British Columbia Ombudsperson Jay Chalke visited 100 Mile House on July 15, as part of a tour he makes three times a year to select communities across the province.
South Cariboo residents had the chance to meet with Chalke’s staff by appointment at the local Service BC building. They were able to discuss any experiences they may have had with unfair treatment by a provincial agency or other public body.
Meanwhile, about a dozen people – most of them working in social services roles – seized the opportunity to hear Chalke speak about his role, and that of his office, at the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre.
“I was really pleased to be able to come to the South Cariboo and spread the word about administrative fairness,” said Chalke.
“Every British Columbian has the right to be treated fairly by public bodies, and if they believe they haven’t been treated fairly, [they can] come to us for investigation of their complaint.”
Folks who believe they may have been treated unfairly by a provincial government body are encouraged to do some of their own research on the matter first, and then call his office at 1-800-567-3247 if they still need help, he explained.
The Ombudsperson said his staff will then determine if the complaint is within their jurisdiction, determine if there are any avenues left for resolving the issue at its current level, and then if his office takes it on, staff explains its independent and impartial investigative role to the complainant up front.
While they have a role in supporting human rights and as a “citizen protector,” what Chalke and his staff do not do, he noted, is to act as an advocate.
“Our job is really to be an impartial, neutral investigator [and] we also play a role in public accountability…. We are not advocates for anybody; we are basically advocates for a principle.”
Chalke noted he is not a government employee, and Ombudsperson investigations are all about what is fair and reasonable in public body administrations.
In his PowerPoint and verbal presentation, Chalke outlined many of the types of complaints and public agencies his office investigates, and the help it can provide with resolving public service injustices suffered by B.C. citizens.
These investigations might be in regards to ICBC decisions (the number 1 subject of public complaints it receives), BC Hydro issues (number 2), or a wide variety of other areas, from individual cases to systemic issues.
Chalke posed some (anonymous) examples of successful past investigations his office has done that led to help for the individuals involved.
These included a case where a woman had been cut off from social assistance after moving from an RV to a rental suite because she hadn’t sold her RV “asset” to provide her with that income first, he explained.
“The problem was it was winter, it was parked at the end of a long road [that] wasn’t plowed, and how could she sell it in the middle of winter [with] no mobility?
“As a result of that investigation we conducted, she was able to stay, at least for the winter, on social assistance.”
In a number of cases, Chalke said, his office determined certain demands made by provincial ministries for record submissions were “too black-and-white,” and also unclear about what they were asking for from the individuals – who then had no idea what to do.
