Regarding "B.C. denies funding for sex workers, aboriginal groups at Pickton inquiry," May 25, 2011: Wally Oppal, who is heading the Pickton inquiry, has recommended that the B.C. government provide legal funding to groups representing aboriginals, sex workers, and residents of the Downtown East Side who wish to participate in the inquiry.
However, the B.C. government has denied funding to these groups.
Attorney General Barry Penner explained in a written statement that the government is not obligated to provide such funding for participants in public inquiries: "These continue to be challenging economic times, and there are limits to how many millions of taxpayer dollars we can provide to lawyers representing advocacy groups."
It is hard to accept this explanation in light of the B.C. government's recent decision to use millions of taxpayer dollars to pay legal bills for David Basi and Bobby Virk, the two former government aides who pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the BC Rail corruption trial.
Furthermore, investigation by the media discovered that Basi and Virk would not be forced to liquidate their not inconsiderable personal assets to defray their legal costs.
Let me get this straight: the B.C. government is willing to pay $6 million to cover the legal bills of two people convicted of corruption and bribery, but is not willing to cover the legal bills for aboriginal people, sex workers, and residents of the Downtown East Side so that we can work toward preventing further violence against marginalized people.
Melinda Worfolk
Prince George
