Ministry Role and Services

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

People are safe at home and in their communities.

Mission

To ensure the security and economic vitality of communities through effective policing, corrections, liquor and gaming control and other protective and regulatory programs.

Values

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is committed to affordability, efficiency, accountability, innovation and reform, and a healthy and supportive workplace. In addition, the ministry strives to deliver its unique services in accordance with the following values:

• respect for the law;
• integration of services;
• community participation;
• risk management;
• self-regulation; and,
• balancing consumer protection with economic vitality.

Ministry Overview, Core Business Areas and Structure

Ministry Overview

The portfolio of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General includes law enforcement, corrections, crime prevention, coroners services, victim services, liquor and gaming regulation, liquor distribution, consumer protection, and emergency response and recovery.¹

Five main core business areas within the ministry work together to fulfill the ministry's public safety mandate: Corrections, Policing and Community Safety, Compliance and Consumer Services, Gaming Policy and Enforcement, and Liquor Control and Licensing.

Corrections

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 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, 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

The Community Corrections and Corporate Programs 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.²

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

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, the B.C. Coroners Service, and the Provincial Emergency Program.

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. on behalf of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General;
• 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.), and the Police Academy at the Justice Institute of B.C.;
• 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 victims;
• 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;³
• 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 Minister's 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 Office for Children and Youth, 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 Program⁴

The Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) minimizes the loss of life and economic impact of disasters and emergencies, such as floods, earthquakes, landslides and severe storms by:

• maintaining an integrated response and recovery immediate activation capability for all hazard emergencies and disasters;
• recruiting, training and maintaining a resource pool (Temporary Emergency Assignment Management System — TEAMS) of provincial staff experienced in managing emergency operations;
• providing leadership and subject matter expertise in assisting local governments, non-government agencies and individuals and families in preparing for and responding to emergencies and disasters;
• managing the provision of Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) for individuals and families, local governments and businesses; and,
• administering the Emergency Program Act and regulations, the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) and five public safety lifeline volunteer services.

Compliance and Consumer Services

The ministry's public safety mandate is supported by the Compliance and Consumer Services Branch through the Film Classification Office, the Residential Tenancy Office, the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, and the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Division. The branch also maintains links with the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority, a private, not-for-profit statutory corporation responsible for consumer protection legislation and related administration.⁵

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. The office 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.

Residential Tenancy Office

The Residential Tenancy Office provides landlords and tenants with information and dispute resolution services, including a quasi-judicial arbitration process. The key functions of the office are:

• administering legislation that regulates relationships between residential property landlords and tenants;
• providing intervention, arbitration and arbitration review services to resolve landlord and tenant disputes; and,
• providing information services to landlords and tenants.

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 and 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.

Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Division

The Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Division contributes to the public safety network by:

• enforcing laws and regulations related to commercial vehicle safety and vehicle equipment standards in British Columbia, including provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, Commercial Transport Act, Transport of Dangerous Goods Act, Passenger Transportation Act, Transportation Act, Motor Fuel Tax Act and applicable regulations;
• developing and promulgating safety regulations governing on-road commercial transport, vehicle inspection, vehicle equipment regulations;
• maintaining and promoting road safety through the implementation and management of the National Safety Code, Commercial Vehicle Inspection Program, Private Vehicle Inspection Program, Commercial Transport Program, Transport of Dangerous Goods Program and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance; and,
• participating on various national and international government road safety bodies to coordinate and harmonize commercial transport and vehicle equipment and safety standards.

Gaming Policy and Enforcement

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

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.

Management Services Division

The Management Services Division supports the branch in meeting its objectives by ensuring financial and administrative controls meet the requirements of central agencies. The division assists managers and employees with budget, freedom of information, personnel, records and facilities management, and technology and contract management processes.

Ministry Operating Context

Many factors impact the demand for the ministry's services and affect the ministry's ability to achieve its goals and objectives. Some of these factors are summarized below.

Demographics: While the population of British Columbia is growing larger, it is growing at a slower rate than in previous years. It is also growing older. By 2007, the population is predicted to have increased by 19 per cent from 1997, or 755,000 people, and the median age is predicted to rise from 36.0 to 38.9 years of age. In addition, the median age in B.C. is approximately two years higher than the national average. Both the share and overall population of retirement age (65+) is predicted to continue to increase significantly from 12.8 per cent in 1997 to 17.3 per cent in 2021. The same is predicted to be true for the very senior population (80+), which is predicted to grow from 3.0 per cent of the population to 3.9 per cent over the same time period.⁶ The ministry will need to be responsive to these demographic trends in program design and delivery.

Changes in the Crime Rate: The overall crime rate in British Columbia has been increasing since 2000. In 2004, preliminary crime data for B.C. indicate that there was just under a two per cent increase in the overall crime rate from 2003. In 2004, the violent crime rate remained virtually unchanged from 2003 (-0.1 per cent), while the property crime rate decreased by two per cent from 2003. Increases in the number of "counterfeit currency" and "disturbance of the peace" offences contributed to the increase in the overall rate. Although the province's overall crime rate has been increasing over the past several years, the rate remains significantly lower than the rates in the early 1990s.⁷

Crime, Globalization and Technology: The speed and magnitude of globalization are having a dramatic impact on the nature of crime. Specifically, newly emerging technology is facilitating the expansion of organized crime across provincial, national and international boundaries, and into various forms of criminal activity, including sexual exploitation of children, drug trafficking and identity theft.⁸ Cyber-attacks, or computer hacking, is also becoming a more pronounced problem for both commercial entities and individuals.⁹ With the rapid proliferation of new technology, additional resources within and between police agencies are becoming more necessary to adapt to newly emerging forms of crime, and to develop new methods of investigation.

Complex Investigations: Large-scale investigations in B.C. are consuming increasingly larger proportions of available resources. In addition, organized crime activities have led to increasingly complex and lengthy investigations for police.

Marijuana Growing Operations: According to Statistics Canada, 70 per cent of all drug offences in Canada in 2003 involved cannabis and 14 per cent of all cannabis offences were for cultivation, the largest volume of which took place in British Columbia. More specifically, 39 per cent of all marijuana growing operations reported were in B.C. In addition, the sophistication of marijuana growing operations appears to be increasing, and they are often run by organized crime members. These growing operations pose hazards for safety inspectors, emergency personnel, fire fighters and the public; these hazards include weapons, booby traps, explosives, chemical products, other drugs and fires.¹⁰

Methamphetamines: In the past five years, there has been substantial growth in methamphetamine use among Canadians in their teens and early twenties. Preliminary data indicate that methamphetamine use is on the rise, and is reflected in a significant and steady expansion in hospital admissions and police contacts, and in the number of clients seeking treatment in community treatment centres. Also, steady increases in methamphetamine-related deaths, and greater numbers of clandestine lab seizures in western provinces suggest that the methamphetamine industry is expanding.¹¹ Clandestine labs present a significant public safety concern due to the volumes of toxic chemical by-products produced by them, and the means by which these chemicals are discarded. Often, these chemicals end up in sewers, septic tanks, or in the ground. In addition, many of the chemicals used to create methamphetamines are highly volatile and pose the risk of serious injury to individuals who are in proximity to the manufacturing process, as well as to public safety officials who dismantle these manufacturing operations.

Increases in Remand Counts: While the number of sentenced offenders in British Columbia correctional facilities has remained fairly stable, there has been a substantial growth in the remand population since the early 1990s. Between 1990/91 and 2003/04, B.C. experienced a steady increase in remand counts. More specifically, the number of individuals held in remand has more than doubled in the province over the past 13 years, from approximately 400 individuals in 1990/91 to over 900 in 2003/04. Remand costs have been driven up by the high number of remand admissions, and longer and more frequent stays in remand.¹²

Higher-Needs and Higher-Risk Offenders: There has been an increasing challenge in supervising offenders with higher needs and of higher risk. A disproportionate number of individuals in the criminal justice system are affected by mental illness and/or substance addiction. There is an increasing number of offenders with violent criminal histories and of higher risk being supervised than before. These higher-needs and higher-risk offenders have significant implications for staffing, security, program development and delivery, and offender management.

Road and Vehicle Safety: Impaired driving, whether by alcohol, drugs, or a combination of alcohol and drugs, remains a leading cause of death on highways in B.C. In addition, growth in the number of dangerous driving incidents in the Lower Mainland has been attributed to an increase in street racing incidents over the past few years.

Seniors are the fastest-growing segment of the driving population. In Canada, approximately six million drivers will be dealing with age-related illnesses and a decline in physical and cognitive abilities. In addition, older drivers are more likely to die from injuries in crashes that would not kill younger drivers. In B.C., trends indicate that the number of elderly people who die as the result of traffic accidents has been increasing for the past four years.¹³

Emergencies and Disasters: Global climate changes are contributing to elevated risks of natural disasters world wide. In December 2004, the tsunamis in South East Asia increased the awareness of coastal communities of their vulnerability to such disasters and the need for sophisticated advance warning protocols.

Global climate changes, and specifically, warming trends in British Columbia, result in precipitation and high runoff which also causes river ice to break up and mobilize. This increases the risk of ice jams, flooding, landslides and avalanches throughout the province.

New Era Commitments

The following table provides an update on the New Era projects and commitments that were outstanding at the start of the reporting year 2004/05.