sna #

-Of every

blem with the provincial
government or a crown
corporation? Tried every
avenue of approach and
gotten nowhere? Feei like
you're at the end of your
rope? Enter the Om-
budsman.

Stephen Owen was

selected as the B.C. Om- -

budsman by an all-party
committee of the
legislature in September of
this year. During a recent
one-day visit to Terrace,
Owen met with in-
dividuals, community
groups, government agen-
cy managers and the Ter-
race and District Chamber
of Commerce to hear
complaints about govern-
ment action (or inaction)
and familiarize people in
the Northwest with the
function of his office.

Speaking at a Chamber
of Commerce luncheon,
Owen characterized the
office of the Ombudsman
as a free agent at the call
individual in
B.C., an agent with the
power to penetrate every
aspect of the government
in seeking redress for
legitimate complaints.
Although the office has no
powers of enforcement or
coercion, Owen said he
‘views that lack as an ad-
vantage in settling
disputes between the
-gitizenry and the bodies
designed to represent their
interests.

“The office is non-

coercive,” he said.’ ‘In
order to resolve dif-
.ferences, “we have -to
change’someone’s“way of

thinking. “We: render: up

reasoning in a thoughtful
way, and reason is a-very
. powerful force.”*
Owen succeeds.
Bazowski
budsman

Vin ‘the Om-
position.

’ Bazowski was an- interim

‘government .appointment
at the end of Karl Fried-
mann’s six-year tenure in
the office, a stormy and
controversial period which

bore the stamp of Fried-

‘mann’s approach as an
-advocate of complainants
and -a critic of govern-
ment. Owen said his
method will- incorporate
‘greater -neutrality. ‘‘The
function is not to be a

“.government critic or
apologist,’? he told -the .
«Chamber .of Commerce

Permits |

issued

“TERRACE — For -the
morith of October, Terrace ©
received. $510.50 in

-revenue for, building per-

‘mits, This amountcovered | |
- @ total value of $132,480 *

in property. oe
-The- permits igsued in-

eluded: three allegations, -
“one garage or carport per- |.

--mit, 18 miscellanéous and
Five commercial permits. |

- So: far this Year- the.

yale: of property..repre-

- sentéd by. pertits is ~
": $4,480,272 as conipared to | 7]
figure Of

last year’s
$1 1924, 554,

audience. “Our expertise
is in administrative
fairness.”

Owen explained that the

“not because governments
are deliberately obstruc-
’ tive or unresponsive, but .
due to the massive nature

structures of this complex-
ity, mistakes and institu-
tional insensitivity are in-
evitable,’’ he said. ‘‘Our

- Peter

Ombudsman is necessary, “In

of the bureaucracy.

role is to act as a com-
municator between the
public and the public ser-
vice."’

*“We deal with issues of
quality in government,”
Owen said. ‘‘Our objec-
tives are effectiveness and
satisfaction, we address
the shortcomings in the
system,’’ With a full-time
staff of about 40 people,
augmented by social
sciences students and law
students seeking practical
experience, the Om-
budsman’s office takes on
an average of 12,000 com-
plaints annually. In the

«BC. Ombudsman Stephen Owen recently spent a day In Ter-
-face meeting with local groups and Individuals.

“Tervace Review — Wednestay, November 26, 1986 6 3

New B. C. Ombudsman seeks a broader roll

TERRACE ~- Got a pro-

past year the organization

was unable to resolve only -

29 of those complaints, a

‘success rate over 99,5 per-

cent. ‘‘Sometimes: we use
mediation,’’ Owen said,
‘Sometimes we recom-
mend procedural changes
in government, but
whatever method is used
we view confrontation as
being equal to failure.’”
“Owen views the Om-
budsman as a public
resource, -a resource of ex-
pertise which could be ex-
ploited to the advantage
of both the public and the
government. He said the
office can act as expert
consultants ina multitude
of fields, as well as acting
in the capacity of an ‘‘in-

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terlink’’ in situations of ~
overlapping jurisdictions ~
between government —
‘ministries. Owen express-
‘ed a hope

ministry will eventually
develop an ombudsman-
like internal office.

“We have to look at a
broader, preventative
function for the Om:
budsman,'’ Owen ‘con-
cluded. ‘‘My hope is that
this body of experience
can be used to make
changes that result in
fewer and fewer com-
plaints.”

Anyone wishing to.

register a complaint with
the Ombudsman can call
the Victoria office toll-
free at 1-800-972-8972.

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