Resource Summary
| Core Business Areas |
2006/07
Restated
Estimates1 |
2007/08
Estimates |
2008/09
Plan |
2009/10
Plan |
| Operating Expenses ($000) |
| Housing |
222,594 |
339,143 |
355,866 |
300,400 |
| Building Policy |
948 |
1,029 |
1,071 |
1,124 |
| Safety Policy |
814 |
1,008 |
1,042 |
1,085 |
| Residential Tenancy |
5,875 |
6,665 |
6,968 |
7,351 |
| Total Housing and Construction Standards |
230,231 |
347,845 |
364,947 |
309,960 |
| Full-time Equivalents (FTEs) |
| Housing |
24 |
24 |
24 |
24 |
| Building Policy |
11 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
| Safety Policy |
9 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
| Residential Tenancy |
59 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
| Total |
103 |
124 |
124 |
124 |
| Ministry Capital Expenditures (Consolidated Revenue Fund) ($000) |
| Ongoing Projects |
281 |
281 |
402 |
402 |
| Total Housing and Construction Standards |
281 |
281 |
402 |
402 |
Committed to continuous business improvement, the Office of Housing and Construction Standards strives to develop administrative
efficiencies that save money and/or improve service delivery.
One of the Office's priorities has been to develop a comprehensive Human Resource Management Plan that encourages staff to
recommend innovative changes to procedure to reduce administration. In addition, new or revised approaches to recruitment,
retention and learning provide the Office the opportunity to increase human resource capacity through the expansion and balancing
of knowledge, skills and experience. Steps to increase the engagement level of individual employees will lead to greater performance
of the organization as a whole.
In 2006, the Residential Tenancy Act and the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act were amended. Included in the amendments were changes that enable the Residential Tenancy Branch to offer a broader range
of dispute resolution services, thereby saving money by providing clients with the opportunity to resolve their disputes without
the need for formal adjudication. As other forms of dispute resolution are less costly, this results in an increased ability
on the part of Residential Tenancy Branch to serve the public interest in a more efficient manner. In addition, the amendments
allow for the hiring of dispute resolution officers.
Most of the Province's housing programs are administered by BC Housing, a service delivery Crown Agency. BC Housing efficiencies18 include:
- achieving increased inter-governmental coordination, collaboration and reduced administrative duplication in addressing the
issue of homelessness through the Premier's Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions;
- an enhanced federal-provincial relationship, including the transfer of federally managed social housing to the Provincial
Crown for administration by BC Housing, allowing strategic use and lower administrative and operational costs;
- public-private partnerships (P3s) that leverage the responsiveness of non-profit societies, municipalities and others using
innovate approaches to local housing challenges;
- harmonizing provincial government strategies, such as emergency shelters and cold/wet weather beds to achieve better access,
integration and management;
- reviewing management approaches to look for opportunities such as alternative service delivery, bulk purchasing and strategic
investment; and
- employing sustainable practices to reduce consumption of materials and energy costs.