Premier Gordon Campbell showcased BC Public Service employees from across the Province and announced the recipients of seven Premier's Innovation and Excellence Awards at a ceremony last night in Victoria.

"I am proud to celebrate the work of individuals and teams from across the Province who make it their mission to improve the lives of British
Columbians," said Campbell. "These provincial employees are setting the bar high in achieving efficiencies and bringing excellence and
innovation to their work every day."

Last night's ceremony for the provincial awards, which were launched by Premier Campbell in 2004, showcased 20 provincial finalists from across
the public service, selected from a record 110 nominations in seven categories.

Awards were presented to individuals and teams who worked together on various initiatives including mitigating flooding last spring, developing a 24-hour, web-based traveller information system, streamlining permits for entrepreneurs and business people, and developing a leading air quality measurement system.

The annual awards represent the BC Public Service's pinnacle recognition event to highlight and acknowledge cross-government integration, innovation, leadership, organizational excellence,
partnership, and service excellence across the province. This year, for the first time, the provincial event follows four regional awards ceremonies, which acknowledge the top public service award winners within each region.

The BC Public Service is the province's largest corporate employer and recently selected as one of B.C.'s Top 40 Employers. To learn more about the opportunities available in the BC Public Service, visit http://employment.gov.bc.ca/ online.

SOURCE:
Office of the Premier
BC Public Service Agency
AWARDS HONOUR EXCELLENCE IN B.C. PUBLIC SERVICE

BACKGROUNDER
The Premier's Innovation and Excellence Awards were given to individuals and teams in seven categories at a ceremony, March 10, 2008:

Cross-Government Integration Category:
Flood Preparation and Response Leaders - Central Coordination Group, multiple ministries co-chaired by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and the Ministry of Environment, Victoria
In anticipation of January 2007 flood forecasts, the Flood Preparation and Response Leaders - Central Coordination Group increased safety in 35 communities by undertaking urgent mitigation projects worth $33 million.

Innovation Category:
Court Services Online Project Team, Ministry of Attorney General -
Victoria, Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna
A province-wide electronic court registry available to the public via the internet 24/7, developed by Court Services Online Project Team is leading technology innovation in North America, and improving access to justice, enhancing services and reducing legal costs for clients.

Leadership Category:
Peter Bradford, Ministry of Forests and Range - Victoria
Superb leadership abilities by Peter Bradford transformed the Forest and Range Evaluation Program from a fledgling initiative in 2003 to the internationally recognized intensive evaluation and resource stewardship monitoring program it has become today.

Legacy Category:
Richard Bennett, Ph.D., Ministry of Environment - Victoria
During 30 years of work in the field of air quality management, Dr. Richard Bennett has made an exceptional and lasting contribution by building one of Canada's leading air quality programs and spearheading the development of the Air Quality Health Index.

Organizational Excellence Category:
Provincial Services Branch, Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance - Victoria
The 90-person Provincial Services Branch redesigned and improved service delivery, reducing the wait-time for decisions on disability assistance from nine weeks to three days. Clients of the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance can submit applications for services electronically, from anywhere in the province.

Partnerships Category:
BizPal, Ministries of Small Businesses and Revenue, and Finance,
Industry Canada, City of Kamloops - Victoria, Kamloops and Ottawa
The provincial ministries of Small Business and Revenue, and Finance, working with Industry Canada and the City of Kamloops created BizPal, a free electronic tool that provides entrepreneurs and business people with easy access to permit and license requirements, cutting search time from seven hours to about 20 minutes.

Service Excellence Category:
Ministry of Transportation - Victoria and Vancouver
A 10-person team at the Ministry of Transportation developed the first and most advanced province-based traveller information system in Canada.
DriveBC - the most visited government website - provides current road and weather conditions for BC highways 24/7 through a toll-free number,
a subscription service, offering 109 webcam views, Canada/USA border wait times, and seasonal load restrictions.

SOURCE:
Office of the Premier
BC Public Service Agency
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES HONOURED AT PROVINCIAL AWARDS