AWARDS HONOUR BC PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES

VANCOUVER – BC Public Service employees from across the Lower Mainland were recognized by Premier Gordon Campbell last night for their outstanding achievements in implementing innovative programs and improving the lives of British Columbians.

“It’s gratifying to annually recognize BC Public Service employees who consistently raise the bar in their work, providing exceptional services and programs to residents across the province,” said Campbell as he presented the first Regional Premier’s Awards for Innovation and Excellence. “There are almost 10,000 members of the BC Public Service working in the Lower Mainland every day, and all of us as British Columbians benefit from their dedication to our province and its people.”

Two teams, comprised of 50 employees from the ministries of Attorney General and Forests and Range, received the highest level of recognition, the Gold Premier’s Award for Excellence and Innovation, as part of the 2008 regional competition. The gold award recipients for the Lower Mainland are Court Services Online for their provincewide electronic court registry, and BC Timber Sales Budget and Expenditure Management Continuous Improvement Team for their “simpler and smarter” contract management program.

Thanks to Court Services Online’s 10-person project team, clients can produce, sign and submit documents electronically to court registry staff, instead of having to travel to a courthouse to conduct business. It is the first comprehensive system of its kind in Canada, and is leading technology innovation in North America.

The 40-member project team for BC Timber Sales drew on best practices to redesign 13 contract administration processes into a single innovative paperless process. This has led to increased accountability, consistency and efficiency, saving the ministry more than $250,000 annually.

The two gold level teams were selected out of 30 nominations in the Lower Mainland region. Two nominees received silver awards and four nominees picked up bronze awards at the ceremony, the first of four regional awards events to take place by the end of February. The provincial level awards will be announced at a ceremony in Victoria in March.

The annual awards represent the BC Public Service’s pinnacle recognition event to highlight and acknowledge achievements in the categories of cross-government integration, innovation, leadership, legacy, organizational excellence, partnership, and service excellence.

The BC Public Service is the province’s largest corporate employer and recently selected as one of B.C.’s Top 40 Employers. To learn more about the opportunities available in the B.C. Public Service, visit http://employment.gov.bc.ca/ online.

-30-

2 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Dale Steeves Communications Director Office of the Premier 250 387-6605	Marc Black Communications Manager Ministry of Community Services 250 356-6334

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.