Friday November 7, 2025 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted at 3:05 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Also see: BC releases independent reports on E-Comm cost management (November 7, 2025)
E-Comm Emergency Communications for British Columbia Incorporated (aka E-Comm) provides 911 services across BC to Emergency service organizations, Municipalities, Regional districts, Provincial government, Federal government and Government agencies.
Across South Vancouver Island are 10 municipalities that have had to absorb the 911 cost charges into their municipal budgets starting in 2025 (notice for which was given in 2019). There is no representation of Vancouver Island communities on the E-Comm board of directors.
This has pushed up property taxes in Colwood, Duncan, Ladysmith, Langford, Metchosin, North Cowichan, North Saanich, Sidney, Sooke and View Royal.
At the end of 2024 and in early 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.
This did spur the BC Government to commission 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.
That work was carried out by Ernst & Young between March and September 2025, resulting in two reports that were released today.
Currently a call to 911 can be redirected to police, fire or ambulance.
Two reports:
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Nina Krieger today said that one report is about the overall operational and financial control, and management function of EComm (with 17 key findings and 25 recommendations for E-Comm and one recommendation for the province).
The other is consideration of potential options related to the province’s future role in the emergency dispatch sector.
Links to the two reports:
The report about EComm:
“E-Comm needs to have better financial controls in place and the need to align strategic priorities within a budget setting to provide transparent and more predictable fee increases for local governments<‘ said Minister Krieger today.
“It identifies the need for E-Comm to establish a stakeholder management framework to build satisfaction and trust,” the Minister said today regarding the first report.
“The review also recommends that E-Comm conduct a review of their board structure,” she said.
The current E-Comm board of 23 directors is comprised of current former emergency personnel, a Vancouver police inspector, an accountant (independent director), city councillors (all from Lower Mainland communities / none from Vancouver Island), a corporate commercial lawyer (independent director / Vice-Chair), an RCMP officer (based out of Abbotsford), the BC Fire Commissioner (in a government seat), the province’s assistant deputy minister of connectivity (in a government seat), a recently retired fire chief, and the Greater Vancouver chief of operations.
“The report recommends that the province’s role within emergency communications be clearly defined and that clarity in roles and repsonsibilities be outlined.”
Advice to the province:
“The second report provides advice to the province on four potential service delivery models that could be considered for emergency dispathc services in BC,” the Public Safety Minister said toda.
The province will review the recommendations and options outlined in the report,” said Krieger.
Minister’s comments:
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Nina Krieger, addressed media this afternoon regarding the review, the reports, and what action might taken from here.
Krieger highlighted that the concerns expressed by South Vancouver Island municipalities about the transfer of E-Comm costs from the Province to the municipalities was the trigger for commissioning the independent review. What the public can take from that is that their municipal mayors and councils were acting on their behalf, and that speaking up to the provincial government has spurred some work toward possible results.
However, Krieger did emphasize today that the municipalities were notified in 2019 of these coming changes. Taxpayers across those municipalities might wonder why there was a lag time of nearly five years before complaints were consolidated by the councils (noting there were many new mayors and councillors resulting from the October 2022 municipal elections).
The Minister wants to see how E-Comm can implement the recommendations toward greater transparency, affordability and sustainability of 911 services delivered by E-Comm. That will include having better financial controls in place, more transparency (in particular if there are fee increases), and a strong stakeholder management framework. The board structure requires review as well; currently there are 23 directors on the E-Comm board.
Krieger hopes to see strengthened financial, operational, efficiency and governance practices. That’s to “get a true picture of the costs of service, helping to ensure that local government costs remain sustainable going forward,” she said Krieger.
The Minister said today that she expects E-Comm to implement the recommendations “to ensure that emergency services are sustainable and affordable for years to come”.
The minister highlighted that 95% of 911 calls incoming to E-Comm are answered within five seconds (she said 98% in her verbal delivery, but the report says 95%). More than two million 911 calls are handled each year.
Monitoring E-Comm’s progress:
“The province is committed to monitoring E-Comm’s progress as it implements its recommendations,” says the Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General.
“I want to assure British Columbians that they can count on the 911 system to connect them to emergency help should they need it, any time, anywhere in the province,” says Krieger.
Our priority is to ensure that any changes made at E-Comm will strengthen service delivery, improve transparency, and support long term sustainable 911 service levies for local governments.”
Transferring 911 service levies to the province:
Earlier this year the 10 impacted South Vancouver Island municipalities asked the province to transfer the 911 fee levy to cell phone service providers. The province is open to considering that but is making no commitment at this time.
Minister Krieger pointed out that once E-Comm implements the recommendations in the report that a truer indication of real costs will be known.
The province will consider the call-answer levy re-assignment as one option to deal with, Krieger told media today. “We’ve certainly heard the concerns and that suggestion from the the municipal governments.”
What would be a priority for E-Comm to address? “Consistency and transparency of the cost of service that the municipalities are responsible for paying for,” said Minister Krieger today, in responding to that question from Island Social Trends. “
“I look forward to E-Comm reviewing that recommendation and implementing changes necessary on a priority basis,” the Minister said.
===== RELATED:
- BC releases independent reports on E-Comm cost management (November 7, 2025)
- Ten south Vancouver Island municipalities coming to terms with 911 tax increase (February 7, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS | FIREFIGHTERS | EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT