Ten South Vancouver Island mayors have sent a joint letter to BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Garry Begg, to express opposition to the transfer of police dispatch costs to their municipalities on April 1, 2025.
The mayors, including Rob Douglas of North Cowichan and Michelle Staples of Duncan, are calling for consultations, 100 per cent transitional funding while the independent review of E-Comm and 911 service is underway, removal of funding inequity between South Island municipalities and other jurisdictions, and a telecommunications levy to offset 9-1-1 dispatch costs.
The mayors say their municipalities face minimum property tax increases of between 2.7 per cent and six per cent. The projected cost of E-Comm dispatch services for the nine months from April to December 2025 is $4.9 million for the 10 municipalities, escalating to a full 12 months in 2026.
As the municipalities finalize 2025 budgets, they believe “the looming download creates an unjust and inequitable financial burden on our communities and property taxpayers.”
They also say former minister Mike Farnworth told them at the 2024 UBCM convention their concerns would be addressed, and the municipalities would not face these costs in 2025.
South Island communities that use the RCMP for policing previously received dispatch services through an Operational Communications Centre at the West Shore Detachment with the costs fully covered by the province and federal government.
In 2014, the mayors say dispatch services for the South Island were transferred to E-Comm without consultation, transparency, or awareness of the financial repercussions for municipalities.
South Island municipalities only became aware of the financial impact after the transition.
They say other OCCs in BC continue to receive full funding and maintaining the original OCC was a viable option if the financial implications had been made clear during the initial transition.
The mayors ask the province to:
- Maintain 100% transitional funding until the E-Comm review is complete and actionable solutions are implemented.
- Address the funding inequity between South Island municipalities and other jurisdictions, ensuring consistent and fair treatment across B.C.
- Introduce a telecommunications levy to offset 9-1-1 dispatch costs and align with funding models in other provinces.
- Engage in meaningful consultation with our 10 South Island municipalities on this issue.
They say the transfer of dispatch service costs are unacceptable without the above measures.
The South Island mayors plan to hold a news conference Thursday and 10am on the front steps of the BC Legislature.
