Premier under fire for comments in teen’s death
Premier Christy Clark is facing mounting criticism for accusing an aboriginal agency of making a “real mistake” in the death of a young man in government care who plunged from an Abbotsford hotel window.
The agency, First Nations leaders and the provincial children’s representative all decried the premier’s comments, which she made while a review of the death is still underway.
“We’re walking through fire here and we need to walk through it together,” said Gwen Point, board chairwoman of the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society.
“You can’t turn around and blame somebody for something. Everybody’s got to take responsibility.”
The premier told reporters on Friday the agency violated policy when it didn’t tell the Children’s Ministry that 18-year-old Alex Gervais was being housed alone in the hotel.
While Clark added there shouldn’t be a rush to judgment until all the facts are known, she said the agency’s “mistake” had tragic outcomes and promised it would face consequences.
The teen fell from a fourthfloor window on Sept. 18. Children’s representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said the province bears responsibility for handing off Gervais to an underfunded agency after it closed his group home for health and safety reasons.
Clark is expected to face questioning on the issue from the opposition New Democrats in the legislature on Wednesday.