“Much Room For Improvement”

Jul 23, 2018 | 12:00 PM

There is no shortage of work for BC’s Ombudsperson.

The independent agency looks into people’s complaints if they feel they been treated unfairly by government.

Ombudsperson Jay Chalke says the Social Development and Poverty Reduction (SDPR) Ministry drew the most complaints for the 10th straight year.

“I’m hoping as government puts its poverty reduction strategy into place later this year, that the service issues that are brought our office everyday about the ministry are addressed,” Chalke told a media conference.

The SDPR Ministry received 625 complaints, or 28% of calls about ministries, from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018.

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The Ministry of Children and Family Development was next on the complaint list with 555, and then the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General at 353.

Pictured: Jay Chalke, BC Ombudsperson

Chalke, who has held the position since July 2015, says calls for service were at a ten year high.

“The volume of complaints indicates to us there is obviously much room for improvement in terms of how public bodies treat members of the public. For us, we’re looking at whether people have been treated fairly and reasonably.”

ICBC led the way in terms of Crown Corporations drawing complaints, amounting to over half of the 325 calls.

On the local front, the Ombudsperson got 87 complaints from the Shuswap riding, and 69 from Vernon-Monashee.

Click HERE to read the Annual Report.

by Corey Fischer