Victoria – The Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsperson has unanimously recommended to the legislative assembly that Jay Chalke, QC, be reappointed as ombudsperson.
“Committee members were impressed by Mr. Chalke’s track record of senior executive leadership in the provincial public service and as ombudsperson since 2015, and his vision for improving service delivery and administrative fairness in the public sector,” said Janet Routledge, committee chair. “Members also appreciated his strong commitment to Indigenous reconciliation and engagement of the Province’s diverse populations.”
Bruce Banman, committee deputy chair, said, “The committee recognized Mr. Chalke’s successful work as ombudsperson, his leadership in implementing his office’s key role in the Province’s new whistleblower legislation and his demonstrated unbiased, objective approach to carrying out his responsibilities. We are confident in his ability to continue to lead the office and serve British Columbians for a further six-year term.”
The ombudsperson is a non-partisan officer of the legislature responsible for investigating individual complaints of administrative unfairness with respect to B.C.’s provincial and local public authorities, as well as generally overseeing the administrative actions of those authorities pursuant to the Ombudsperson Act. The ombudsperson is also responsible for providing advice, and receiving and investigating disclosures of wrongdoing and allegations of reprisals, pursuant to the Public Interest Disclosure Act. The appointment is for a further term of six years and will take effect on July 1, 2021.
The committee’s report is available at: https://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/ombud
The members of the committee are:
* Janet Routledge, MLA, Burnaby North (chair)
* Bruce Banman, MLA, Abbotsford South (deputy chair)
* Jagrup Brar, MLA, Surrey-Fleetwood
* Fin Donnelly, MLA, Coquitlam-Burke Mountain
* Teresa Wat, MLA, Richmond North Centre
