The Journey to Connected Services BC

Describer: A full audience sits in a warmly lit presentation room. There is a stage with chairs, a lectern and a projection screen. A facilitator stands at the lectern.

Facilitator: I’d like to introduce Shannon Salter, Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the BC Public Service, Government of British Columbia. Shannon is going to speak to you From IMIT Reform to Citizen-Centric Government, The Journey to Connected Services BC.

Describer: The facilitator shakes hands with Shannon Salter and leaves the stage. Shannon takes the lectern.

Shannon Salter: Thank you so much for the introduction and good morning everybody. It’s wonderful to be here together with you today on the territories of the Lekwungen people, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.

It’s also wonderful to see so many of you. I understand a record crowd, particularly about a keynote on government technology before 10 am. Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it.

I’d like to start with a vision. And it’s a vision that we’ve been working on for some time. It’s a vision of what government in British Columbia will feel like by 2030.

A government that works as one team. A government that feels simple, intuitive, and human to interact with. A government that designs around real lives rather than its own internal organization.

I believe this vision is achievable because I’ve seen it happen before. As some of you will know, I helped with an incredible team to found the Civil Resolution Tribunal, which was Canada’s first online tribunal when it opened in 2014. At the time, people told us government would never resolve legal disputes online. They told us it was too risky, too complex, and just plain impossible. I think some people even used the word crazy, sometimes about me specifically, which was hurtful.

And yet today, the CRT has resolved 10s of thousands of disputes entirely online. People get outcomes faster, at a fraction of the cost, with higher satisfaction, and with a process designed around their needs rather than institutional ones.

The CRT taught us something fundamental. Technology alone will not transform government. But when you combine technology with clarity of purpose and a genuine collaboration with the people you serve, you can change the way people experience something as old and complex as the justice system. And it’s that same energy that is driving our vision for 2030.

By 2030, every British Columbian will experience government as a connected, supportive, and predictable partner. Not 10 systems, not 10 ministries, one experience. This is not science fiction. This is the direction we’re building toward. And for the vendors in the room, this is an open invitation to partner with us to make it real.

Connected services use technology and data to redesign how people experience government throughout their lives. People across this province do not think in terms of ministries or programs. They think in terms of life events, having a baby, finding housing, facing a crisis, starting a business, caring for a family member, and sometimes trying to rebuild.

Connected services create unified experiences throughout all of these events. And for people, that means fewer forms, less duplication, a single story told once, and services that meet them where they are rather than requiring them to navigate a maze of systems.

Behind the scenes, connected services require something deceptively simple. Our systems must actually talk to each other. They must share meaning. They must follow common standards. They must speak the same language rather than relying on digital improvisation. This is how we turn fragmented processes into a single, coherent experience.

Connected services transform a government that looks complicated from the outside into a government that feels coordinated from the inside. And that is the experience British Columbians deserve.

To understand why we’re transforming our digital model, let me introduce you to Amina.

Amina is living with an acquired brain injury. She is trying to manage her health, secure stable housing, access disability supports, find legal help, and keep her life on track while healing.

She is experiencing one life event, but our system treats it like 10.

Amina and her caseworker must knock on door after door, health authorities, housing programs, income assistance, mental health, Indigenous supports, legal aid, each with a different form, timeline, and requirements. And every time, she has to retell her story, sometimes deeply personal, sometimes traumatic, again and again and again.

And when you’re already overwhelmed, this is not just an inconvenience. It is a harm. This is the experience far too many people in British Columbia face today.

And it’s not because our public servants lack compassion. They are some of the most committed and compassionate people I’ve ever encountered in my life. And it’s not because our programs are flawed, although sometimes they can be a little bit flawed. But mainly it’s not because our programs are flawed. It’s because our systems were built at different times for different purposes with no expectation that they would ever need to work together.

Amina should experience one government that understands her context and responds with coordination and care. She should not have to be the project manager of her own crisis. And that is why we’re changing the model.

We are shifting from a structure that makes people do the hard work of navigating to government to a structure where government does the work of navigating itself. And to bring this vision to life, we launched Connected Services BC on October 1st. It brings together the people, resources and platforms needed to deliver government as one coherent experience.

This is not a rebranding exercise. This is not a restructuring for the sake of it. It is a fundamental shift in the way that government works and the relationship between the citizen and its government.

Connected Services BC is built on four foundational pieces.

The first is governance and structure. We need shared accountability and clear leadership so ministries move in the same direction, not 12 different ones.

Legislation and policy. We are building modern frameworks that support digital identity, privacy, and secure data sharing in ways that are responsible, transparent, and trusted.

Third, shared meaning and common standards. Our systems must use the same definitions, the same formats, and the same rules. Connected services require shared language, not, again, digital improvisation.

And lastly, technology. We need modern, scalable, secure technology that is consistent across government. Stable, reliable platforms that support a unified digital experience.

And these are not abstract concepts. They unlock real benefits that people feel. And we’re already making measurable progress to build on. The BC Services Card app now has more than 2.7 million users. We retired personal BCEID as a step towards a single unified identity system. We’re modernizing systems so people can use Indigenous names and languages in all official government records.

Interoperability is essential. It’s what allows data to move responsibly across systems, for services to align, and for the experience to feel coherent. That is the foundation that Connected Services BC is now building.

Our vision for Connected Services BC is ambitious. But it is completely achievable. By 2030, people in British Columbia will experience government as one coordinated system. Not a collection of programs, not a maze of ministries, one experience.

Services will be predictive. Government will understand what people need at the right moment. Not in a way that feels intrusive, but in a way that feels supportive.

Services will be inclusive. They will reflect the full diversity and languages of British Columbia. The experience will be respectful, consistent, and accessible.

Services will be seamless. Behind the scenes, there may be 5 ministries involved in a program, but from the person’s perspective, there will be one coherent process.

And we will know when we have succeeded when updating your address once actually means once. When applying for help does not require retelling your story. When a small business owner feels supported rather than exhausted. When someone in crisis does not have to be their own navigator.

People around the world already look to the CRT and other BC success stories as proof that digital justice in all its forms is possible. I believe they will look to British Columbia as proof that whole-of-government transformation is possible. We have done it before, and we will do it again, this time at a scale that truly reshapes how people experience their government.

And so thank you for being part of this conversation at this moment. Today is not really about technology. It’s about people. It’s about making life simpler, fairer, and more supportive for millions in British Columbia.

When we build a connected government, we remove friction. We remove unnecessary complexity. We remove the feeling that people must navigate everything alone. Technology is the enabler, innovation is the engine, but it is people, partnerships, and shared commitment that make the transformation real.

And in a few moments, you’ll hear from Hayden Lansdell and Alex Ritchie, who will share more about how Connected Services BC is structured and how real use cases like our disability benefits work are proving the power of collaboration and co-design across ministries.

And I’ll just take a moment to thank Hayden and Shauna Brower, and the whole team at OCIO and Citizen Services, along with Deb Godfrey at PSA and Doug Scott at the Ministry of Finance, and many, many others who have seen this vision come to life in record time, admittedly at my insistence.

Hayden won’t tell you this, but he initially brought me an 18-month plan, and I requested a shorter plan. Then he brought me a 12-month plan, and I requested a shorter plan. And then he brought me a six-month plan, and I requested a shorter plan.

I know that would be hive-inducing to many of you in the room, but Hayden and his team and Shauna and everybody else moved mountains to make it happen.

We have so much work yet to do, but we are doing it urgently because this requires urgency.

So thank you so much.

Before we close, I also want to thank the Public Sector Network, our partners, our sponsors, and everyone who contributes to building a simpler, more inclusive, more connected future for British Columbia.

We are not imagining a better future. We are actually building it now.

Thank you so much, and I’m happy to answer any questions you have. I believe I have 8 minutes and 56 seconds. Helpful timer. Thank you so much.

Describer: The audience applauds.

Shannon Salter: Okay. Any questions or comments or thoughts? Thoughts about how this has been done again and again, and you’ve seen it before in your lifetime. The dialectics of government transformation. Okay, sorry, I’m sorry, it’s a bit bright. Please, go ahead.

Audience member 1: Hi. [Indistinct] have a technology company that holds a lot of data together. My question for you on the challenges of people having to self-advocate throughout the system. It obviously exists in the medical system as well. You gave some examples. But do you foresee that this system will address some of the challenges that we have for those that are on the street, in safe housing, long-term housing, short-term housing? Because I know at the moment that’s not tracked. And obviously, we are falling short on being able to fully support people if we’re not able to track that. Will that be addressed?

