Office Furniture and Equipment

The Legislative Assembly provides funding for Members to purchase and maintain furnishings and equipment for constituency offices. The total price cap for the funding is $4,000 per three uninterrupted terms of office. Any unspent portion of the $4,000 allowance after three consecutive Parliaments carries forward and is available for future use at the start of the fourth term. Any unspent portions remaining after a Member retires are returned to the Legislative Assembly.

Example: A Member spends $3,500 of their $4,000 allowance in their first three terms. At the beginning of the fourth term, their constituency office would receive the $4,000 replenishment in addition to the remaining $500 for a total available allowance of $4,500.

 

The following is a list of typical furniture and equipment purchases using the allowance:

  • Desks
  • Office chairs
  • Display/brochure rack
  • Bookcase
  • Shredder
  • Filing cabinets
  • Seating for visitors
  • Boardroom table
  • Kitchenette equipment and appliances

The above list contains examples only and is not meant to be exhaustive. Members may purchase either new or used office furniture and equipment. The related invoice or claim for reimbursement must be submitted to Financial Services for payment through DocuWare.

The Legislative Assembly only supports the information technology and technical equipment it supplies. Any costs, including repairs and toner supplies, associated with additional equipment, are at the expense of the constituency office.

Members may use the constituency office allowance for any additional furniture and equipment purchases exceeding or not covered by the start-up or furniture and equipment allowance.

Stationery and Supplies

Personalized letterhead, business cards, notecards, and envelopes are available to each Member from centralized funds. In order to be eligible for the use of the centralized funds, orders should be submitted through Financial Services (stationeryorders@leg.bc.ca). Information on how to order stationery from the centralized funds can be found on the Constituency Office Portal. The maximum quantity paid by the Legislative Assembly is 3,000 units per fiscal period (April to March) for each of the following: letterhead, envelopes, and Member business cards. The maximum quantity is 500 for Constituency Assistant business cards (per Constituency Assistant), notecards, and notecard envelopes per fiscal period. The cost for all orders in excess of this limit will be paid from the constituency office allowance.

The standard supplies provided from centralized funding include:

  • Personalized letterhead printed on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper
  • Personalized standard size (No. 10) envelopes
  • Business cards (Member and Constituency Assistant)
  • Notecards
  • Notecard envelopes

The established format for stationery includes the Member’s name; riding name; constituency office address and phone number; email and web addresses; Parliament Buildings address and phone number; and websites and social media accounts. Members’ business cards may include a second or third language. Members that hold caucus positions, Opposition critic roles, or one of the other positions noted below may also include the position title on the stationery.

  • Speaker
  • Deputy Speaker
  • Assistant Deputy Speaker
  • Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole
  • Leader of a recognized party
  • House Leader of a recognized party
  • Caucus Whip of a recognized party
  • Deputy Caucus Whip of a recognized party
  • Caucus Chair of a recognized party

The cost of any orders that do not conform to the aforementioned format will be paid from the constituency office allowance. All print requisitions should be sent to Financial Services (stationeryorders@leg.bc.ca) for processing. A separate requisition is required for each item. Instructions and the requisition form are available on the Constituency Office Portal (please note that the Portal is intranet-based and is only accessible from the Legislative Assembly network).

Political affiliation or any related statements are not permitted on any print order paid for with public funds. This includes the use of party colors, names, and logos. It also includes used of caucus-assigned positions not listed above, such as a caucus liaison to a designated group.

Orders for ministry stationery or any other government executive position, including Parliamentary Secretaries, is separate and is not covered by the Legislative Assembly. Please contact the appropriate ministry for details.

Other generic office supplies are available through the Sergeant-at-Arms Supply Office. Orders should be coordinated through caucus staff. Please note that the Sergeant-at-Arms Supply Office does not provide services for constituency offices. Constituency offices may buy their own office supplies from local retailers using the constituency office allowance.

Legislative Assembly Visual Identity 

The Legislative Assembly’s visual identity combines two iconic symbols – a graphic representation of St. Edward’s Crown, the top element of our provincial mace, and the dome shape of our Parliament Buildings. The Legislative Assembly received the required permission from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, to use St. Edward’s Crown. The design also integrates a distinctive dome teal colour and cool grey tones, reflective of the domes of the Parliament Buildings and the granite blocks used in their construction.

The development of this unique visual identity also provides a distinction between the Legislative Assembly and the executive branch of government, which typically uses the provincial coat of arms as an official identifier.

Guidelines to assist new and returning Members move to the new visual identity are available on the Assembly’s Intranet by clicking here. Additional templates for letterhead, certificates, and other documents will be made available.

In order to minimize costs, returning Members may use a phased approach to implement the new visual identity, ordering new stationery once existing stationery stock is depleted.