Thursday July 17, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Funding that prepares for the transition to Next Generation 911 is highlighted this week by the BC Government.
The funding is part of a total government investment of $150 million.
- E-Comm 911 which handles 99% of BC’s 911 call volume, received $90 million for technological upgrades.
- The remaining $60 million was distributed to communities through the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to defray costs, such as staffing, training and quality assurance.
Of the UBCM portion, the municipalities of Esquimalt and Colwood received:
- Colwood -$100,000 for mobile computer aided dispatch (CAD), training, and mapping
- Esquimalt – $45,000 for purchase and install of computer aided dispatch (CAD), mapping, training, and testing
“This funding will help Esquimalt and Colwood improve their 911 services alongside changing technologies,” says Esquimalt-Colwood MLA Darlene Rotchford.
“Being able to connect to emergency services when you need to is critical for people’s health and safety,” said Rotchford.
Elsewhere in the South Island area, the following municipalities received funding:
- Malahat (funding given to the Cowichan Valley Region District shared between multiple recipients) – $100,000 for computer aided dispatch upgrade for the Fire Department
- Metchosin – $98,500 for mobile computer aided dispatch equipment and installation
- Sooke – $100,000 for public education, mapping and civil addressing, legal and contracts
Next Generation 911 will make the 911 system more accessible and allow callers to provide dispatchers with additional details about their emergency, including photos and videos.
“Especially in some rural areas, access to 911 services is a lifeline,” says Dana Lajeunesse, MLA, Juan de Fuca-Malahat. “Improving these services will better connect our residents to the emergency services they expect, and the care they deserve.”
911 paid by municipal taxpayers:
In a shift of funding responsibility, earlier this year 10 south Vancouver Island municipalities protested the shift of 911 fees from the province to the municipalities.
Ultimately, there is only one taxpayer, but in their 2025 budgets, 10 municipalities had to find cost savings in other areas in order to absorb the 911 fees for E-Comm services.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS | SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND