Purpose of the Ministry

The Ministry of Community Services envisions British Columbia’s communities as great places in which to live. The Ministry pursues this vision by promoting liveable, sustainable communities that provide healthy and safe places for British Columbians.

Through the Local Government and the Women’s, Seniors’ and Community Services Departments, the Ministry works with a wide range of stakeholders to create communities that are economically resilient, and provide all British Columbians with quality services. The Ministry accomplishes this by:

• providing expert advice and continually improving the local government legislative, policy, and governance framework to enable local governments to build strong partnerships, make effective use of their regulatory powers, be held accountable by their citizens and contribute to the social, economic and physical well-being of their communities;
• taking collaborative climate change actions in partnership with local governments, implementing a legislative framework that provides the appropriate tools to support local government climate change actions, ensuring infrastructure and capital grant funding programs target local government projects that maximize greenhouse gas reduction;
• building local government economic resiliency and fiscal capacity for self-government by providing financial support for policing, crime prevention and community safety, developing legislative and financial tools to create economic opportunities for British Columbia’s resort communities, assisting local governments in effectively planning for community and regional growth and encouraging local leaders to look beyond their individual boundaries for innovative regional solutions that will provide the best possible services to their citizens;
• providing leadership and coordinating resources to address issues facing inner-cities and assisting communities that are in transition resulting from significant economic change;
• working with other ministries, the federal government, and other sectors to address women’s and seniors’ issues through public policy, legislation, programs, and services; and
• providing leadership and resources to intervention and prevention services for women who have experienced abuse, and for children who have witnessed abuse, through contracted third-party service delivery agencies.

The Ministry administers all or parts of 18 pieces of legislation, including the Local Government Act and the Community Charter, and has responsibility for appointing persons to the Islands Trust Fund Board.