Friday November 7, 2025 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted at 12:57 pm | Updated 3:12 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Also see: Public safety minister Krieger credits municipalities with speaking up about E-Comm cost download (Nov 7, 2025)
Across South Vancouver Island are 10 municipalities that have had to absorb the 911 cost charges into their municipal budgets. This has pushed up property taxes in Colwood, Duncan, Ladysmith, Langford, Metchosin, North Cowichan, North Saanich, Sidney, Sooke and View Royal.
At the start of 2025, the mayors of those municipalities protested the downloading of Ecomm 911 costs, including a protest photo-op on the steps of the BC Legislature.
The Province has responded with requesting an independent review as to the nature of the costs, looking at things like E-Comm 911’s governance structure, operational efficiencies and financial controls.
Today two reports were released to provide the required background:
Currently a call to 911 can be redirected to police, fire or ambulance.
Minister’s comment:
The Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Nina Krieger, addressed media at 1:45 pm today.
She credited the 10 south Vancouver Island Mayors for speaking up about the 911 levy being shifted to municipal taxpayers.
Full government news release:
B.C. releases independent reports on E-Comm cost management
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General – November 7, 2025
An independent review of E-Comm 911’s governance structure, operational efficiencies and financial controls has identified improvements that are necessary to ensure the emergency-dispatch service remains financially sustainable for local governments.
“The B.C. government commissioned a review of E-Comm’s operational and cost-management functions in response to concerns of local governments about unsustainable levy increases for E-Comm 911 services,” said Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “The review provides a road map as to how E-Comm can implement financial, operational and governance controls to ensure transparency, affordability and financial sustainability going forward. British Columbians can count on our 911 system to connect them to emergency help – anytime, anywhere in the province. It is my expectation that E-Comm will implement the recommendations in the review, to ensure that emergency services are financially sustainable for years to come.”
The review, announced by the Province in December 2024, was conducted by EY and produced two reports. One focuses on improving operational and financial controls at E-Comm, and the other focuses on possible roles for the Province, including maintaining the status quo of no provincial oversight.
The first report, Independent Review of E-Comm (E-Comm Report), examines how E-Comm 911 functions, with particular attention to its governance, financial-management and operational-efficiency structures. The report contains 25 recommendations for E-Comm and one recommendation for the Province.
“We accept the findings of the review, and are committed to work with the Province and our local government partners to act on the recommendations as quickly as possible,” said Nancy Kotani, board chair, E-Comm. “The board and executive team recognize the urgency of the improvements required, particularly in our governance and financial management, and the need to rebuild the trust of our local government and agency partners.”
The E-Comm Report identified budgeting shortcomings at E-Comm, including the need for better financial controls and the need to incorporate and align strategic priorities within a budget setting, to provide more transparent and predictable fee increases for local governments. The report recommends that E-Comm establish a contingency fund to smooth unexpected expenses and mitigate impacts on levies during unanticipated events. It also identifies that a stakeholder management framework is required to build stakeholder satisfaction and trust, and recommends a review of the E-Comm Board structure to support effective governance of an increasingly complex organization that offers provincewide services.
The report recommends that the Province’s role within emergency communications be clearly defined, and that clarity in roles and responsibilities be provided.
The second EY report builds on the findings of the E-Comm report and provides advice to the B.C. government about four potential service-delivery models that could be considered for emergency dispatch services in B.C.
The Province will review the recommendations and the options outlined in the EY reports. The priority is for E-Comm to strengthen its financial and operational efficiencies, as well as governance practices, to get a clear picture of the true cost of service and to help ensure that costs to local governments remain sustainable. The Province is committed to supporting and monitoring E-Comm’s progress as it implements its recommendations.
===== RELATED:
- Ten south Vancouver Island municipalities coming to terms with 911 tax increase (February 7, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS | FIREFIGHTERS | EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT