About CivicInfo BCCivicInfo BC is an award-winning, co-operative information service for those who work, or have an interest in British Columbia's local government sector. The main goal of CivicInfo BC is to facilitate the free and open exchange of local government information, which is done primarily through this web site. ServicesCivicInfo BC is pleased to offer a wide range of services, most of which are freely available through this website. Services are listed and described below in alphabetical order. For a list of frequently asked questions about our service, please consult our Site Help page.
1. Bid & Tender PostingsA free service for BC local governments, CivicInfo BC is pleased to post Requests for Proposals, Requests for Quotations, and other bid / tender documents. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/17.asp. 2. Career PostingsWorking in partnership with the Local Government Management Association of BC, CivicInfo BC offers a job posting service that is one of the best ways for local governments to attract professional, qualified candidates. In 2006, more than 1,400 positions were listed, and single postings on our website are viewed approximately 40,000 times per month. Thousands more view the postings when they are distributed through our e-mail newsletter and the LGMA’s circular system. Job postings are free to view, but fees apply for posting. For more information, please see: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/162.asp. 3. Directory of Local GovernmentsWith support from the Ministry of Community and Rural Development, CivicInfo BC maintains the definitive local government directory in British Columbia. The directory includes addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and detailed contact information for elected officials and staff. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/11.asp or www.civicinfo.bc.ca/12.asp 4. Directory of Other Local Government OrganizationsCivicInfo BC maintains a comprehensive online directory of organizations and agencies that work closely with British Columbia’s local governments. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/11.asp. 5. Document LibraryAn invaluable research tool, CivicInfo BC’s fully searchable document library contains thousands of full-text local government documents including bylaws, policies, reports, and more. The library indexes materials held on third party web sites, and it contains documents hosted locally on CivicInfo BC’s server. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/13.asp. 6. E-Mail Broadcast ServiceIf member communities have broadcast messages that need to be sent to other local governments, CivicInfo BC can assist. Messages can be sent to specific communities, and to people in specific positions. To use this service, send your request to info@civicinfo.bc.ca. Please note that this service is available only to BC local governments and related public sector agencies, and broadcasts must meet the conditions of our E-mail Broadcast Policy. 7. Grants DatabaseIn partnership with the Local Government Management Association of BC, CivicInfo BC hosts and manages a searchable database of grant opportunities available to BC local governments. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/18.asp. 8. Legislative CalendarProvided in conjunction with the Ministry of Community and Rural Development, the Legislative Calendar gives local government practitioners a quick overview of upcoming deadlines. CivicInfo BC also wishes to acknowledge the firm of Young, Anderson for their assistance with this calendar. 9. News StoriesA great way to stay on top of news in the local government sector. CivicInfo BC combs BC newspapers for interesting local government stories, and summaries are posted to our site. CivicInfo BC also posts press releases on behalf of municipalities, regional districts, and local government agencies. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/20.asp. 10. NewsletterOur e-mail newsletter is sent every Friday morning to a list of over 3,100 voluntary subscribers. Although anyone is free to subscribe, approximately 80% of our subscribers are believed to be local government employees or officials. CivicInfo BC members may post announcements and small advertisements (not employment related) in our newsletter free of charge. See: Subscribe by entering your e-mail address in the “Subscribe to our Newsletter” box appearing in the left-hand column of every page on our site. 11. Practices & Innovations DatabaseA service provided in partnership with the Union of BC Municipalities, scheduled for launch in mid-2007. The “Practices & Innovations” database will showcase various practices and innovations submitted by our members, including past nominations for the UBCM Excellence Awards. 12. Professional Development InformationFree of charge, CivicInfo BC lists any conference, workshop, seminar, or special course that may be of interest to local government employees and elected officials. See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/30.asp. 13. Registration ServicesFor a small fee, our on-line registration system can make event management easy with user-friendly forms, detailed reporting, and a secure on-line payment mechanism. Our services have been used for over 300 local government conferences, seminars and workshops of all sizes. Call our office at 250-383-4898, or e-mail info@civicinfo.bc.ca to learn more. 14. RSS FeedsRSS, also known as “Rich Site Summary” or “Really Simple Syndication”, is a technology that allows you to receive real-time notification when items are posted to content-rich websites like CivicInfo BC. Feeds are currently available for our job postings, news stories, and professional development event listings, and they can be accessed either through an RSS-compatible browser (like IE 7.0 or Mozilla Firefox) or through an RSS Reader. For more information, see: http://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/56.asp. 15. Suppliers DirectoryCivicInfo BC maintains a directory of approximately 400 private firms that are known to do business with the BC local government sector. From consultants, to lawyers, to municipal software providers – all are listed here See: www.civicinfo.bc.ca/15.asp. 16. Wireless Information ServicesA number of CivicInfo BC’s services are now available through wireless devices, such as cell phones and PDAs. To access our wireless services, simply go to www.civicinfo.bc.ca/wireless on your mobile browser.
If you cannot find what you are looking for on the CivicInfo BC website, please call our office at 250-383-4898, or e-mail us at info@civicinfo.bc.ca, for personal assistance in finding what they need. If we don’t already have the information you need, we will make every reasonable effort to obtain it or refer you to the appropriate source. |
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