Get involved with your BC government

Have your say on preventing sexual violence on campuses:

VICTORIA – Advanced Education, Skills and Training Minister Melanie Mark has issued the following statement on sexual violence and misconduct prevention and response policies:

“Safety and security on post-secondary campuses is an important issue. We cannot be bystanders. Any form of sexual violence or misconduct simply will not be tolerated.

“All public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia are required by law to have sexual misconduct prevention policies in place and make them accessible. The legislation required policies to be in place by May 2017.

“The ministry also has issued guidelines to help post-secondary institutions develop sexual violence policies that focus on prevention and response.

“The legislation and guidelines were important first steps. Moving forward, I want to raise awareness of the policies and ensure the policies are effective in protecting our students, faculty and staff. I want to use feedback to ensure we have a strong policy framework in place that centres on the health, safety and well-being of our post-secondary community.

“The policies need to be reviewed – in consultation with students – at least once every three years or when directed by the minister.

“I want to ensure everyone feels safe and supported on campus and in the classroom.”

Encouraging engagement:

Mark is inviting feedback from post-secondary students, faculty and staff on policies to prevent and respond to sexual violence and misconduct. Feedback is encouraged to be submitted by the end of January 2018.

engage.gov.bc.ca/preventsexualviolence

Have your say on How We Vote:

Your input will help shape the future of our democracy.

The B.C. Government has introduced legislation to hold a referendum in the fall of 2018, which will ask British Columbians to decide whether B.C. should keep its current voting system (First Past the Post) or move to a system of Proportional Representation. Countries around the world use different voting systems to elect their representatives. How a voting system is designed influences how a society is governed.

You can participate by completing the online questionnaire, reading submissions from organizations (to come), and learning about voting systems used here and elsewhere in the world.

Your input will help shape key elements of the referendum, including ballot design, choice of voting systems included, and public funding distribution during the referendum campaign period.

The engagement closes Feb. 28, 2018 at 4 p.m. at which point results will be compiled into a report by the Ministry of Attorney General and posted to this site. Government will then deliberate and announce details of the referendum before it is held next fall.

Find the BC How We Vote engagement website here.

Learn more about different voting systems here.

Have your say on a new Poverty Reduction Strategy

Your feedback will help us understand what poverty looks like in communities across B.C., and how we can best take action to improve people’s lives. Feedback will be collected between October 30, 2017 and March 30, 2018 at 4pm.

As a first step, the B.C. government raised income assistance and disability rates by $100 per month to help people who need it most. This is only the beginning. There’s more to do. One of the critical next steps is to build and implement a province-wide poverty reduction plan with targets and timelines. And we want your help.

There are several ways to participate:

https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcpovertyreduction/

 

Consider applying for a Board appointment for the province in your area of expertise and knowledge:

You’ll find information about the application and appointment process here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/services-for-government/public-sector-management/appointments/advertised-vacancies-applyinghttp://www.brdo.gov.bc.ca/