I would like to respond to Krystal Vandenberg's letter to the editor published Mar. 16, 2017, that expressed concern about the way her friend was treated at our local Service B.C. office.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention on behalf of your friend, and for being a voice of tolerance and acceptance in our community.
Service B.C. employees are committed to delivering excellent service and take pride in their service to the public. When citizens let us know that we fall short of their expectations, we take that very seriously. No citizen should ever feel their service experience does not meet that commitment.
I have extended an invitation to your friend to contact me directly.
The quality of the service we deliver matters to us. Service B.C. employees are offered training through a certified course that teaches employees about our value of citizen-centred service, and our standard of delivering fair and unbiased service, responding to the diversity of citizens. This is only one part of Service B.C.'s standard for providing service excellence. Our hiring practices, mandatory training and our values assist staff to understand that we expect all citizens to be treated respectfully.
Service B.C. is committed to providing a welcoming and positive experience to each and every citizen when they are accessing government services. When we do not meet that standard, we learn from those situations and take concrete steps to improve.
I extend my sincere apology to your friend and I hope to get the opportunity to connect with her to resolve her concerns.
Beverly Dicks
Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for Service B.C.
Ministry of Technology,
Innovation and Citizens' Services
