Open Letter Re: Inequitable Download of Police Dispatch Costs to South Island Municipal Taxpayers
Honourable Garry Begg, MLA
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General
PO Box 9010 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC V8W 9E2
Via email: pssg.minister@gov.bc.ca
Dear Minister
Re: Inequitable download of police dispatch costs to South Island municipal taxpayers
We, the mayors of 10 South Island municipalities, are writing to express our strong opposition and profound dissatisfaction with the impending download of police dispatch costs to our communities’ taxpayers. Starting April 1, 2025, this decision will impose a significant financial burden, translating to a minimum property tax increase of between 2.7% and 6% for each municipality. This is untenable and unacceptable unless these costs are applied equally across British Columbia, phased in appropriately, and accompanied by demonstrable value from EComm’s dispatch services.
At the 2024 UBCM convention, then Minister Farnworth implied that our concerns would be addressed and that we would not face these costs in 2025. However, we now find ourselves confronting the same unresolved issue despite years of advocacy and discussion.
Background
Historically, RCMP-policed South Island municipalities received dispatch services through the Provincial Operational Communications Centre (OCC) at the West Shore Detachment. Costs were fully covered under a 70/30 funding model between the Province and the federal government.
Starting in 2014, the Province collaborated with local law enforcement jurisdictions to consolidate dispatch services for the Capital Region and the South Island and selected E-Comm as the service provider. However, this transition occurred without consultation, transparency, or awareness of the financial repercussions for member municipalities. The original funding model was expected to remain unchanged, as confirmed in a 2021 letter from the Assistant Deputy Minister and Director of Police Services to the Municipality of North Cowichan :
“There was no discussion during this period of time around any changes to the funding model for telecommunications. At the time, the RCMP did not raise cost implications as a forthcoming issue when the service provider changed. Both the Province and RCMP Westshore were under the impression that the provision of South Island police dispatch services would continue to be provided at the 70/30 Provincial/Federal cost share.”
South Island municipalities only became aware of the financial impact after the transition. Since 2021, we have worked collectively to push back against this inequitable cost downloading, which successfully delayed implementation through March 31, 2025. Despite this, the Province has not:
- Consulted with South Island municipalities;
- Explored alternative funding models;
- Addressed the inconsistencies and inequities between regions across B.C.; or,
- Introduced a telecommunications levy to fund a new provincial 9-1-1 model, as seen in other provinces.
Financial impacts:
The projected cost of E-Comm dispatch services for the nine months from April to December 2025 is $4.9 million for the 10 impacted municipalities, escalating to a full 12 months in 2026. For each municipality, this cost alone represents a property tax increase of at least 2.7% to 6%, compounding other financial pressures from inflation, aging infrastructure, increased service expectations, new provincial mandates around housing, and ongoing downloaded costs associated with the opioid epidemic.
This inequity is further exacerbated by the fact that other OCCs in B.C. continue to receive full funding. Maintaining the original OCC would have been considered a viable option if these financial implications had been made clear during the initial transition.
We are pleased that you have committed to reviewing this service; however our request is to maintain status quo while this review is undertaken and to consider the following.
Our request
To address this inequity and support our municipalities, we urge 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.
As we finalize our 2025 budgets, this looming download creates an unjust and inequitable financial burden on our communities and property taxpayers. The Province has the means to rectify this inequity and support our requests.
We respectfully assert that these downloaded costs are unacceptable without implementing the above measures.
Sincerely,
Mayor Kobayashi, City of Colwood
Mayor Staples, City of Duncan
Acting Mayor McKay, Town of Ladysmith
Mayor Goodmanson, City of Langford
Mayor Little, District of Metchosin
Mayor Douglas, Municipality of North Cowichan
Mayor Jones, District of North Saanich
Mayor McNeil-Smith, Town of Sidney
Mayor Tait, District of Sooke
Mayor Tobias, Town of View Royal
