Ministry Overview and Core Business Areas

Ministry Overview

The portfolio of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General includes: corrections; law enforcement; crime prevention; victim services; coroners services; emergency response and recovery; driver safety; fire prevention, life safety and property protection; liquor and gaming regulation; liquor distribution¹; and film classification.²

The recent transfer of the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Emergency Social Services to the ministry complements the ministry's public safety mandate. Eight main core business areas now work together within the ministry to fulfill that mandate; their structure and functions are described in the following section.

In fulfilling its functions, the ministry leads and participates in a number of cross-ministry initiatives in support of government's overall effort to improve the social and economic well-being of all British Columbians, including:

• hosting a Provincial Congress on Public Safety in the coming months to find new and innovative approaches to enhancing the safety of our homes, streets and communities;
• leading the province's strategy to counter the manufacture, sale and use of crystal methamphetamine;
• working with all ministries to enhance emergency preparedness, mitigation and response;
• leading the development of a provincial five-year road safety plan to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on B.C.'s roads and thereby potentially reduce health care costs; and,
• coordinating the efforts of police agencies, all levels of governments and related ministries to ensure security for the 2010 Olympic Games.

Core Business Areas and Structure

Corrections Branch

The Corrections Branch protects communities through appropriate supervision and case management of adult offenders and accused persons. The safe management and control of offenders is based on assessment of their risk to re-offend and need for rehabilitation. Through risk/needs assessments, the branch determines suitable levels of supervision and programming to promote positive change in offender thinking and behaviour.

To function effectively and to protect the public, the Corrections Branch works closely with the police, the courts, Crown Counsel, victim services, Immigration Canada, the B.C. Board of Parole, Correctional Service of Canada, the Ministry of Health, Aboriginal justice organizations and community service agencies.

The branch is comprised of two divisions — Adult Custody, and Community Corrections and Corporate Programs.

Adult Custody Division

The Adult Custody Division is responsible for supervision and case management of individuals held for trial or sentenced to jail for less than two years. The division also supervises offenders awaiting transfer to federal prison, federally sentenced offenders transferred to provincial jurisdictions, and individuals detained under the federal Immigration Act. In addition to supervising adult offenders, the division provides a variety of work and core programs aimed at reducing the risk of re-offending and enabling successful reintegration into the community.

Community Corrections and Corporate Programs Division

This division is responsible for all individuals ordered to bail supervision and community sentences, as well as those paroled from a provincial correctional centre. The division also supervises individuals on peace bonds and those subject to alternative measures.³

Community Corrections provides a range of core programs for offenders to mitigate the likelihood of re-offending. The division manages contracted programs for Aboriginal programs and relationship violence treatment. Strategic and service delivery planning, research, evaluation, management information, training and technology systems are also under the mandate of this division and collectively ensure that there is cohesive organization and leadership for the branch as a whole.

Policing and Community Safety Branch

The Policing and Community Safety Branch contributes to the ministry's public safety mandate through the Police Services Division, the Victim Services and Community Programs Division, and the B.C. Coroners Service.

Police Services Division

Police Services Division superintends law enforcement functions in British Columbia, oversees the private security industry and provides protective public safety programs by:

• ensuring adequate and effective levels of policing enforcement throughout B.C., including small, rural and First Nations communities;
• developing and administering policing policy and ensuring central oversight of all policing;
• administering the RCMP provincial police force contract, and overseeing the organization of all provincial and municipal RCMP forces;
• supporting the Provincial Police Service and other police agencies, including the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (formerly known as the Organized Crime Agency of B.C.), the SkyTrain Police Force, and the Police Academy at the Justice Institute of British Columbia;
• collecting, monitoring, analyzing and reporting on provincial crime and police data;
• conducting inspections and audits for municipal police force services using provincial policing standards;
• licensing and regulating the security industry, including security guards, private investigators and other security industry personnel;
• conducting criminal record checks on individuals who work with children, as defined under the Criminal Records Review Act, and administering a related process for determination of risk; and,
• maintaining the Protection Order Registry.

Victim Services and Community Programs Division

Victim Services and Community Programs Division develops and delivers programs to help British Columbians build and maintain safe communities, and supports victims of crime and their families by:

