Front Burner

B.C. admits harm in multimillion-dollar settlement for victims of disgraced social worker

Today on Front Burner, CBC’s Jason Proctor reports on a former British Columbia social worker who is accused of stealing from some of the province's most vulnerable foster children.
Robert Riley Saunders, convicted in 2022 to five years in prison for defrauding children under B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Family Development care, has been granted full parole.
Robert Riley Saunders is being sued as part of a proposed class action lawsuit which claims the social worker stole money from vulnerable First Nations teens. (Facebook)

While Robert Riley Saunders worked as a social worker in British Columbia, he was supposed to provide care and guardianship to some of the province's most vulnerable foster children. Instead, he is alleged to have stolen from them, leaving many to fend for themselves. Now, the B.C. government has reached a proposed multimillion-dollar settlement for more than 100 of his former clients, admitting to the harm done by their ex-employee. 

Today, CBC reporter Jason Proctor walks us through the extraordinary case, and how it reveals cracks in a system that is supposed to keep young people safe.