiculturalism and anti-racism, and women and their children leaving abusive relationships, as well as providing policy advice on women's and seniors' issues; and securing federal participation in provincial priorities through federal/provincial arrangements.
		Ministry Goals		Ministry Objectives		Performance Measures/Indicators
Safe, healthy communities and a sustainable environment. A strong and vibrant provincial economy. Supportive social fabric.		1. Strong, safe and healthy communities.		1. Effective, collaborative and accountable local governments.		Percentage of expected 2021 population in high growth regions accommodated by regional planning policies. Percentage of population with water and sewer infrastructure that meets emerging standards.
				2. Systems to conserve heritage and provide public library services are sustainable and contribute to community quality of life.		Number of historic places on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. Number of devolved heritage properties inspected that meet standards. Library services strategic plan measures (to be developed).
				3. Housing needs met for most vulnerable populations.		Percentage of new tenancies targeted to the most vulnerable. Number of frail and aging senior households assisted through provincial housing programs.
				4. Improved affordability in the housing market.		Percentage of local governments in communities over 100,000 applying affordable housing planning tools and techniques.
				5. A safe built environment.		Users trained in changes to the Fire Code. Users surveyed benefiting from objective-based building, plumbing and fire codes.
				6. Improved collaboration on inner-city issues.		Number of new revitalization initiatives and partnerships for inner-cities.
		2. Social and economic opportunities and well-being for Aboriginal people, immigrants, visible minorities, women and seniors.		1. Social and economic outcomes for Aboriginal people are improved.		Number of partnerships, initiatives and projects. Number of Aboriginal businesses and jobs created and sustained by First Citizens Fund.
				2. Social and economic benefits of immigration and multiculturalism are maximized.		Percentage of recent immigrants surveyed who report greater ability to use English. Number of skilled immigrants from the Provincial Nominee Program employed in skill-shortage sector jobs. Percentage of Provincial Nominees destined to rural areas. Benefits resulting from new Provincial Nominee Business Investment immigrants. Percentage of skilled immigrants who report securing employment through the Fast-track process.
				3. Women's and seniors' unique needs are addressed.		Number of women and their children leaving abusive relationships who receive shelter. Number of women and their children counselled to address the effects of domestic violence. Number of women who received outreach services. Number of resources developed to improve access to information for seniors.

The ministry has a unique role in government, working collaboratively with a variety of partners, to support strong, safe and healthy communities. It provides various tools and services to local governments to address diverse community needs. It also supports communities by working with them to meet their housing needs, conserve their heritage and improve the public library system, and by ensuring safety in the built environment.

The ministry supports local government by providing advice, problem-solving expertise and targeted funding programs. It has also developed and led implementation of the Community Charter, a key tool supporting B.C. communities. The Charter ensures local governments have the right balance of flexibility and accountability to meet the needs of their citizens.

Key strategies include:supporting local governments to address community needs by using the powers provided by the Community Charter; managing sewer and water infrastructure planning and development funding; working with regional districts to develop growth strategies; assisting local governments with incorporations, amalgamations and boundary extensions; facilitating productive relationships between local governments, provincial agencies and First Nations; and by providing assistance to communities in transition.

Performance Measures:

The ministry ascertains its effectiveness in meeting the needs of local government through the following measures. Further measures will be developed in 2005/06.

Regional planning:Communities can benefit from the opportunities provided by population growth but must also prepare for the challenges that arise, particularly in high growth areas. The ministry works with local governments to ensure that planning policies are in place to accommodate significant population growth. The proportion of the projected provincial population that will be covered by appropriate regional planning policies is a measure of the ministry's success in assisting communities to plan for growth effectively.

Drinking water and environmental protection in B.C.:The Canada-BC Infrastructure Program contributes funds to communities to enhance their water or sewage treatment. The drinking water and sewage treatment systems indicator is the proportion of British Columbians that receive services from municipal drinking water and liquid waste management systems using infrastructure that meets emerging standards.

