DNA testing cost shift to municipalities a ‘made in B.C.’ problem: UBCM

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Union of BC Municipalities says efforts to gain an audience with Justice Minister Suzanne Anton to bill municipalities with populations greater than 5,000 for DNA testing services have failed so far.

It’s been over two months now since the Minister answered the UBCM request to reverse its decision, arguing ‘the previous federal Conservative government decided to change the funding model.’

However, the UBCM contends the federal change did not include downloading the costs to local governments, and that BC is the only province which has shifted the costs to municipalities.

President Al Richmond confirms, in the case of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the costs for fiscal 2016-17 are projected to be about 24,500 and just under 26,000 respectively.

The UBCM, which calls the downloading a ‘made in B.C.’ problem, also rejects as inaccurate Minister Anton’s claim that local government had more than a year’s advance knowledge of the download.

It argues municipal officials were aware the two senior levels of government were engaged in talks to change the funding model, but it also contends municipalities were not advised the B.C. government’s solution to paying its new costs would involve transferring the greater portion of them to local governments.

Thus, Mr. Richmond believes, it’s time for provincial and local leaders to unite, and try to convince the new federal Liberal government to reverse the original federal policy change, which left local governments covering security costs, which are far beyond their control.