North Cowichan’s E-Comm bill projected to reach $1.5 million by 2029

North Cowichan’s E-Comm bill projected to reach $1.5 million by 2029

Published 11:10 am Wednesday, September 16, 2026

North Cowichan is facing a steep increase in the cost of its police call-taking and dispatch services, with its annual E-Comm bill projected to reach more than $1.5 million by 2029.

Council received a report on the projected increases at its Sept. 2 meeting, learning the municipality’s E-Comm service fee is expected to rise from approximately $888,000 in 2026 to $1.12 million in 2027, $1.26 million in 2028 and $1.52 million in 2029.

That represents an overall increase of about 71 per cent over a three year period.

The increase comes after North Cowichan’s police dispatch services were transferred to E-Comm in 2025. The municipality paid approximately $663,000 that year, although a one-time provincial contribution of about $221,000 covered the first quarter of service.

According to staff, the projected increases are largely the result of E-Comm’s financial model rather than significant increases in service levels.

E-Comm is introducing a new cost allocation model that will shift a greater share of its corporate overhead costs to police, fire and 911 services. It is also changing how police call-taking and dispatch costs are calculated, using factors including police call volumes, population and dispatch seat use.

Under the new model, North Cowichan’s share of the East Coast Vancouver Island police communications pool is expected to increase from 5.2 per cent to 6.2 per cent, contributing to an estimated $205,000 increase in annual costs once the new pricing model is fully implemented.

The transition to federally mandated Next Generation 911 services is another factor, with North Cowichan’s 2027 fee expected to include about $38,700 in related costs. An additional $40,200 is attributed to pressures identified in E-Comm’s five year financial plan.

North Cowichan will use approximately $30,900 in reserve funding to help reduce the immediate impact of the 2027 increase, with the remaining reserves expected to be used primarily in 2028.

Mayor Rob Douglas criticized what he described as the downloading of costs from senior levels of government onto municipalities and ultimately, local tax payers.

“We’re continually having these new costs downloaded on us from senior levels of government,” he said.

Douglas noted that 911 services had historically been funded by senior governments and recalled efforts by North Cowichan and other south Island municipalities to push the provincial government to reconsider the change.

“We did a whole press conference on the steps of the legislature,” he said, referring to the municipalities’ lobbying efforts. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get any reprieve from the province on that.”

Staff said the new financial model is intended to capture the actual cost of providing E-Comm services, including capital costs that previously were not fully reflected in the funding model.

For now, North Cowichan has no alternative service provider available and will need to account for the rising E-Comm costs in future operating budgets.