Heritage conservation brings economic benefits and a sense of pride and identity essential to community development and sustainability. Through effective stewardship of heritage property, B.C. communities can contribute to long-term, sustainable use of these resources. Public libraries enhance individual and community quality of life. Through greater collaboration and sharing of resources across the public library system, the public will have improved access to information.

Strategies include: assisting local governments to plan, develop, manage and evaluate heritage programs; devolving and/or transferring operating and non-operating heritage properties to qualified partners; and implementing a strategic plan for public libraries which will provide an accessible, equitable and sustainable system.

Performance Measures:

Number of historic places on the Canadian Register of Historic Places:Local governments can document historic places for listing on the national register by developing community heritage plans and registers. The number of historic places on the register is an indicator of community commitment and capacity to conserve heritage.

Number of devolved heritage properties meeting the standards for heritage preservation and presentation within Heritage Site Management Agreements: To encourage a sustainable, community-based system of heritage conservation, the ministry is devolving management for 29 provincial heritage properties to community partners. Thirteen of these properties provide programs for the public and 12 of 13 have been successfully devolved to community-based groups. Devolution of the thirteenth is expected to be completed by March 2005. All sites are inspected annually. Favourable inspection reports indicate that community partners are successfully preserving and managing heritage properties.

Measures for a State of the Art Public Library system: The strategic plan for public libraries, Libraries Without Walls . . . the World Within Your Reach — A Vision for Public Libraries in B.C., was completed in 2004/05. Implementation of the plan will begin in 2005/06. Performance measures will be developed as part of this process.

The housing strategy focuses on three areas of priority: homelessness, social housing and market housing. The first two contribute to this objective. To help meet the housing needs of the most vulnerable in B.C. communities, the ministry works with BC Housing to provide homes for the most vulnerable, including: low income and frail seniors, persons with physical and mental disabilities, and those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including women and their children leaving abusive situations.

The ministry has been coordinating the development of a provincial homelessness strategy and is taking a lead role in supporting the Premier's Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions, which the Premier announced at the 2004 Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention. The Task Force will make recommendations on how to support communities in developing flexible strategies to combat homelessness.

Unconditional grants valued at $2 million are also being provided to local governments and other community partners through the Union of BC Municipalities over the next three years to support planning for the needs of seniors, particularly in the areas of housing and related community issues. The funding is intended to help seniors stay in their home communities.

Strategies include:expanding the number of units subsidized through the Independent Living BC program and working to enhance the range of housing options for the most vulnerable through existing programs.

Performance Measures:

Percentage of new tenancies targeted to the most vulnerable:Success is measured by the percentage of new BC Housing tenancies targeted to the most vulnerable populations.

Housing needs of frail elderly persons met:This measure demonstrates the Province's commitment to meeting the needs of frail and low income seniors by reporting on the number of senior households assisted through the Independent Living BC Program and existing housing resources.

Access to affordable market housing is critical to the well-being of B.C. communities and citizens. The ministry encourages local governments to facilitate affordable housing development in their communities by supporting increased flexibility for builders and local government. The three key priorities are: 1) increase in lower-priced new homes; 2) improvement in the general affordability of market housing; and 3) reduced regulatory impediments for market housing.

To enhance affordability in the housing market, tools and guides are developed for local government and industry. Planning guides assist with addressing a number of housing issues: secondary suites, rental housing, increased densities, supportive housing for seniors and homelessness, to name a few. The ministry has also amended legislation to allow local governments greater flexibility in the collection of development cost charges, thereby reducing barriers to the development of smaller, more affordable housing developments.

Performance Measure:

Percentage of local governments in communities over 100,000 applying affordable housing planning tools and techniques: Use of these tools indicates that local governments are enhancing their capacity and moving toward the goal of improved affordability. Work is also being undertaken to identify specific housing industry indicators that will measure the success of achieving this objective.

Community safety with regard to the built environment is supported through regulatory systems for buildings and regulated systems and equipment. The ministry is also responsible for fire prevention policy and legislation and will be adopting new Building, Plumbing and Fire Codes in 2005. The BC Safety Authority (BCSA) has delegated responsibility for administering regulations related to regulated systems and equipment. Community and industry involvement are essential to implementing these measures and monitoring their success.

