March 28, 2024

Report from BC’s Missing Women Commissioner to be released Monday

The long awaited final report from BC’s Missing Women Commissioner will be made public Monday.

Wally Oppal spent several months reviewing the events leading up to the 2002 arrest of serial killer Robert Pickton, and why police were not able to stop him sooner.

The report , which is more than 14-hundred pages long, contains recommendations aimed at improving the safety of marginalized women.

When hearings wrapped up in June, Oppal angrily dismissed accusations he facilitated a ‘whitewash.’

“I have a passion for injustices that have taken place. I’m a visible minority myself, my parents weren’t allowed to vote here until 1947. I’ve made difficult findings of fact before in my other life and it’ll be a challenge, but take it from me, we’ll do it.”

One suggestions repeatedly made was a regional police force, something Oppal recommended when he wrote another report on policing in 1994.

Families of the victims will have one hour to review the more than 1400 page report before it’s made public at 1pm.

On the last day of the inquiry in June, relatives of the victims –including Lori-Ann Ellis– said Oppal’s mandate was too narrow.

“I don’t think the inquiry went in the direction it should have gone in and I don’t think the information we really needed to hear got out there to the public’s ears.”

Her sister-in-law Cara disappeared in 1998.

A prominent First Nations leader agrees the mandate was too limited.

That’s why Grand Chief Edward John is not holding out hope much good will come from the final report.

“We are eternal optimists with a big, broad brush of pessimism because we’ve always been kept on, led down this road to believe that something might happen, only to find out it’s another one of those empty promises. No resources, no commitment to address the underlying issues in the communities.”

John –who chairs the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues– also says the Provincial Government shouldn’t have denied funding to first nations stakeholders seeking participation in the inquiry.

The total cost of the inquiry is expected to top nine million dollars.

CKNW Vancouver News

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