Province won’t back off on DNA costs
Prince George, B.C. – The Province won’t be rescinding its plan to make communities with populations over 5,000 pay some of the costs of DNA testing required for police investigations.
The Union of BC Municipalities has received a letter from Solicitor General Mike Morris saying the Province will continue to pay the “historical funding of $1.366 million , thereby leaving municipalities to pay a portion of their DNA analysis costs.”
The Province will continue to fully fund DNA analysis costs for communities with populations under 5,000.
So, in the case of Prince George, the added cost amounts to about $56 thousand dollars this year.
The base costs are expected to be higher next year, and that’s even if the police don’t have extra cases which need such analysis. “It’s a financial hit for us” says Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall “It’s an absolute necessity for the RCMP when they’re doing their investigations.”
Minister Morris says the change was made because the federal government informed the Province that if BC did not agree to pay considerably more for the service , “The RCMP would significantly reduce the forensic DNA analysis services provided to law enforcement agencies in BC.”
Morris suggests the UBCM may want to “raise your concerns with the federal government.”
That’s exactly the route communities like Prince George plan to take. Mayor Lyn Hall says the first step would be to consider a resolution to be presented to the North Central Local Government Association. “Then we would move that resolution on to the UBCM ( Union of BC Municipalities) and FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) I know that the Minister has had conversations with the head of UBCM, Al Richmond, and Al has expressed his concerns. We would like to pursue that all the way to FCM and see what they can do with e Federal Government. It’s absolutely a download from the Feds on to the Province, and then of course the municipalities are going to have to pick that up.”
In his letter, Minister Morris indicates there has been a great deal of discussion on the plan prior to it being publicly announced “It was a surprise to us” says Mayor Hall “I know there has been talk in the letter that there had been a tremendous amount of consultation, but it was certainly a surprise to us, and I think as well, to the RCMP. In light of that, I think we have a responsibility to pursue this.”
Mayor Hall says Minister Morris has been very available to discuss the matter, with the Mayor bringing up the issues as recently as this past weekend “I have had and will continue to have conversations with Minister Morris, which I appreciate.”
Comments
This is how the province runs surplus budgets.
Either way, the taxpayer foots the bill.
Crime cuts across all communities and doesn’t know municipal boundaries, so why are property taxes paying for this cost? This is a federal cost for policing that was downloaded due to ignorance of who funds the cost for national security issues. National revenues should fund national costs like DNA searches for crimes, because then it is spread equitably in the cost; especially for high profile crimes where the perpetrator is not related to any one community.
So do criminals get a free pass in some communities based on that communities budget allocations that year? How does that effect us all then?
Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 @ 7:04 AM by Eagleone with a score of 6
Crime cuts across all communities and doesn’t know municipal boundaries, so why are property taxes paying for this cost?
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Policing is a municipal responsibility; it only makes sense that the municipality foot the bill for “crime fighting”.
With the CBC getting an extra 150 million a year, maybe they could report how much the federal funding for DNA test has been reduced by..and why?
Last night the two principal Federal Minister.s shepherding the missing women’s inquiry said they want to Re open missing women cases that have not been looked at for a long time.Let’s hope they can use Federal money not off load it on to the municipality ( ie; any DNA cost’s )
What’s needed is for communities of over 5000 to contribute directly to the liberal party of bc like the mine operators do . That way we won’t have to pay our taxes or clean up our mess . Problem solved . That way we put the bc hydro rate payers on the hook for any extra money needed , when needed . Christy the mathamagician . She sure can massage the numbers .
This started with the feds, but they seem to have been given a pass for criticism.
Just add two or three bucks to my astronomical home owner taxes/utility fees to cover this item. One less roll up the rim.
Another factor is how many of theses DNA tests are actually required, or are we doing tests on everyone that is arrested??? Much like people going for blood tests. Seems like there are thousands of people getting blood tests over and over, year in and year out. Blood testing is an industry onto itself.
Downloading costs are just another sign that the Provincial and Federal Governments, have no clue on how to govern anymore.
When I read the court docket in the Citizen, I usually see a line about a “victim surcharge” being assessed to the guilty party. Why not just increase this fee and have the monies sent to the municipalities?
“Seems like there are thousands of people getting blood tests over and over, year in and year out. Blood testing is an industry onto itself.”
This is called preventive medicine. All advanced (and not so advanced) countries have it. How else are doctors going to know what to do, what to treat, what to prescribe and how medications are working?
Unfortunately seamutt people do not read much anymore and just get their news from a quick skim or headline or radio tidbit.
As for Hall being blindsided he must have his head in the sand as this has been discussed in the papers back in November and possibly even earlier, all blaming the provincial government although it is the feds that dropped the funding of the crime lab which has a cost of about 4 million a year. In fact the UBCM which I do believe our mayor and council is in touch with spoke to Susan Anton who’s ministry ponied up 3 million to fund the lab last year, or do our councillors go to these conventions to do some shopping out of town? Easy solution, just raise property taxes some more, or add it to provincial income tax levy. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec pay for most of their own labs so the feds figured everyone else should too and they capped funding at 1.3 million per province.
Mike Farnworth the NDP critic called on the feds to restore funding
Maybe the public sector unions can donate to the cause instead of the NDP… hey Ataloss?
Absolutely slinky . Andrew J weaver ,leader of the bcgreens said it best last week ” the bc liberals are little more than yesterday’s Harper conservatives ” .
Weaver? Is that the guy that can hold a caucus meeting on a unicycle. One seat ahead of the Monster Raving Loonie Party LOL! Political heavy weight-on a bathroom scale.
Truth hurts eh pm
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