1983 Annual Report
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British Columbia Cataloguing in Publication Data British Columbia. Office of the Ombudsman. Annual report of the Ombudsman to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. 1981- Continues: Annual report of the Ombudsman to the Legis lature of British Columbia ISSN 0226-8930 ISSN 0713-2921 = Annual report of the Ombudsman to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 1. British Columbia. Office of the Ombudsman - Period icals. 2. Ombudsman - British Columbia - Periodicals. I. Title. JL429.5.04B74 354.711009'1 Legislative Assembly OMBUDSMAN 8 Bastion Square Province of British Columbia Victoria British Columbia v0w 1H9 Telephone: (604) 387-5855 Zenith 2221 May, 1984 The Honourable K. Walter Davidson Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Parliament Buildings Victoria, British Columbia Mr. Speaker: I have the honour and duty to submit to you my Annual Report in accordance with section 30(1) of the Ombudsman Act, R.S.B.C. 1979, c.306. This Fifth Annual Report covers the period of January to December 1983. Respectfully yours, Karl A. Friedmann Ombudsman TABLE OF CONTENTS Highlights of 1983 Annual Report .............................................................................................................................................. Part I - General Comments A. Conference of Canadian Legislative Ombudsmen.............................................................................................. 3 B. Past and Present Issues....................................................................................................................................................... 9 1. Previous Problems - An Update......................................................................................................................... 10 a) The Reid Case Revisited...................................................................................................................................... 10 b) I.C.B.C. Keeps Promise....................................................................................................................................... 10 c) Invasion of Privacy and I.C. B.C's Investigation Ethics........................................................................ 10 d) Litigation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 2. Continuing Problems................................................................................................................................................... 11 a) The Boards of Review........................................................................................................................................... 11 b) Reasons for Decisions.......................................................................................................................................... 14 c) The Child Abuse Registry................................................................................................................................... 17 d) Third Party Problems............................................................................................................................................ 18 Part II - Complaints: The Work of the Ombudsman Office in 1983...................................................................... 21 A. Complainants and Complaints...................................................................................................................................... 21 B. Disposition of Jurisdictional Complaints.................................................................................................................. 22 C. Beyond Individual Complaints...................................................................................................................................... 24 Part Ill - Comments on Ministries and Complaint Summaries.................................................................................. 25 Agriculture and Food............................................... 25 Transportation and Highways ............................ ,. 91 Attorney General........................................................ 26 Agricultural Land Commission........................... 96 Consumer and Corporate Affairs........................ 38 B.C. Assessment Authority.................................... 97 Education....................................................................... 43 B.C. Ferry Corporation......................................... 100 Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources....... 44 B.C. Housing Management Commission ...... 102 Environment................................................................. 46 B.C. Hydro and Power Authority ...................... 102 Finance............................................................................ 53 B.C. Transit .................................................................... 106 Forests.............................................................................. 58 B.C. Utilities Commission ..................................... 106 Health.............................................................................. 61 District of Tumbler Ridge ....................................... 107 Human Resources...................................................... 69 Insurance Corporation of B.C. ............................ 108 Labour.............................................................................. 79 Public Service Commission .................................. 122 Lands, Parks and Housing..................................... 83 Superannuation Commission ............................... 123 Municipal Affairs........................................................ 87 Workers' Compensation Board ........................... 125 Provincial Secretary.................................................. 90 Non-jurisdictional complaints ............................ 139 Part IV - Changes in Practices and Procedures.................................................................................................................. 143 Part V - Talk Back: Correspondence from Complainants and Others................................................................... 149 Part VI - Tables .................................................................................................................................................................................... 157 Table 1 - Profile of Complaints and Complainants .................................................................................................. 157 Table 2 - Percentage of Complaints by Regional District.. ................................................................................... 159 Table 3 - Disposition of Complaints (Proclaimed Authorities) .......................................................................... 160 Table 4 - Extent of Service - Unproclaimed Authorities .................................................................................... 162 Table 5 - Extent of Service - Non-jurisdictional Authorities ............................................................................ 162 Table 6 - Reasons for Discontinuing Investigations ................................................................................................. 163 Table 7 - Level of Impact - Jurisdictional .................................................................................................................. 163 Table 8 - Budget and Expenditure Information ......................................................................................................... 163 HIG LIGHTS OF THE 1983 ANNUAL EPORT • This is the fifth occasion for tabling an annual my Annual Report for 1984. I welcome any com report in the Legislative Assembly. The report ments, in particular critical comments, from any deals with the activities of the Ombudsman of one with an interest in administrative fairness fice during 1983. and justice. • My office received 9,534 new complaints in • My urgent plea for action to eliminate unrea 1983, an increase of nearly 17 percent over those sonable delays in Boards of Review hearings received in 1982. This is a slow-down in the size against Workers' Compensation decisions went of the annual increase in complaints received: in unheeded. Instead of getting better, the situation 1982 complaints had increased by 66 percent has become worse in 1983. (See comments in over 1981 (from 4,935 in 1981 to 8,179 in 1982). Part I - B. 2. a).) The new Chairman of the Boards • With 9,534 new complaints received in 1983 of Review is unhappy about my comments con and 1,333 complaints from previous years still cerning the Boards of Review. He wants a hearing under investigation on January 1, 1983, my of from the Legislative Assembly. I would support fice handled a total volume of 10,867 active his request. complaint files in 1983. Of that total, 9,762 com • I want to express my appreciation for the many plaints were investigated or otherwise closed in very helpful, courteous and service-oriented of 1983. A few more files were closed in 1983 than ficials I and my staff have encountered last year. opened, allowing for a reduction in an in Complainants and my office tend to notice more creasingly onerous backlog of investigations and frequently the official who is a little less than open files. perfect on account of the fact that he is unusual. • Of the total of 9,762 closed complaint files, We find many more officials who go out of their 4,606 or 47.2 percent