From public promises to taxpayer power

GCI streamlines clarity for taxpayers: the promise, the result, the cost of delay, responsibility, and the mechanism for change. Voting is a central accountability lever. Between elections, show the specific decision, amendment or review that can change the outcome.

Another referral does not count as resolution. Preserve the original commitment date, each revision and the unresolved question. Separate a usable answer, an adopted decision and a delivered benefit. Apply the same scrutiny to every party and office; neutrality does not excuse unfinished delivery. Accountability for documented results does not require proving motives.

Case 001: delivery and spending · Case 002: farm policy and usable options · How residents can seek change

Public accountability research beta

Public decisions should be understandable.

GCI helps people follow public commitments through the actual decisions, authorities, spending and outcomes. You don't have to agree on what should happen to understand what happened.

Explore real decisions

Start with a case.

Each case separates what the public record establishes from what remains unanswered. Follow the sources, see who has authority, and identify the decision or change that can resolve it.

Case 001Infrastructure & spending

Mount Newton Pathway — Phase 2

What was promised, what did Council actually authorize, and what is still unknown about construction costs, timing and delivery?

Follow the difference: announced plans versus funded design versus verified construction.
Explore Case 001
Case 002Agricultural policy & regulation

Central Saanich farm policy & stays

What does the community plan envision, what do current zoning and ALR rules allow, what remains unfinished, and who can change the rules or deliver a usable pathway?

Follow the difference: policy aspiration versus present legal permission.
Explore Case 002
A guide to the evidence

How to use GCI

No special background in government is needed. Start with a question that matters to you.

01

Read the question

What was announced or proposed? Whose interests are affected?

02

Check the evidence

Look for primary sources, dates, conflicting records and clearly marked unknowns.

03

Find the authority

See who can approve, fund, enforce, review or legally block a decision.

04

Choose a lawful next step

Identify a specific Council decision, amendment or review. Compare promises and recorded decisions when voting.

Guidance for residents

Learn the process. Know your options.

You can ask for reasons, keep a reliable record and understand where a concern belongs. GCI provides public information and practical learning tools, not legal representation.

Learn & Explore

Practical user guides and tools

Use the existing GCI learning centre to understand regulatory boundaries, prepare a clarification request and document an issue fairly.

  • Find the applicable bylaw and decision authority
  • Understand notice, evidence, reasons and review options
  • Draft a private written clarification request
  • Distinguish a complaint from a time-limited legal appeal
Open Learn & Explore
Independent oversight · British Columbia

BC Ombudsperson

The BC Ombudsperson provides information about administrative fairness and handles eligible complaints about BC public bodies. It is independent of GCI.

  • Learn what fair bylaw enforcement looks like
  • Understand when and how to raise a concern
  • Check the proper process before assuming an appeal deadline is paused
Visit BC Ombudsperson

Have an active notice or deadline?

Start with the official notice and its appeal or dispute instructions. An informal request, GCI research page or Ombudsperson inquiry does not automatically extend statutory deadlines. Keep original documents private unless you choose an appropriate authorized channel.

Why GCI exists

Shared evidence, independent judgment.

The objective is not agreement. It is to make public decisions legible enough that people with different priorities can identify what is established, where they disagree, who had authority and which remedies are legitimate.

Our boundaries

GCI is an independent, public-source research beta. It is not a municipal service, a political campaign, an official legal determination or an official rating service. It examines commitments, recorded decisions and delivered results against actual authority, using the same standard for everyone. Gaps in available evidence do not by themselves establish wrongdoing.

Evidence before assertionPolitical neutralityTransparent uncertaintyHuman accountability