The chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is stepping down.
Ronald J. MacDonald took charge of the agency, which investigates all police interactions in the province that lead to severe injury or death, in 2017. He announced his intention to retire last year and will step down on Wednesday.
“Ron is looking forward to returning to his home province [Nova Scotia] to be closer to family,” said a spokesperson for the IIO. He plans to use his legal background and lengthy experience in the criminal justice system in his future endeavours, which will be both professional and creative.
In just under seven years on the job, MacDonald oversaw just under 1,200 investigations.
Sandra Hentzen has been appointed the interim chief civilian director of the IIO. Hentzen is a former human resources professional who previously worked for TransLink and has served as the IIO’s chief operating officer since 2018.
In a statement Monday, MacDonald said serving as head of the IIO has been “a privilege, and is an outstanding way to conclude my 39-year career in the justice sector.”
He called Jentzen “an exceptionally strong people leader and mentor, and she has demonstrated qualities essential for the [director’s role], including courage and collaboration, which make her well-suited to maintaining the public’s trust.”
MacDonald, a practising lawyer since 1985, came to B.C. from Nova Scotia, where he served in a similar role for six years. He was a Crown attorney there for 17 years and also worked as a policy adviser for the Nova Scotia Department of Justice for several years.
He has also been president of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Canadian Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, where he continues to serve as vice-president.
