Guides
Email Management
According to the Interpretation Act (RSBC 1996, c.238), the definition of a "record" covers all recorded information, including all information stored electronically.
Since email meets this requirement, the management of all government email must also comply with existing government legislation, regulations, policies and standards.
In particular, email must be classified and disposed of in accordance with approved records schedules, such as:
- Administrative Records Classification System (ARCS)
- Agency specific Operational Records Classification Systems (ORCS)
- Government-wide Special Schedules (Email; Transitory)
- One-time and ongoing records schedules (ORS)
For more information about managing your government email, please review our Recommended Practices and Frequently Asked Questions. You can also contact your ministry or corporate records officer to find out more about email management specific to your organization.
Recommended Practices (RP)
- Government Email: Employee Responsibilities (RP#1) (PDF 63 KB)
- Email Tips (RP#2) (PDF 63 KB)
- Creating and Managing Email Folders (RP#3) (PDF 63 KB)
- Managing Email with Attachments (RP#4) (PDF 60 KB)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Government Email: an Overview (FAQ#1) (PDF 66 KB)
- Email: Your Record Keeping Responsibilities (FAQ#2) (PDF 77 KB)
- Using Government Email Appropriately (FAQ#3) (PDF 57 KB)
- Managing Draft Records and Working Papers (FAQ#4) (PDF 67 KB)
- Distribution and Filing of Email with Attachments (FAQ#5) (PDF 66 KB)
