Frustration and concern greets Missing Women’s inquiry

Grainne Barthe felt listened to, but she isn’t confident that her words will make a difference.

“I thought that (Commissioner Wally Oppal) was very respectful to me and to everybody at the whole thing, but I feel that sometimes these events are token events, just to kind of appease the people, to say, ‘Well, we were there,’” said Barthe, counselor with Stopping the Violence, a program offered by the North Coast Transitional Society.

Barthe was one of a dozen people to make presentations at the first public forum hosted by the B.C. Missing Women Commission of Inquiry in Prince Rupert on Sept. 13. She was joined by two other organizations, two elected provincial members, Elders and family members of missing women in making statements to Oppal.

Vicki Hill was one of those family members. Her mother, Mary Jane Hill, disappeared in 1978 when Vicki was six months old. Mary Jane’s body was found along the Highway of Tears, Highway 16 which runs between Prince George and Prince Rupert. The death remains unsolved.

There were about 70 people at the forum; less than Barthe had expected.

“One of the women there said it wasn’t well advertised,” said Barthe.

Barthe’s presentation reflected concerns that have been voiced as consistent criticism of the newest inquiry struck by the province:
1. that the inquiry should not be lumping the Downtown Eastside Vancouver murders of serial killer Robert Willie Pickton with the disappearances along Highway 16; and
2. that community groups did not receive government funding for legal counsel for the second phase of the commission’s work.

Barthe said Oppal spoke to her in private after her presentation, ensuring her that he had supported full funding for community groups, but no money was available.

This lack of funding is the reason that the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) announced at the end of July they would not be participating in the process.

Terry Teegee, vice tribal chief of CSTC, said UBCIC and CSTC formed a partnership at the direction of the commission and were granted status for the inquiry. Oppal requested that the coalition receive funding for legal counsel to allow for the questioning of police on how missing women investigations were handled.
However, funding to the coalition and a number of other organizations was denied by then Attorney General Barry Penner.

“We don’t have the capacity, we don’t have the money, we don’t have the resources to fully participate the way we want,” said Teegee. He added it is clear the BC government has given low priority to the process, considering the government has funded a new roof on BC Place and put money into the Olympics.

Teegee noted that CSTC “fully participated” in 2006 in the Highway of Tears Symposium, which resulted in more than 30 recommendations, most of which have not been implemented.

Megan Hunt, manager of special projects and acting director for child and family services for Carrier Sekani Family Services, points to the Highway of Tears Symposium for two reasons. First, she said, it and this newest inquiry are examples of government posturing. Neither Aboriginal organizations nor Aboriginal women were consulted in how the process for the Missing Women inquiry would work, nor was either group given input into choosing the commissioner.

Secondly, because lumping the Pickton investigation and his victims from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with something as different as the murders along the highway is wrong.

“Adding the Highway of Tears is like an at-the-end add-on to the inquiry and doesn’t provide that specific issue with the time and energy it really deserves,” said Hunt, explaining why CSFS did not attend the local forum.

“The recommendations for Vancouver would probably not fit necessarily the recommendations for the northern and remote communities. There are very different needs. You can’t have a cookie cutter approach and expect that to work across the province,” said Hunt.

Art Vertlieb, commission counsel, said he has heard support for the decision to have both investigations included in the same inquiry.

“The issues that gave rise to the people who were picked off by Pickton are the same issues that give rise to problems on the Highway of Tears and that is poverty and lack of education and lack of jobs and a feeling of despair. That’s what drove many of Pickton’s victims from the rural communities to Downtown Eastside,” said Vertlieb.

Vertlieb said people who attended the forums expressed frustration with the lack of movement on recommendations that came from the Highway of Tears symposium. He wouldn’t commit to a better outcome for any new recommendations.

“We’ll do the very best job we can . . . and hopefully the force of that work will lead to change,” Vertlieb said.

Forums have taken place in Moricetown, Terrace, Kitwanga, Smithers and Hazelton and were “well-attended,” said Vertlieb. “You could tell people were interested.”

In mid-October, the commission will switch from a study commission to a hearing commission under oath when the work of the Vancouver police will be examined. The RCMP is expected to make a presentation to the commission at a later date.

The commission began its work September 2010, reading “voluminous documents,” said Vertlieb. The final report is to be delivered in December 2011.

“That’s an unlikely end date. It’s just not feasible and at some point we’ll have to talk about a new end date,” said Vertlieb.