Strategies include:providing smart regulation for fire, building and regulated systems, equipment and processes; continuing regulatory reform; and facilitating consistent application and support to ensure a modern, efficient regulatory system for safety.

Performance Measures:

Percentage of users trained in changes to the Fire Code: All Local Assistants to the Fire Commissioner (LAFCs) who are required to perform inspections according to the Fire Services Act will be trained on changes to the code by 2007/08. This measure indicates capacity to appropriately apply the revised Fire Code.

Benefits of objective-based Building, Plumbing and Fire Codes are realized by users: Stakeholders will be surveyed to measure whether the new codes achieve their objectives of maintaining safety while allowing greater flexibility for users. The survey will be conducted three years after the codes have been adopted to allow time for users to assess its effectiveness.

Public safety is maintained and improved: Indicators are being developed by the BCSA to report on incidents, injury and deaths in the safety sector.

Collaboration amongst orders of government, agencies and communities is critical to addressing inner-city issues such as poverty, homelessness, addiction and other health issues. The ministry is experienced in fostering partnerships to identify and work on common issues affecting inner-city communities. The ministry does not provide programs or services. Instead, it adds value by leveraging resources and cooperation amongst appropriate agencies. The ministry has successfully used this approach with the Vancouver Agreement.

Key strategies include: implementing economic, health and public safety initiatives through partnerships; collaborating with the Olympic Games Secretariat; facilitating enhanced cultural diversity in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside communities; and improving economic revitalization.

Performance Measure:

New revitalization initiatives and inner-city partnerships: The number of initiatives funded and number of partnerships formed are indicators of the first step towards success in addressing inner-city issues. Discussions are underway with Prince George, Surrey and New Westminster, which have also expressed interest in partnership agreements.

The ministry supports a number of programs designed to ensure Aboriginal people, immigrants, visible minorities, women and seniors have enhanced opportunities to participate in community and economic life and improve their well-being. In addition to providing some direct support, the ministry builds relationships, collaborates, negotiates with and informs ministries, other orders of government, private sector stakeholders and community groups about the issues affecting women, seniors, immigrants, visible minorities and Aboriginal persons. Success in this area depends on the efforts of these many partners.

The ministry conducts various activities in this area to improve outcomes and is developing a Provincial Aboriginal Social-Economic Strategy to improve coordination within government of programs and services for Aboriginal people. The Province also participates in the federal Urban Aboriginal Strategy. The ministry's First Citizens Fund (FCF) and First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council contribute to this objective by increasing education, employment and business opportunities for Aboriginal people, by preserving language which is critical to a strong sense of community, and by supporting the development and delivery of culturally appropriate programs and services. Success in this area depends on partnerships with other ministries, the federal government and Aboriginal organizations and communities.

Strategies include: improving access to and quality of services for Aboriginal people through enhanced inter-ministry coordination and partnerships; supporting capacity development within Aboriginal communities towards the delivery of culturally appropriate programs; and providing opportunities for Aboriginal entrepreneurs to develop or expand businesses.

Performance Measures:

Measures of success for the Provincial Aboriginal Social-Economic Strategy are being developed in collaboration with other ministries and Aboriginal communities and organizations.

Number of new organizational capacity partnerships, initiatives and projects: The ministry's Aboriginal Directorate works with other governments and Aboriginal organizations to identify capacity building requirements and/or solutions through partnerships, initiatives and projects. The number of new partnerships, initiatives and projects is an indicator of enhanced collaboration and commitment to increasing the delivery of programs and services by Aboriginal communities and organizations to improve outcomes.

Number of businesses and number of jobs supported by the FCF: By supporting business development and job creation for Aboriginal people, the ministry moves toward achieving its objective of improving economic outcomes.

