The B.C. government is launching an independent review and public consultation on its operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that won’t include decisions made by government and the provincial health officer.
The review will also not include decisions made about economic recovery, such as supports for small businesses and families.
“The goal is to learn about how government agencies worked together to address the effects of COVID-19 that affected everyone, changed rapidly and continues to cause a high level of uncertainty,” the province said in a release on Wednesday.
The review will include what aspects of preparedness, engagement, communications and implementation worked well, as well as what changes were made to improve operational effectiveness and what improvements can be made to better prepare for emergencies.
The project team includes three former longtime senior leaders of the BC Public Service: Bob de Faye, Dan Perrin and Chris Trumpy.
The public can provide written feedback until April 20 on how they, their business or organization have been affected by government’s operational measures and communication throughout the pandemic.
BC Liberal health critic Shirley Bond said the province should be conducting a full review of the pandemic response, and not just an operational review.
“A review that is limited in scope and provides no recommendations is not a review at all. This announcement makes a mockery of our request for a full independent review,” Bond said.
“The NDP’s decision to severely limit the scope of the review is troubling but consistent with the government’s ongoing lack of transparency.”
A report with a summary of the findings is expected by the fall.