• providing leadership, advice, training and expertise on victim and community safety issues, including violence against women, children, youth and other vulnerable people;
• establishing and maintaining partnerships with organizations, communities and government to ensure coordinated and comprehensive services;
• funding police-based and community-based victim service programs that provide information, assistance and support to victims of crime;
• funding a 24-hour, provincewide telephone service (VictimLINK 1-800-563-0808) which provides information and referral services to all victims of crime, and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence;
• providing funding to community and youth organizations, local governments, school districts and police departments to support projects that enhance public safety and local crime prevention efforts (Safe Streets and Safe Schools Fund);
• providing operational funding to key community justice and crime prevention organizations to support services to communities throughout British Columbia;
• providing funding to support the development of volunteer-based community accountability programs that embrace the principles of restorative justice;
• enhancing high-risk victim safety by providing safety planning, including notification of offender release information;
• overseeing the Victims of Crime Act, which promotes a fair and accessible justice system for victims of crime;
• administering the Crime Victim Assistance Act and Program, which provides financial benefits and assistance to victims of crime;
• supporting and overseeing the Youth Against Violence Line, an automated telephone service (1-800-680-4264) and e-mail link that provide safe, confidential means of preventing and reporting incidents of youth violence or crime or seeking assistance from local police;⁴
• administering the annual Solicitor General Community Safety and Crime Prevention Awards which recognize individuals, groups and programs that have made outstanding contributions to crime prevention and community safety; and,
• on behalf of the Assistant Deputy Ministers' Committee on Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation of Youth, providing project funding to assist communities in developing local initiatives to address sexual exploitation of youth and prostitution-related issues.

B.C. Coroners Service

The Coroners Service is responsible for the investigation of all unnatural, sudden and unexpected deaths in the province, and for ensuring that the relevant facts are made a matter of public record, either through the completion of a Judgment of Inquiry (quasi-judicial report) or the holding of an Inquest (quasi-judicial public hearing). One of the agency's most important responsibilities is the identification and advancement of recommendations to individuals, groups, agencies and others aimed at prevention of death in the future under similar circumstances. The agency maintains a major database and conducts ongoing surveillance on common causes of death aimed at identifying problems, concerns, trends, etc. When such issues are identified, the agency conducts additional reviews and studies aimed at establishing effective and workable preventative measures.

The Coroners Service is also responsible for conducting reviews of all reportable children's deaths occurring within the province. This requires appropriate liaison with agencies such as the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Child and Youth Officer for British Columbia, among others. In addition to an annual report on children's deaths, the Coroners Service is responsible for conducting special reviews on issues affecting the prevention of child death and on child safety more broadly.

In completing its responsibilities, the Coroners Service issues warrants authorizing the conduct of autopsies, toxicology testing and additional procedures, such as microscopy, where they are warranted. Coroners have legislated seizure and inspection powers when and where warranted in order to gather the facts surrounding a death. The agency is also responsible for body removal and transportation. In the event of a mass disaster involving significant loss of life, the agency is responsible for the identification, recovery, examination and repatriation of human remains, including establishing a temporary morgue facility and connecting with families of the victims.

Provincial Emergency Program

The Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) minimizes the loss of life and economic impact of disasters and emergencies, such as floods, interface fires, dangerous goods spills, pandemic influenza, earthquakes, landslides, severe storms, and lost persons or aircraft by:

• providing overall coordination and leadership of the provincial emergency management structure during response to and recovery from emergencies and disasters;
• maintaining an immediate activation capability for an integrated response to and recovery from emergencies and disasters;
• recruiting, training and maintaining the Temporary Emergency Assignment Management System (TEAMS), a resource pool of provincial staff experienced in managing emergency operations;
• providing leadership, subject matter expertise and emergency management training in support of local governments, non-government agencies and individuals and families in preparing for and responding to emergencies and disasters;
• maintaining and supporting the AdventureSmart outdoor safety program and five public safety lifeline volunteer programs;

1. Emergency Social Services, providing short-term assistance to the public;
2. Road Rescue, providing extrication of persons trapped in vehicles;
3. Search and Rescue, locating and assisting lost persons;
4. PEP Air Services, locating lost aircraft;
5. Emergency Communications, providing emergency radio communication;

• managing the provision of Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) to support a recovery program for individuals and families, local governments and businesses;
• providing overall emergency management leadership for the 2010 Olympic Games;
• providing a natural hazards mitigation program for risk reduction; and,
• administering the Emergency Program Act and regulations, the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) and emergency management assistance agreements.

Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles

The Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles regulates drivers to help ensure the safe and responsible operation of motor vehicles in British Columbia. The office is responsible for:

• setting licensing policy;
• monitoring and regulating dangerous and unfit drivers;
• conducting appeals of administrative driving prohibitions and vehicle impoundments;
• conducting hearings and reviews of Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) decisions respecting driver licence sanctions, driver training school and driver trainer licences; and,
• leading and supporting government traffic safety initiatives.

Office of the Fire Commissioner

The primary focus of the Office of the Fire Commissioner is the promotion of fire prevention, life safety and property protection programs. The office derives its authority from the Fire Services Act and the B.C. Fire Code and works closely with local governments and fire services organizations to achieve its objectives. Some of the specific functions the office fulfills include:

• provision of fire code interpretations;
• development of public education programs and fire safety materials;
• provision of evaluation and best practice information to support local fire departments;
• assisting in the coordination of firefighter training;
• undertaking major fire investigations; and,
• supporting provincial response to major wildfire emergencies.

Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch

The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch regulates all gaming in British Columbia, ensures the integrity of people and equipment involved in the gaming industry and investigates allegations of wrongdoing. This includes regulatory oversight of the B.C. Lottery Corporation (which conducts and manages lotteries, casinos and commercial bingo halls), B.C.'s horse racing industry and licensed gaming events.

Policy, Legislation and Standards Division

The Policy, Legislation and Standards Division promotes responsible gambling practices by developing and maintaining a rigorous regulatory environment for gaming and horse racing that balances economic benefits with public safety. The division provides advice regarding the legislation, policies and standards that govern gaming. The division also coordinates administrative review hearings as required and is responsible for delivering the Responsible Gambling Strategy, which includes the Problem Gambling Program.

Licensing and Grants Division

The Licensing and Grants Division issues gaming licences permitting eligible community organizations to hold fundraising events, such as ticket raffles, independent bingo games, wheels of fortune and social occasion casinos. The division also allocates government gaming revenue to eligible community organizations through the Direct Access and Bingo Hall Affiliation grant programs.

Racing Division

The Racing Division develops and implements policies to regulate horse racing to ensure its integrity, and monitors and enforces the Rules of Thoroughbred and Standardbred Racing. The division oversees all races taking place in the province, monitors the activities of track officials and other employees, ensures the safety and security of race track grounds, and investigates and adjudicates matters arising from race meetings. In addition, the division licenses participants in the horse racing industry.

Registration Division

The Registration Division ensures the integrity of organizations, employees and equipment in the gaming industry by conducting mandatory background checks to determine the suitability of potential employees and service providers, and registering them to be involved in the industry. The division also approves and certifies all gaming equipment. The division maintains a register of gaming service providers and workers.

Audit and Compliance Division

The Audit and Compliance Division manages a comprehensive audit strategy for commercial gaming, including horse racing, to ensure compliance with all applicable legislation, regulations, policies and directives. The division conducts regular audits of gaming activity in the province, assesses compliance reviews conducted by the B.C. Lottery Corporation and reviews community organizations' use of funds received through gaming licences and through the Direct Access and Bingo Hall Affiliation grant programs.

Investigation Division

This division investigates all complaints and allegations of criminal or regulatory wrongdoing relating to gaming and horse racing, and is responsible for the province's Illegal Gambling Enforcement Strategy. This strategy includes a team of branch investigators and RCMP officers who work with other law enforcement agencies on gaming-related investigations. All investigators in this division are Special Provincial Constables.

Liquor Control and Licensing Branch

The Liquor Control and Licensing Branch regulates the manufacture and resale of liquor in licensed establishments in order to improve the safety of communities by reducing harm caused by liquor misuse.

Licensing and Local Government Liaison Division

The Licensing and Local Government Liaison Division is responsible for the analysis, approval and processing of licence applications for the manufacture, sale and service of liquor in the province. The division is responsible for all aspects of issuing, amending, transferring and renewing licences for licensed establishments, licensee retail stores, wineries and manufacturers. During the approval process, the division works closely with local government staff and elected officials to obtain community input for licensing decisions. The division is also responsible for issuing permits to purchase and store grain alcohol, regulating the sale of medicinal and cooking alcohols, and reviewing requests for exemptions to Special Occasion Licences.

Compliance and Enforcement Division

The Compliance and Enforcement Division is responsible for inspecting, investigating and educating licensees to ensure they comply with British Columbia's liquor laws and policies, and the terms and conditions of their licence. The division takes enforcement action when necessary and works in partnership with police agencies and local government agencies to monitor compliance and target inspection resources on high-risk licensees.

Policy, Planning and Communications Division

The Policy, Planning and Communications Division leads the branch in strategic planning processes and in the development of legislative, regulatory and policy change. The division is also responsible for consulting with federal/provincial/territorial and stakeholder groups, including industry associations, police and local governments. In addition, the division is responsible for issues management and communications, responding to media, and legislative and public inquiries related to the mandate and activities of the branch.

Executive and Support Services

This core business area consists of the Solicitor General's Office, the Deputy Solicitor General's Office, the Corporate Policy and Planning Office, the B.C. Board of Parole,⁵ Consumer Services, and the Film Classification Office.

The Film Classification Office safeguards public interests by regulating the public exhibition, rental and distribution of films, video games and videos in British Columbia and is responsible for:

• administering the Motion Picture Act and regulations;
• classifying films into age-appropriate ratings and providing advisories on film content to assist the public in making informed viewing choices;
• assessing adult videos for content that is prohibited under the Motion Picture Act or the Criminal Code of Canada;
• licensing film and video distributors, video retailers and theatres;
• enforcing the Act and regulations and removing unapproved or prohibited adult videos from the marketplace, and taking action to ensure the restricted sale of mature video games;
• assisting the police and Canada Customs in the review of seized adult videos and the prosecution of cases resulting from these investigations; and,
• educating the public on the film classification system through a comprehensive Internet site and school outreach program.