Correspondence from Justice Services Branch to Cynthia Day

Dear Cynthia Day:

I have been asked to respond to your email of June 24, 2021, addressed to the Honourable David Eby, Attorney General and Minister responsible for Housing regarding the Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee.

I understand that staff from our branch have been in contact with you and, since we received your email in June, your committee decided to become a delegated commission under the Capital Regional District (CRD). I’ve been advised that a by-law formalizing this arrangement will be considered by the CRD in the coming months. As the roles and responsibilities of your committee are outlined in both the Provincial Court Act (specifically, section 5, Family court committee) and the Youth Criminal Justice Act (specifically, section 18, Youth Justice Committees), any by-laws, changes to your committee’s constitution, and/or mandate will need to be in keeping with these statutory provisions.

While I appreciate the Committee’s efforts to consult with the Ministry of Attorney General on any changes it may make to its governance documents or structure, the role of the Attorney General does not extend to providing legal advice to members of the public. One potential resource for the committee as it transitions to a delegated commission of the CRD may be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs website. Specifically, the information on Committees and Commissions can be found at this website:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/local-governments/governance-powers/powers-services/regional-district-powers-services/committees-commissions

Additionally, information outlining the processes by which a Regional District delegates its authority can be found within the associated Guide to Regional District Board Delegation to Committees and Commissions, and is available at this website:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/local-governments/governance-powers/guide_regional_district_delegation_to_committees.pdf

In closing, I would like to commend the work of this committee in assisting youth and families in the CRD. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to the ministry regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Paul Craven A/Assistant Deputy Minister

Justice Services Branch

pc: The Honourable Mitzi Dean, MLA

CLIFF number: 618717