New chief civilian director appointed to B.C.'s police watchdog
Jessica Berglund is a lawyer with 21 years of experience at WorkSafeBC
The Ministry of the Attorney General has announced a new leader for the province's police watchdog.
It says Jessica Berglund has been appointed to the position of chief civilian director of B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) by Attorney General Niki Sharma.
The announcement follows the retirement of Ronald J. MacDonald, who served in the role for seven years.
The statement says Berglund is a lawyer with 21 years of experience at B.C.'s workers' compensation agency, WorkSafeBC, where she held various legal and senior management roles, including director of occupational health and safety investigations.
It says she was also president of the board of directors of Pathways Clubhouse, a mental health organization in Richmond, B.C., from 2016 to 2022.
The statement says the Merritt, B.C., native also served as a member of the board of the Lawyers Assistance Program from 2006 until 2012.
The IIO was created in 2012 after the Braidwood Inquiry into the police-involved death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport in 2007, with the inquiry into the death of Frank Paul also being a key factor in the agency's creation.
While the IIO is responsible for investigating police-related incidents resulting in death or serious harm, the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) decides whether it will bring officers' cases before a judge.
When MacDonald announced his retirement this spring, he told CBC News he was concerned about low charge approval rates against officers investigated by the IIO. The IIO has faced criticism for not having the capacity to hold officers accountable.
With files from CBC News