Premier won't commit to public inquiry in tragic death of Port Alberni boy
Despite the end of criminal court proceedings in the tragic killing of a six-year-old Port Alberni boy, there remains many unanswered questions.
Dontay Lucas died in 2018 after being returned to the care of his mother, Rykel Frank. Both Frank and Dontay’s stepfather, Mitchell Frank, were sentenced last week to 15 years in prison for manslaughter.
On Thursday, the premier was asked if he would support a public inquiry into Dontay’s death.
He did not commit to this, but promised, as he did in January, answers would be forthcoming.
“This is a horrific case, a terrible death of a child under appalling circumstances that resulted in criminal charges and convictions,” David Eby said.
“For the provinces side of this, our duty, our obligation to get answers both for policy makers on our side to make sure that the province does everything we can to prevent this from ever happening again, but also for the public so they have clarity about what went wrong and what’s being done to address those issues,” David Eby said.
The premier said the coroner is investigating Dontay’s death. The Representative for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth, is also doing a review that will include Dontay’s case. That review should be complete in July.
One of Dontay’s former foster parents, Karen Ruttan, told CTV earlier this year that child services should have done more to protect him.
At the time, Charlesworth confirmed child services had been contacted about concerns in Dontay’s home.
BC’s Minister of Children and Family Development, said in an interview with CTV News, that she is committed to finding answers.
“As minister, it’s absolutely my commitment to Dontay, to kids like Dontay, to community that six years on is still reverberating with this loss, we are doing everything in our power to learn from this situation and get it right for the kids who need us too,” Grace Lore said.
Lore also said that, “All of our ministry folks and the indigenous child and family services agencies that work across the province have responsibilities to check in on kids that are in our care.”
She said since she became minister, additional changes have been made to increase accountability and oversight.
She said she could not comment on whether anyone in the ministry had been disciplined for the failings in Dontay’s case.
Lord also said that her ministry was in the process of hiring an indigenous child welfare director who will be responsible for overseeing the safety of children in indigenous care.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940954.1719356980!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Smith tells Trudeau Alberta will opt out of federal dental plan
Alberta is opting out of the federal dental plan, the premier told the Canadian government late Tuesday afternoon.
One of Canada's most popular vehicles recalled over transmission issue; 95,000 impacted
One of the country's most popular vehicles is being recalled in Canada due to a transmission issue that may impact tens of thousands of drivers.
WikiLeaks' Assange pleads guilty in deal with U.S. that secures his freedom, ends legal fight
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that secures his liberty and concludes a drawn-out legal saga that raised divisive questions about press freedom and national security.
'We need to regroup,' says Liberal minister and Ontario campaign co-chair in light of byelection loss
A member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet and the party's Ontario co-chair for the next campaign says the Liberals 'need to regroup' after a shocking overnight byelection loss to Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives.
Pre-med students can't take MCAT in Quebec because of Bill 96
Areeba Ahmed says she's always dreamed of becoming a surgeon but her road to the operating room has become a complicated one ever since Quebec's French language law came into effect.
Protesters try to topple Queen Victoria statue near pro-Palestinian encampment in Montreal
Montreal police were called to intervene after protesters attempted to tear down the Queen Victoria statue at Victoria Square.
Cup Noodles serves up notoriously poisonous pufferfish
Pufferfish is regarded as a luxury in Japan and a meal featuring the potentially poisonous delicacy can easily cost up to 20,000 yen (US$125) at high-end restaurants.
'Truly a great British Columbian': Former B.C. premier John Horgan has cancer again
Former B.C. premier and current Canadian ambassador to Germany John Horgan has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
New experience in Halifax gets people up close and personal to the ocean's most feared predator
Atlantic Shark Expeditions launched a new shark cage experience which gives brave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the oceans most feared predator.