FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2023

Report highlights systemic, ongoing issues within the BC Sheriff Service 

The staffing crisis in BC Sheriff Service continues: as you are likely aware, these ongoing issues have resulted in numerous courtrooms being closed in recent weeks, as well as other significant impacts including the ability to safely escort prisoners and other duties. Just yesterday, BCGEU President Stephanie Smith spoke with Global BC about the systemic issues within BC Sheriff Services.

Last week, the BC Sheriff Service (BCSS) published an internal report "Understanding Recruitment and Retention in the BC Sheriff Service". The report, conducted at the request of the BCSS, highlights the work done by Dr. Richard Brown of the Corporate Management Services Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General and addresses the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges plaguing the BCSS.

Your component Vice President Dean Purdy, along with Component 1 Executive member Dave Iorizzo and Sheriffs Component 1 uniform co-chair Jeremy Kerr will be meeting with Dr. Brown – the author of the report – and Sheriff Services Chief Paul Corrado in mid-August to discuss the report's findings in greater detail.

The report notes that over the past three years, "problems with staffing shortages have once again come to the forefront, with the number of exits surpassing the organization's capacity to recruit and train new staff. Consequently, there have been numerous instances where courtrooms throughout the province have operated without a Deputy Sheriff present. If this situation continues unchecked, it could lead to court closures and limited access to justice for British Columbians."

The big takeaway from the report – which will come as no surprise to our members – is that the key problem in recruiting new staff was primarily caused by low and uncompetitive pay and benefits.

The report outlines these key priority actions:

Pay and Benefits: Increase employee pay using any available methods and processes within the constraints of the BC Public Service compensation system. Deputy Sheriff focus group participants identified that an annual salary of $85,000 to $90,000 is necessary to improve retention. 

Placement in Court Services Branch: Establish the BC Sheriff Service as its own branch within the Ministry of Attorney General, separate from Court Services Branch. Designate the Chief Sheriff as the Director of Sheriff Services, reporting directly to the Deputy Attorney General. 

Duties and Role: Expand the duties and authorities of Deputy Sheriffs, with the aim of making it a more interesting and fulfilling professional career, with a greater level of impact in the community. 

Supervisory-Level Management: Implement a BCSS-specific leadership and supervisory training program, to develop high quality, confident leaders across the organization. 

Tools and Workspace: Conduct a thorough assessment of the existing radio and communication infrastructure employed by the BC Sheriff Service, including within courthouses, during urban and remote transportation, communication with dispatch, and inter-agency communication.


Now that the report is out, we are hoping that Attorney General Niki Sharma will implement these key recommendations. To continue building on this momentum, your union has requested another meeting with Attorney General Sharma. 

As we reported in this bulletin, we last met Sharma in late April and she was receptive to our union's proposals. One of our key proposals was the critical need to address the wage gap between B.C. sheriffs and police where Purdy pointed out that sheriffs would need at least $90,000 per year to achieve this. The wage gap problem could be addressed with immediate grid increases, and by reducing the growth series to one year for new hires and giving five-year wage lifts for existing members. 

We will continue to keep you informed as progress is made.

UWU/MoveUP