The Union of B.C. Municipalities accused the province Thursday of misrepresenting its decision to download nearly $3 million in DNA testing costs onto local governments and police departments.
The UBCM said Justice Minister Suzanne Anton’s published comments on the issue contained inaccuracies and that taxpayers need to be told the facts.
Anton has blamed the former federal Conservative government for demanding that provinces pay more for DNA analyses or lose the service altogether.
“Unfortunately, this means the costs fall to both levels of government, and we recognize the burden this federal decision places on municipalities,” she said in a statement released late Wednesday.
Anton added that municipalities have known about the changes for more than a year.
But, in a toughly worded rebuttal, UBCM president Al Richmond said the new federal funding model never specified that local governments would have to pick up the tab. That, he said, appears to be a “made-in-B.C.” response.
“They’re the only province or territory in Canada, at this time, that have chosen to move this cost — a portion of it — off to local governments,” he said in an interview. “We have to remember that that’s a big hit to people.”
The UBCM said municipalities with populations exceeding 5,000 will get a total bill of $2.9 million in 2016-17.
The cost to the Victoria Police Department has been estimated at about $148,000 a year, said Deputy Chief Del Manak.
“Certainly, we have great concern over the increase in cost for our municipal police force,” said Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins, co-chairwoman of the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board.
Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell, chairman of the Saanich Police Board, also expressed concern. The UBCM estimates the change will cost Saanich police about $56,000 in 2016-17.
“It’s a challenge for our taxpayers to be able to keep taking on these things,” he said.
Atwell said local police boards have a good relationship with the province, and he would like to see them speak with a unified voice “to give the minister a better understanding of what our limitations are.”
Manak said DNA analysis is “a critical tool for police investigations.”
“With DNA technology, we are able to link evidence to suspects,” he said. “It is a technology tool that has a significant advantage for the police [and] it is used frequently.”
For something like a sexual assault or a homicide, multiple samples of blood, saliva and semen can be collected for DNA analysis, Manak said.
He said Victoria police will continue to collect samples for DNA analysis as needed, “regardless of the downloading of costs.”
The UBCM also disputed Anton’s claim that municipalities have known about the changes for months. Richmond said they knew that the federal and provincial governments were in talks about a new funding model for DNA testing, but were never advised that the costs would be passed along to municipalities.
“We believe that, in fact, it’s not part of our current contract with the province to pay for that,” he said.
Richmond, who wrote Anton this week, wants her to reverse the decision.
“Our position is roll it back,” he said. “Let’s have a discussion. We don’t think this is an appropriate way to deal with local government. Why are we the only province in Canada that’s doing it this way?”
Anton, however, has advised local governments to take their complaints elsewhere.
“While UBCM and municipalities have been aware of these changes for over a year, I do understand why they have concerns with the decision by the federal government,” she said.
“I would encourage them to raise these directly with the Government of Canada.”