Shannon Salter: Yeah, thank you for the question. And Anna, I’ll just repeat it for those who weren’t able to hear it. Anna had a very good question about how it is that we meet the needs of people who are even outside of core government, people who are unhoused, people in the health care system, people who have access to, who have significant barriers, many of which we don’t track or adequately record.

I think there’s a few parts to your question.

One of the hopes of this, one of the objectives is to treat data as a corporate thing and not a thing that belongs to each ministry where we have difficult tracking the trajectory of people’s lives and therefore their needs throughout their lives from cradle to grave.

And so with consent in a careful privacy oriented way, this change will allow us to be able to better understand and integrate our data. And part of that is understanding, of most interest to me, understanding the needs and the circumstances of people who face the most barriers to accessing government services.

So that’s the first part. We have huge data gaps, and we need to fix those. And we are quickly, stay tuned.

The second piece of it is that technology is not the right answer for everybody in every circumstance. What is always the right answer, if you can say anything is always the right answer, is to prioritize the lived experience of people who know what their own lives are like.

And that means going out and talking to people. And when you can’t talk directly to people, talk to their advocates. Talk to the people who work directly with them. Talk to their family and friends. Ideally, you talk to them too.

And often what that will lead you to is a solution that is bespoke, that is outside of your own worldview or your own kind of framework. That has been the experience that I’ve had in my life. I know that Hayden shares that worldview, as do many of the folks at Connected Services BC.

But that means sometimes you have human services. It means always you go to where people are. And it always means, it almost always means something, more than one communication channel, one way of doing things, one language, one modality.

It requires flexibility. And creativity. And I think it’s that spirit that we need to bring not only to core government, but the public sector more broadly.

My purview right now is core government and getting our house in order, but I very much hope and anticipate that the same approach will be brought to bear across our systems in the wider public sector.

And I know that I should just say, this is not novel and it’s not my aspiration. This is something we all share.

And I firmly need to recognize that it’s government and government structures that have made your work, in many cases, more challenging because of the way that we do things in government. And so I own that as head of the public service.

And for those of you who were in the room 2 years ago, you heard me talk about the genesis of some of this work. But we’re doing it and we’re doing it as quickly as we can.

Facilitator: Shannon, I think you might have some questions on the comfort monitor as well, just to your left over here.

Shannon Salter: Now, where was that?

Facilitator: To your left.

Shannon Salter: There we go. OK, perfect. I’ll maybe alternate. OK, the first one was about a future vision of connected government and Crown corporations. I’ve sort of answered that, so maybe I’ll just, in the interest of the four minutes and 31 seconds I have, I’ll skip to the next thing.

“What are the first three things that public servants can do to help make this vision a reality? Put simply, how do we help you?”

I think that’s a really great question, and a lot of these things are things I see already happening.

One is embracing the fact that the way that we have done things so far is not working for people. Digital confidence in our digital services as a BC government has declined despite radically increased spending in the area. That is not news to any of you in the room.

And so while this is, while this represents quite a lot of change and it can certainly be disconcerting, I think having an open minded solution oriented approach to this work is critical. We don’t have all the answers. I don’t have all the answers. Hayden doesn’t, Shauna doesn’t, none of us do.

We’re going to rely on the collective brilliance, experience, skills, and creativity of our own public servants, informed by all of you and our vendor community, to figure out how to make this work. And we will make mistakes. And so my job as head of the public service is to create a climate where that’s okay, where we can take risks.

And I can see that already starting in Connected Services BC, where when you have a collective of folks who have the opportunity to build that kind of a culture, I think really exciting things will happen.

That’s only one. So whoever asked that question, I’ll give some thought to the other two, but I’m worried about getting to more questions. So come back to that in the room. Gentleman over there. Thank you.

Audience member 2: Thanks. So I work in Citizens’ Services as a trainer. And so in my admittedly only like four years experience in government, I’ve seen where when we get a new technology solution, we often have to make it worse in order for it to fit into our existing environment. And we often don’t get the full functionality.

Shannon Salter: Yes.

Audience member 2: I’m not a comedian, I promise. So how would you change the approach of government to stop doing that, to be able to use our technology solutions as effectively as they can be used?

Shannon Salter: I know Hayden’s talking to you later, and there’s a technical answer to that I won’t hazard to delve into, except to agree with the premise. We can get in our own way. We turn off all functionality and then slowly turn it back on as we are confident that it’s not going to blow things up, compromise our privacy laws, et cetera.

