The B.C. government says families of missing and murdered women will receive funding for legal fees so they can participate in a public inquiry linked to serial killer Robert Pickton.
Earlier this month, inquiry commissioner Wally Oppal recommended the province provide funding to 13 applicants who requested financial assistance to participate in the inquiry scheduled to start in mid-June.
The Attorney General's Ministry says the funding is consistent with past practice.
Ten groups will have standing at the inquiry that will look specifically at the police investigations of women reported missing from the Downtown Eastside between Jan. 23, 1997 and Feb. 5, 2002.
The ministry says all groups can also take part in the study commission, which doesn't require legal representation and will look at the broader issues involved in the disappearances of the women in Vancouver and other areas in the province.
The two-part inquiry will take place in northern B.C. and Vancouver and Oppal is expected to report to the government by the end of the year.
