Monday marks the start of a new process at B.C.’s Missing Women inquiry.
Commissioner Wally Oppal is now hearing from witnesses in a panel, instead of through individual testimony.
The surprising change was announced last Tuesday by Oppal, who must wrap up hearings at the end of April.
Concerns have been raised about delays – namely caused by lawyers demanding time to cross-examine each witness and sometimes stretching out one person’s testimony to an entire week.
The first panel includes Wayne Leng – the man who initially reported missing women to Vancouver police, Maggie de Vries –whose sister, Sarah, disappeared in 1998, and long-time Downtown Eastside activist Jamie Lee Hamilton.
The brother of a woman whose DNA was found during a search of serial killer Robert Pickton’s farm says he understands reasons for the panel format.
Ernie Crey says he still questions how the inquiry is being conducted, but the new process should be fairer and faster-paced.
“I just came through a long year’s inquiry, the Cohen inquiry. It was actually held in the same building and in the same room and they followed the panel format and the lawyers still had plenty of time to examine witnesses, but things seem to be expedited using that format.”
Crey adds he hopes the inquiry will include more stakeholders who’ve been excluded until now.
Oppal’s final report and recommendations must be presented to the provincial government in June.
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