Our Fees
After consulting with industry partners, we are making changes to our fees, effective January 1, 2024. Over the past year, we have done everything possible to keep increases to a minimum for our clients, including closing offices, reducing operating budgets, and eliminating multiple roles at Technical Safety BC.
As a self-funded, not-for-profit safety regulator, we do not receive government funding. Our fees are set to recover costs related to safety oversight in British Columbia, whether it is through assessing equipment and systems, new equipment designs, educational programs, public awareness campaigns, or any other activity.
How Fees Are Used
We work with industry stakeholders to administer safety legislation and regulation and oversee the safe installation and operation of technical systems and equipment in British Columbia.
The revenue collected from our fees goes towards:
- contributing to provincial safety oversight;
- making improvements to better serve our clients and partners, such as introducing new tools and services; and
- supporting our operations as a not-for-profit public safety regulator.
Here are some improvements we’ve made to make processes more efficient for our clients and stakeholders:
- Launching online services permit applications: We’ve worked to expedite and improve the permit application process. Now, all you have to do is log in to your online services account, select the permit type, submit your application, and make a payment. You’ll receive your invoice, and a permit will be issued within minutes of completing the application.
- Expanding public safety knowledge: We’re bringing greater awareness to British Columbians via targeted safety campaigns about issues like carbon monoxide exposure, the dangers of ammonia, and electrical safety.
- Educating and supporting building owners: We’re helping building owners better understand their responsibilities and we're bringing more awareness to equipment safety hazards.
- Advancing industry knowledge: We regularly update certification programs to align with latest industry best practices for safety, and we offer improved accessibility through online certification.
How Fees Are Calculated
There are many reasons to set a new fee or adjust a fee, including regulatory or legislative change, changes to the way we administer programs, and client feedback.
When setting a new fee or reviewing an existing fee, we want them to be:
- Simple: Fee categories are kept to a minimum, standardized, and bundled wherever possible.
- Sustainable: Financial sustainability is supported by designing fees to cover program costs where possible. Fees are evaluated and adjusted to adapt to the changing environment and technology.
- Fair: Fees are designed to reflect safety risk, encourage safety-minded behaviour, reflect fair value, and not to act as barriers to participation. Efforts are made to ensure that no groups are disproportionately negatively impacted by fees.
All technologies that we regulate must be independently sustainable so that one technology is not being subsidized by revenue from another technology.
The Fee-Setting Process
The fee-setting process includes four steps to ensure the public has a say and that the fees are calculated fairly.
- Modelling the program’s direct costs and calculating indirect costs.
- Public consultation on the fee, analysis of feedback, and a consultation report.
- Decision on whether to implement the change or not (taking into account consultation results and program requirements).
- If the decision is made to implement the change, a 90-day notification period is provided to clients before the fee takes effect.
Refund Policy
Please read our Refund Policy for more information.