More controversy surrounding the Missing Women Inquiry

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The executive director of the public inquiry into the Robert Pickton case has gone on leave as allegations of sexual harassment hang over hearings into why police failed to catch a serial killer.
    
John Boddie’s name has been taken off the commission’s website, and an independent lawyer appointed to assist in an investigation of the inquiry’s staff confirms Boddie went on leave this week.
    
Wally Oppal has already appointed an independent lawyer, Delayne Sartison, to look into anonymous allegations that some staff in the commission’s office made derogatory comments about staff and sex workers.
    
Yet another lawyer, Peter Gall, has now been appointed to liaise with Sartison and advise Oppal on how the investigation should proceed.
    
The commission is referring questions about Boddie’s status to Gall, who confirms Boddie is on leave but is declining to explain why.

The sister of one of the victims of serial killer Robert Pickton says she’s worried that allegations of sexual harassment among staff at the Pickton inquiry are diverting attention from the commission’s real purpose.      

Lillian Beaudoin, whose sister Dianne Rock’s DNA was found on Pickton’s property, says the purpose of the inquiry is to protect vulnerable women.

“The track of this inquiry was to find out what happened to the missing women, how they can improve, you know, anything for the missing girls, what the police did wrong. and this whole thing is going out of whack.”

Oppal has also expressed frustration that the claims, published in the National Post newspaper, are coming from anonymous sources.
    
The National Post has published two stories based on anonymous sources, one alleging sexist comments and another raising complaints that Boddie has been too involved in the hearing process.

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