VANCOUVER – The final report from the inquiry into serial killer Robert Pickton will be released to the public in a week and a half, but it will likely do little to calm the controversy that has overshadowed the process.

Ernie Crey, whose sister Dawn’s DNA was found on Pickton’s farm, has received a letter from B.C. Attorney General Shirley Bond that says the report will be released on Dec. 17.

Commissioner Wally Oppal heard months of testimony about why the Vancouver police and the RCMP failed to catch Pickton as he spent years murdering sex workers from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Oppal handed in his 1,448-page report last month, providing a detailed account of what happened and making recommendations to prevent history from repeating itself.

The inquiry has faced criticism since its inception, with opponents saying the terms of reference were too narrow and the hearings were cut short before all of the evidence was heard.

Last month, a number of advocacy groups who boycotted the hearings dismissed the report as flawed before it was even handed over to the government.