It’s time for cell phone levy to help sort out E-Comm’s financial problems.
That’s what Mayor George Harvie said last week during a council discussion on a staff report on a review of the governance of the service, saying that with the number of cell phones now in the province, $1 per month could result in $54 million in much needed revenue.
E-Comm commissioned a consultant to conduct a comprehensive evaluation to identify governance challenges and proposed improvements.
The report also notes that E-Comm has been operating at a deficit for several years, with a $7.2 million shortfall in fiscal 2023.
Insufficient revenue generation, compounded by structural underinvestment in automation and process efficiency, limits E-Comm’s capacity for necessary technological and operational improvements.
The report also notes that the Members’ Agreement allows E-Comm to recover costs from its members, however, reluctance among stakeholders to increase financial contributions without addressing service levels, costs and governance has left E-Comm’s funding model under strain.
Harvie said a cellphone levy is in place in other provinces and he hopes the B.C. government can be lobbied to do likewise.
Currently, the city has 2024 E-Comm levies budgeted at approximately $3.1 million for police and $1.3 million for fire services, charges that keep going sharply higher every year.
The E-Comm 9-1-1 - Governance Model Review report notes eight provinces/territories across Canada have a wireless call-answer levy administered by the primary telecommunication company in the province, which provides a stable source of funding to support the operating and capital expenses of the Public Safety Access Points.
That report notes that more than 92.9 per cent of B.C. households have at least one cellular telephone.
“A universal cell phone levy could ultimately be more equitable than the existing levies and taxes. Initially, a cell-phone levy could eventually replace a number of other taxes and levies over time,” the report predicts.
Having a levy will require a coordinated approach between the province, municipalities and telecommunications providers, the report adds.
Noting the review illustrates how the current system is broken, Harvie said he’s also concerned that whatever new governance structure is approved, it won’t include representation from the City of Delta.
The Delta report notes staff and Delta’s representative on the E-Comm Board, Coun. Dylan Kruger, have taken part in various meetings with E-Comm staff in order to continue to be informed of E-Comm’s proposed changes.
Kruger remarked that the current structure and how communities are represented simply does not make sense.
E-Comm now handles 99 per cent of 9-1-1 calls in the province, managing approximately two million emergency calls annually. Harvie noted E-Comm had originally been created to only handle Metro Vancouver calls.
