BC Child and Youth advocate steps down, no replacement yet

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – As BC’s Representative for Children and Youth marks the end of a turbulent 10-year term a month early, the hunt is still on for her replacement.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond gave what is now her last report to a standing committee on children and youth at the B.C. Legislature on Monday. She is using up vacation days and a new representative can’t officially be appointed until Nov. 27th.

Deputy representative Dawn Thomas-Whiteman is taking over the day to day tasks of the office and says advocacy files and investigations will continue, but their reports can’t be released until a new rep is appointed.

“I am confident (the selection committee) will identify someone to put forward as the new representative,” Dawn Thomas-Wightman says.

The selection committee was initialized in April but were unable to make the needed unanimous decision on a new representative.

“They put the job posting out again in August and recently met to look at who they might decide on,” Thomas-Wightman says.

Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux released a statement thanking Turpel-Lafond for her service and says the ministry has addressed more than 70 per cent of her recommendations.

“We have always been united in our desire to make things better for vulnerable children and families, even though we may not have always agreed on how best to improve B.C.’s child welfare system,” Cadieux says.

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