The Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee (GVPDAC) brings together community members and police representatives from across the Greater Victoria region.

GVPDAC creates a space for relationship-building, dialogue, and collaboration. The committee supports open conversations, shared learning, and stronger understanding between police and the communities they serve.

The Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee (GVPDAC) was established in 2002 in response to identified needs to strengthen relationships, trust, and understanding between police and the diverse communities of the Greater Victoria region.

These needs were highlighted through earlier regional work that examined the experiences of underrepresented communities in their interactions with policing. In particular, two foundational reports played a key role in identifying gaps and shaping a path forward:

• Making Peace – The Maturing Partnership of Capital Region’s Minorities and their Police (1998), commissioned by the Capital Region Race Relations Association

• Needs Assessment Report on the Diversity Unit of the Victoria Police Department (2000)

These reports identified challenges related to communication, trust, and meaningful engagement between police and diverse communities. They also emphasized the need for a dedicated, ongoing structure to support dialogue, build relationships, and address shared concerns collaboratively.

In response, GVPDAC was established as a regional advisory body to support ongoing collaboration between community members, organizations, and police, while providing advisory input to the Area Chiefs of Police.
Its purpose was, and continues to be to:

• Foster mutual understanding and respectful dialogue

• Build trust and relationships over time

• Create space for community-informed perspectives

• Identify and respond to emerging issues collaboratively

GVPDAC represents a shift from one-time consultation toward ongoing partnership. It recognizes that strong relationships between policing and communities are built through continuous engagement, listening, and shared learning.

Today, this foundation continues to guide the Committee’s work, as GVPDAC evolves to reflect the diverse voices, experiences, and realities of the communities it serves.

GVPDAC includes representatives from a range of community organizations and public safety partners across the region.

Community organizations currently represented include:

• Victoria Native Friendship Centre

• BC Schizophrenia Society (BCSS)

• Greater Victoria Victim Services

• Hindu Parishad Victoria

• Intercultural Association (ICA)

• ISSAMBA Centre

• Jewish Federation of Vancouver Island and Victoria

• Restorative Justice – Westshore

• Ukrainian-Canadian Cultural Society of Vancouver Island

• Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees (VICCIR)

• Victoria MultiFaith Society

• Victoria & Esquimalt Police Board

Police and public safety partners include:

• Municipal police departments (Victoria, Saanich, Central Saanich, Oak Bay)

• RCMP detachments (Sidney/North Saanich, West Shore, Sooke)

• Military Police

GVPDAC is built on the belief that no single person can speak for an entire community. We recognize that communities are diverse, with a wide range of lived experiences, perspectives, and needs. Our goal is to bring together representatives from community organizations, cultural groups, faith communities, service providers, advocacy organizations, and policing agencies to learn from one another, share knowledge, and strengthen relationships.

Committee members act as connectors between GVPDAC and the communities they serve, helping to bring forward community perspectives, identify emerging issues, share information, and support collaborative solutions. Through ongoing dialogue, education, and relationship-building, members contribute to a regional network focused on fostering understanding, inclusion, accessibility, and trust.

Organizations, agencies, and community groups interested in learning more about membership opportunities are encouraged to contact us through our Contact Us page:

Contact Us⁠

GVPDAC receives annual funding through contributions from participating regional policing agencies. This funding includes support for the Regional Diversity Coordinator position and helps cover the costs of committee operations, website maintenance, public education materials, community engagement activities, and collaborative initiatives throughout the year.

This investment reflects a shared commitment by participating agencies to support community engagement, relationship-building, and ongoing efforts to advance equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging (EDIAB) across the region.

Funding supports GVPDAC’s community engagement, education, and relationship-building initiatives throughout the region. This includes participating in cultural festivals, community celebrations, youth initiatives, newcomer and refugee programs, workshops, forums, volunteer opportunities, and other activities that bring community members and policing representatives together.

By creating opportunities for engagement in non-enforcement settings, GVPDAC helps foster dialogue, increase understanding, strengthen relationships, raise awareness of local resources, and support collaboration between policing agencies and the diverse communities they serve.

While each participating police agency maintains its own EDIAB initiatives, training programs, and organizational priorities, GVPDAC provides a regional forum for shared learning, community-informed dialogue, and collaboration that complements these efforts.

GVPDAC does not receive, investigate, or resolve complaints about police officers, police departments, or RCMP members.

GVPDAC is an advisory committee that focuses on community engagement, relationship-building, education, and dialogue between policing agencies and the diverse communities they serve. As a result, concerns or complaints about policing must be directed to the appropriate police oversight body or police agency.

For municipal police departments (Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, and Central Saanich), complaints can be made directly to the police department involved or through the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC), which provides independent civilian oversight of municipal policing in British Columbia.

For the RCMP, complaints can be made directly to an RCMP detachment or through the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC), an independent agency responsible for reviewing public complaints involving RCMP members.

If you are unsure which complaint process applies to your situation, please contact us and we will do our best to help direct you to the appropriate resource.

The best way to stay informed is by exploring our website, following GVPDAC on social media, and connecting with us at community events throughout the region.

If you have questions, feedback, or would like to learn more about our work, membership opportunities, or upcoming initiatives, please visit our Contact Us page. We’d love to hear from you.