Death highlights need to support older teens: children’s watchdog

SURREY, B.C. – British Columbia’s new representative for children and youth says the government needs to offer more support for teenagers who are moving out of provincial care because of their age.

Bernard Richard says the latest case his office investigated involving the death of a 19-year-old aboriginal woman in Surrey shows the need for change.

Richard says she was found dead inside a tent in an area frequented by homeless people.

Autopsy and toxicology reports are required to confirm a cause of death.

He says the latest file has many similarities to the case of an 18-year-old who died after plunging from a motel window in Abbotsford while staying there, unsupervised and alone.

Richard was appointed the representative for children and youth last month after holding a similar position in New Brunswick. (CKNW)