1992 Annual Report of the Ombudsman To the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia 1992 Annual Report I of the Ombudsman To the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia Canadian Cataloguing in Publicatim Data British Columbia. office of the anbudman. Annual report of the Ombudsman. -- 1992- Annual. Continues: British Columbia. Office of the ombudsman. Annual report to the Legislative Assembly. ISSN 0835-5428 ISSN 1195-3373 = mudreport of the Cmbudsman (Victoria) 1. BI the mbudsman - Periodicals. Zolumbia - Periodicals. JL 3 ~~ may he obtained in printed form, on computer diskette or on audiotape from the Offices of the Ombudsman in Victoria and Vancouver. 1 1992 Ombudsman Annual Report 31 OMBUDSMAN 8 Bastion Square Suite 202, 1275 West Sixth Ave. Victoria, British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia Legislative Assembly V8W 1H9 V6H 1A6 Province of British Columbia Telephone (604)387-5855 Telephone (604)660-1366 Long Distance Long Distance (Toll free) 600-567-3247 (Toll free) 800-661 -3247 July 9,1993 The Honourable Joan Sawicki Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Parliament Buildings Victoria, British Columbia V8V 1x4 Honourable Speaker, It is my pleasure to present the 1992 Ombudsman Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly. This report is provided in accordance with section 30( 1) of the Ombudsman Act and covers the period from January 1 to December 31, 1992. In addition, an audiotape of this report will be sent to all Members so that they can make it available to the public at their offices. This is my first annual report as Ombudsman of the Province of British Columbia. I was appointed as the first woman Ombudsman in our province on August 4, 1992. For a period in 1992 preceding my appointment, Brent Parfitt was the Acting Ombudsman. I wish to acknowledge the contribution he made then and after my appointment, as Deputy Ombudsman. I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone who works at the Ofice of the Ombudsman for their hard work and support since my appointment. It has been a very interesting period for the Ofice, full of excitement and change. Changes within the Office are also the result of government plans to proclaim the remaining sections in the schedule to the Ombudsman Act which lists the authorities over which I have jurisdiction. In the period covered by this annual report, section 7 of the schedule was proclaimed bringing schools and school boards within the mandate of our Ofice. Respectfully submitted, mk&*c- Dulcie McCallum Ombudsman of the Province of British Columbia 4 Introduction 1992 Ombudsman Annual Report Table of Contents Introduction...................................................................................... 7 How is the Ombudsman of British Columbia Selected ............................ 9 Expanding the Jurisdiction or Scope of Review of the Ombudsman ..... 12 My Perspective on Ombudsmanship....................................................... 16 The Importance of Language .................................................................. 20 What We Mean by ‘Accessible’ at the Office of the Ombudsman .........24 Supporting Children and Youth ............................................................... 26 International Ombudsman ....................................................................... 27 The Fifth International Ombudsman Conference ................................... 29 Public Reports Issued in 1992 ................................................................. 33 Up and Coming in the 1993 Ombudsman Annual Report ...................... 37 Complaint and Investigation Activity During 1992 ................... 39 A Brief Overview of Ombudsman Activity for 1992 ............................. 41 Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology .................. 43 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ........................................... 46 Ministry of the Attorney General ............................................................ 48 Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources ............................. 59 Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks ............................................ 61 Ministry of Finance and Corporate Relations ........................................ .64 Ministry of Forests ................................................................................... 69 Ministry of Government Services ........................................................... 74 Ministry of Health ................................................................................... 76 Ministry of Labour and Consumer Services ........................................... 85 Ministry of Social Services ...................................................................... Ministry of Transportation and Highways .............................................. 94 Children and Youth ....................................................................... 99 Integration of Services........................................................................... 101 Child Advocacy ..................................................................................... 102 Residential Services for Children .......................................................... 105 Family and Child Services..................................................................... 107 Income Assistance for Young People .................................................... 108 Public Trustee-Services to Children ...................................................... 109 Family Court Counsellors...................................................................... 110 Public Schools and School Boards ........................................................ 110 Other Matters of Special Concern for Young People ............................ 112 1992 Ombudsman Annual Report Introduction 5 Other Authorities ......................................................................... 115 B.C. Assessment Authority & Appeal Board ........................................ 117 B.C. Council of Human Rights.............................................................. 118 B.C. Housing Management Commission.............................................. 120 B.C. Hydro and Power Authority .......................................................... 121 B.C. Lottery Corporation....................................................................... 124 British Columbia Railway Company .................................................... 125 B.C. Transit Authority ........................................................................... 126 Commission on Resources and Environment ....................................... 127 Insurance Corporation of British Columbia .......................................... 128 Pacific National Exhibition ................................................................... 131 Workers’ Compensation Board ............................................................. 132 Medical Review Panels................................................................... 138 Workers’ Compensation Review Board ......................................... 139 Criminal Injury Compensation ....................................................... 1~ Statistics ........................................................................................ 141 Overview Definitions....................................................................................... 142 Disposition of Jurisdictional Complaints (Charts) ......................... 144 Detailed Reasons for Closing Complaints...................................... 145 Level of Impact of Resolved Complaints....................................... 145 Authority Detail Jurisdictional Complaints Handled in 1992.................................... 146 Disposition of Jurisdictional Complaints (Table) ........................... 147 Complaints Against Unproclaimed Authorities ............................. 152 Non-jurisdictional Complaints/InquiriesClosed ............................ 152 Historical Perspective ComplaintdinquiriesReceived and Closed .................................... 153 Disposition of Jurisdictional Complaints / Inquiries ...................... 154 Jurisdictional and Non-jurisdictional Complaints / Inquiries......... 155 Appendices .................................................................................... 157 Appendix 1 .Excerpts from the Report of the Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsman ...................... 158 Appendix 2 .Proclamation Outreach: Speaking Engagements............ 164 Appendix 3 .Summary of Participation on Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons ........................................ 166 Appendix 4 .Administrative Fairness Checklist .................................. 168 Appendix 5 .Report on Participation in Community Panel to Review Child Protection Legislation ................................... 170 Ombudsman Act .......................................................................... 173 I 6 Introduction 1992 Ombudsman Annual Report I “Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. People are not prepared to let government dominate their lives and ignore their interests. The recent constitutional debate demonstrated the growing interest in participating in a real and meaningfiul way in government. People who have complaints about how they have been treated by a government agency are often angry, confused and isolated. Many people who complain to our Oficefind themselves in situations that marginalize and disenfranchise