And sometimes that’s valid, right? We deal with the most sensitive data in a human being’s life. And we have to be careful to safeguard that sacred trust. But also, culturally, we do that just because that’s what we do.

And sometimes we go so far on one end that we ignore the risks, actually, of not adapting or adopting features as quickly as we could. There are huge risks to delay. And this is something in government we have a huge heuristic about. We are biased towards the risks of, against the risks of doing something in favour of the risks of not doing something.

But we never quantify the risks of not doing things. And those risks are real to people who are on waitlist endlessly, who do not get the benefit of our… our careful risk taking, our creativity, our agency.

And so we need to rebalance that and frankly, just be data-driven and take a step back and say, what really is the harm we’re trying to avoid here? How do we mitigate that risk? And is it worse or better than not doing anything?

So complicated answer to your question, a big part of it is cultural. And that’s the part that I think Connected Services BC can help lead, because this will be the brain trust of the entire organization.

It won’t be pockets across ministries trying to do the right thing, trying to change a culture in ministries, it will be leadership and it’ll be hopefully a virtuous cycle of learning, engagement, creativity, and careful but thoughtful risk-taking. OK.

“What is the plan to engage leaders and decision-makers in core government who are not brought into this level of innovation?”

Part of my job was to ensure that decision makers, so cabinet, my boss, the Premier, and others were on board for this. They are very much on board for this.

And the way that they became on board was actually pretty simple. There’s certainly efficiencies to be gained by taking this approach. And it’s like a condition precedent for a lot of things that we want to do, like greater adoption of AI.

But the reason that they are so on board is because of people like Amina, because they can very much understand what it means to go into their communities, into their constituency offices, and have a better answer to the story that they hear all the time.

In their constituency offices, at neighborhood barbecues, at events, they hear story after story about the person who’s trying to access the service benefit program that they are entitled to, but cannot, because of how complicated it is, because of the barriers that are there.

And so being able to tell them that by 2030, there will be one front door for every individual, that whether they’re trying to get a kid’s report card or register a birth or start a business or get access to income assistance benefits or anything else they want to do, it will be all right there for them, either on their phone or in person, but through a means, language and channel that they can understand and access.

That was the easiest thing I’ve ever had to sell cabinet on. Or persuade my boss to adopt. In fact, I didn’t. He’s a huge driver of this.

So in that sense, you know, it’s now a matter of fulfilling that promise.

Inside government, this is what folks inside government often want to do as well. I mean, Hayden, I think, will tell you that there’s huge support in government for this.

There’s certainly questions. There’s absolutely anxiety. There’s folks who have seen it before. And so I was only half joking earlier.

There is a kind of dialectic in government where things consolidate and then they decentralize. And they consolidate and they decentralize. And it would be arrogant to think that without doing more, this would be any different.

And that’s why it keeps Hayden and I up at night. We’ve had a lot of conversations about this. Hayden is an ardent student of BC government history and has internalized a lot of lessons about why this has not worked in the past.

You probably have a lot of lessons for why this hasn’t worked in the past, and I’d like to hear them, so please tell us.

But from what we can tell, we’ve tried to structure this in a way that is going to have its best chance of success. Because we have to do something. The status quo just isn’t working. It’s not working for anybody. So the best way to make this work is to make it actually work.

And by that I mean do the thing we’re trying to do. Make sure that people inside government have access to the platforms, programs, services that they need to do their job, and then make sure that people outside of government have access to the services, programs, and benefits that they are entitled to easily, carefully, thoughtfully, sure, but accessibly.

And I’ll just also end on that one point. Oh, gosh, the clock is going in the wrong direction. I thought it was ticking down. It’s going up. I’m wrapping up. I got the message.

The key here, too, that I didn’t say, and I’ll just end on this note, is that we don’t have a lot of research on why there’s declining trust in public institutions, but it is declining precipitously.

And it scares me because in that vacuum creates the circumstances where other anti-democratic bad things can happen.

And what little research we have on what the antidote to this is, actually pretty simple. If you make government work for people, it builds their trust.

If they can do the thing that they think is fair in an accessible way, if they can get what they need in an accessible, fair, understandable way, if they feel that they’re getting a fair shake from government, it builds trust. And that’s our opportunity here.

So I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is a chance to reorient the relationship between government and the people of this province. And that’s exactly what we want to do with your help. So thank you so much again. Appreciate it.