Immigration and multiculturalism bring many benefits to B.C. communities, both economically and socially. By promoting business, employment and education opportunities for immigrants, as well as cultural diversity and multiculturalism within communities, British Columbia will continue to be a choice destination for immigrants. Efforts to prevent racism and support cultural diversity at the community level are critical to maximizing benefits and enriching community quality of life. New immigrants who settle in B.C. through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) bring many benefits, including to rural B.C. Business immigrants bring investment and jobs to B.C. while skilled immigrants are critical to meeting communities' labour market needs. International students also contribute significantly to B.C.'s economy and diversity. Initiatives are underway to facilitate entry and attract more international students to the province.

Strategies include: implementing a strategy to enhance the social and economic benefits of immigration to B.C., including expedited employment entry of immigrants; implementing a strategy to enhance the social and economic benefits of cultural diversity; developing a multicultural theme for the 2010 Winter Olympics; and implementing a strategy to improve multicultural service delivery.

Performance Measures:

Success in this area depends on the actions of many partners, including the federal government, businesses and employers, as well as immigrants and visible minorities themselves. The measures identified reflect the impact of the ministry's activities within these broader partnerships.

Percentage of immigrants in language training who report greater ability to use English: Success of ministry-funded settlement-focused English language training will be measured by the percentage of surveyed participants who report, after training, greater ability to use English in their daily lives.

Provincial Nominee Program: A number of measures are identified to gauge the success of the PNP, which works to enhance the benefits of immigration throughout the province. These measures include the number of skilled immigrants in skill shortage jobs, the distribution of these immigrants to rural areas, the financial investment generated and the number of new jobs created.

Percentage of skilled immigrants who report securing employment through the Fast-track process: Success of the Fast-track program will be measured by the percentage of skilled immigrants surveyed who report securing employment through the Fast-track process.

The ministry is committed to promoting and supporting women's and seniors' participation in every facet of life in British Columbia. Working with other orders of government, across sectors, and in communities, the ministry strives to ensure the unique needs of women and seniors are addressed and integrated into public policy, legislation, programs and services. The ministry informs policy development, program direction, and decision-making on the needs of women and seniors by identifying and communicating emerging trends and key issues affecting these groups to government and the public.

Women play a significant role in the provincial economy. They also tend to be the primary caregivers to children and elderly parents. Eighty per cent of women performing caregiving roles are also fully employed.

Women's ability to participate fully in the economy and in society can be compromised by violent relationships. Ministry programs are in place to prevent, and mitigate the effects of, violence so that women can move to independence and full participation.

British Columbia has one of the highest median ages in Canada and seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population. Twenty-five years ago, one in ten British Columbians was age 65 or older. Today, that ratio is approximately one in seven, and twenty-five years from now, it is estimated that nearly one in four British Columbians will be a senior. Awareness and understanding of the unique needs of an aging population are critical so that communities are prepared to address issues regarding income, transportation, health care, and access to information about government programs and services.

Strategies include: delivering shelter programs and counselling services to women who have experienced abuse and their children; providing outreach services; supporting initiatives that prevent violence against women; profiling and promoting women's roles in the provincial economy; and building awareness and understanding of issues related to planning for an aging population.

Performance Measures:

Women and their Children leaving Abusive Relationships who Receive Shelter: The number of women and children sheltered through transition house programs indicates the number who have been provided with safe shelter when leaving abusive relationships.

Women and their Children Counselled to Address the Effects of Domestic Violence: The ministry funds counselling for women who have experienced abuse and children who have witnessed abuse. The number of women and children receiving counselling is an indicator of the number who will be better able to cope with the after-effects of abuse, or witnessing abuse.

Women Who Received Outreach Services: The ministry funds outreach workers who support women at risk of violence or who are recovering from violence, and who work at the community level on violence prevention initiatives. The number of women served is the measure of women who get direct assistance from an outreach worker.

Seniors' Access to Information: The ministry will develop, in consultation with seniors-serving ministries, information to facilitate access to government programs and services for seniors. Measures to determine the success of these services include the number of resources added and the number of people accessing the Website.