COMM-1
CITY OF VANCOUVER
M E M O R A N D U M
From: CITY CLERK'S OFFICE Date: April 10, 1996
Refer File: 3252-5
To: Vancouver City Council
Subject: Resolutions for 1996 UBCM Convention
Each year the City of Vancouver submits resolutions for
consideration at the Lower Mainland Municipal Association meeting
and the UBCM Annual Convention. The attached draft resolutions
are now submitted for formal consideration of Council:
Submitted by
(a) Costs of Freedom of Chief Constable
Information and Privacy Act
(b) Funding of Victim Service Chief Constable
Unit
CITY CLERK
GMac:ci
Atts. (a)
COSTS OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PRIVACY ACT
WHEREAS compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection
of Privacy Act has added approximately $200,000 annually to the
cost to policing for the citizens of Vancouver;
AND WHEREAS to date the fees available under the Act have
resulted in negligible recoveries;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia
Municipalities communicate the need for the Provincial Government
to reimburse all municipalities for the actual costs of complying
with the Act. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
legislated public bodies, such as the police, to be accountable
to the public to protect the public's personal privacy. The Act
also gave the public a "right of access" to records pertaining to
themselves.
The Vancouver Police Department generated approximately 500,000
files in 1995. This includes Investigation, Traffic, and Arrest
reports, citizen complaints and numerous other police documents.
The size of the information bank to be searched in response to
requests is intimidating considering the vast numbers of archived
files and the time required to manually search for information
not computerized. Consideration must be given to the
responsibility to safeguard that information. The fact that the
public has the "right of access" to this information imposes a
significant financial cost on the taxpayers of Vancouver
considering compliance with requests is legislated to include
time deadlines and the separation of commingled information.
To protect sensitive police information held by the Vancouver
Police Department, the Department has developed reporting
policies and procedures in compliance with this Act.
The Vancouver Police Department incurs an annual cost of nearly
$200,000 to employ a full-time lawyer as an Information and
Privacy Coordinator and support staff to comply with the
voluminous requests for information under the Act.
Although the Act allows local public bodies to recover fees,
there are extensive exceptions to the collection of these fees
from individuals. To date less than $500 has been collected
through allowable fees for these requests. There is a
significant imbalance between the cost of providing this service
to the public versus the fee recovery.
The Vancouver Police Department recommends the Provincial
Government revisit this area and consider reimbursing all
municipalities for the actual costs of complying with the act.(b)
FUNDING OF VICTIM SERVICES UNIT
WHEREAS the Vancouver Police Department Victim Service Unit is a
nationally recognized model of assistance to victims of crime and
trauma and many victim services/assistance programs serve most of
British Columbia;
AND WHEREAS Vancouver's Victim Service Unit, as well as other
police and community services for victims lack sufficient
staffing and funding to accomplish the services needed by victims
of crime and trauma;
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Union of British Columbia Municipalities
support the proposed legislation under Bill C-37 to ensure that
fine surcharges in British Columbia, and Federal fines in place
at present, be used to directly benefit victims of crime and
trauma by providing direct and adequate funding to victim service
agencies in British Columbia.
COMMUNITY SERVICES SECTION
VICTIM SERVICES UNIT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Victims of crime and people suffering other traumas often have
needs that they cannot meet on their own. Since 1984, the
Vancouver Police Department has used the assistance of the Victim
Services Unit to help people meet their needs. The unit is an
example of the Police and the Community working together with a
large number of community volunteers and four salaried staff. It
is these volunteers who primarily deliver services directly to
the victims. At present there are 160 active volunteers.
The staff of the unit provide assistance 24 hours a day, to
victims of crime or other traumatic incidents, immediately after
the incidents occur. For example, victims and survivors of all
types of assaults, robberies, breaking and entering, fires, motor
vehicle and industrial accidents receive assistance on the scene.
Volunteers perform a variety of tasks to help the victims to
recover from their trauma and to offer other practical
assistance. Services provided often include emotional support,
crisis intervention, bereavement assistance, transporting the
victim to emergency accommodation, and assistance in finding the
most appropriate agency to meet the victim's needs.
It is imperative that the staff of the Unit be responsible and
mature individuals who are sensitive to the needs and feelings of
victims of crime and others in the community. As a variety of
tasks need to be addressed, the members of the Unit it requires
four full days of intensive training to prepare a new candidate
to work in the Unit.
Bill C-37 is presented as legislation that will address the needs
of victims. Most importantly are the applications of fines and
surcharges to assist in dealing with the financial needs of
victims and Victim Service Units. The purposed legislation would
assist the delivery of services provided by all Victim Services
Units within the province by helping to fund these organizations.
It is the ambition of all the provincial Victim Service Units to
increase the amount and quality of service that can be provided
to victims of crime and trauma with the anticipated increase of
funding that will occur with the passing of this Bill.