After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

Bernard Richard

Former New Brunswick youth advocate, politician, picked as B.C.'s new child rep

A former New Brunswick politician and the province's first child advocate is British Columbia's acting representative for children and youth and is slated to assume the post full-time by early next...
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

B.C. children's rep Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond issues to-do list on departure

The woman who has been watching out for British Columbia's children and youth for the last decade used her final report to urge the province to be accountable and focus on children. Mary Ellen Turpel...
B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

Aboriginal girls most at risk of sexual violence in care: B.C. representative

Aboriginal girls are the victims of sexual violence more than twice as often as other girls in care of the British Columbia government, a "disturbing" new report finds. The report from the province's...
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

B.C. ministry to expand Metis commission's role amid high-profile toddler case

British Columbia will expand the role of its Metis representative in the child welfare system, amid criticism of the province's plan to adopt a Metis toddler to non-aboriginal parents in Ontario. A...

B.C.'s child watchdog asks Attorney General to intervene in Metis toddler case

British Columbia's representative for children and youth is urging the province's attorney general to intervene in the case of a Metis toddler being adopted to non-aboriginal parents in Ontario. Mary...

Flawed Integrated Case Management system putting vulnerable BC youth at risk, says advocate

A costly child welfare information system developed in 2008 by the BC government is endangering vulnerable youth in BC because of serious flaws, according to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, BC's...

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, B.C.’s outspoken advocate for children

In 2005, the B.C. child welfare system was in crisis, and the public was demanding change. The violent death of a child in foster care had exposed failings in the investigative process and left the...

Empowering First Nations

BC has a wealth of raw aboriginal talent that needs help in tooling up for the economy of the 21st century. Let's just do it.