| New Era Commitment |
Current Status |
Completed to March 31, 2003 |
Next Steps |
| Women's Services and Child
Care |
| Increase child care choices for parents
by encouraging the expansion of safe, affordable child care
spaces.
(New Era Commitment)
|
Complete. |
New sustainable Child Care Operating Funding
and Capital Grant programs in operation. |
|
| Review and make recommendations on the feasibility
of development of a province-wide perspective for delivery of
women's services.
(Premier's service letter)
|
Complete. |
The Women's Services Directory fulfills
this commitment. |
|
| Review and make recommendations on the provincial
inventory of transition houses and emergency shelters.
(Premier's service letter)
|
Complete. |
|
|
| Develop a safer community strategy for women
in provincial emergency shelters and transition houses. (Premier's
service letter) |
Underway. |
Document complete. |
Cabinet will review the strategy. |
| Protect current funding and existing levels
of access to abortion services throughout the province, as a
matter of confidence in government.
(New Era Commitment)
|
Ministry of Health Services responsibility. |
|
|
| Local
Government |
| Pass a Community Charter to outlaw provincial
government "offloading" of costs onto municipal governments,
and to give local governments greater autonomy and better planning
tools to reduce pressure on property taxes.
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
Legislation phase 1 spring 2003. |
Legislation phase 2 to be determined. |
| Return 75% of all traffic fine revenue to
municipalities, to improve community policing and crime prevention.
(New Era commitment)
|
Main responsibility outside CAWS. |
|
Ministry is working with the Ministries
of Solicitor General and Finance on this issue. |
| Ensure that Crown corporations are subject
to local zoning and land-use by-laws.
(New Era commitment)
|
Main responsibility outside CAWS. |
|
Crown Agency Secretariat responsibility. |
| With the UBCM, establish a process to review
regional governance structures to meet the diverse needs of
all parts of BC (Premier's service letter). |
Preliminary work only. |
|
Cabinet submission in 2003/04, implement
in 2004/05. |
| Improve relations with Local Governments.
(Premier's service letter)
|
Underway. |
See Community Charter. |
| Examine the feasibility of strategic plan
for Library Services throughout BC.
(Premier's service letter)
|
Preliminary work only. |
Work on strategic plan started. |
Completed. |
| Aboriginal
Services |
| Increase efforts to protect and promote
aboriginal languages.
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
FirstVoices.com pilot project launched,
$870,000 funding in 2002/03. |
$870,000 funding in 2003/04.
2004/05- funding increased to $1 million.
50% (16) of languages able to use FirstVoices program in
2003/04, 100% (32) in 2004/05.
|
| Devote special attention and resources to
addressing the challenges and needs of aboriginal women and
youth, and to helping aboriginal families bridge the "digital
divide".
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
Liaison with Chief Information Officer on
priority issues. |
Two pilot initiatives will be launched in
2003/04, evaluation of pilots completed in 2004/05. |
| Create a permanent First Citizens' Forum
that will provide aboriginal citizens living on and off reserves
a direct means to communicate with government about their priorities
and ideas to materially improve their quality of life today.
(New Era commitment)
|
Complete. |
1st Forum held on Oct 11, 2002. |
Annual forums will continue to be held. |
| Double the First Citizens Fund to $72 million
to support native friendship centres, student bursaries and
economic development programs.
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
Legislation passed August 2001. |
Fund will be doubled by April 2004. |
| Increase program funding, together with
the federal government, to solve urban challenges and build
capacity.
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
Inventory of provincial programs and services.
Prepared estimates of federal sectoral funding.
Federal engagement strategy approved.
|
Urban pilot projects will be launched in
2003/04.
Pilots will be evaluated.
|
| Examine service agreements with Aboriginal
communities and develop a framework with the federal government
to improve the delivery of social services within these communities.
(New Era commitment)
|
Complete. |
Review of service agreements.
Framework developed.
|
|
| Culture,
Heritage and Sport |
| Increase funding to the BC Arts Council
to promote and support BC arts, music, artists and culture.
(New Era commitment)
|
Preliminary work only. |
|
BC Arts Council funding to be increased
in 2005/06. |
| Double the Physical Fitness and Amateur
Sports Fund to $44 million, to promote physical fitness and
participation in amateur sport.
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
Legislation passed Aug 2001. |
Fund will be fully doubled by April 2004. |
| 2010
Winter Olympics |
| Aggressively support and champion British
Columbia's bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.
(New Era commitment)
|
Underway. |
BC has been short-listed for the 2010 Olympics.
Bid book submitted. |
The outcome of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games
bid will be known July 2, 2003. |
| Housing
and Building |
| Implement a flexible, innovative program
to increase the supply of affordable housing.
(New Era commitment)
|
Complete. |
New housing program, Independent Living
BC, introduced in 2002. |
|
| Review housing, homeowner and code issues
and rationalize regulation of the construction housing industry,
and development a plan to deal with the immediate "leaky condominium"
problem.
(Premier's service letter)
|
Complete. |
Government confirmed its approach to financial
assistance for leaky condo owners. |
|
| Review Homeowner Protection Office (HPO).
(Premier's service letter)
|
Complete. |
Role and mandate of HPO has been confirmed.
New board will be asked to do further review and report to government
in 2004. |
|
| Government
Agents |
| Restore BC as a world leader in E-government,
to give all citizens and businesses better online access to
core services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
(New Era Commitment)
|
Complete. |
Community Access Terminals have been installed
in all 58 government agent offices. |
Government Agents transferred to Ministry
of Management Services. |
