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Criminal record checks needed

I am writing in support of the proposed bylaw that will enforce mandatory background checks on volunteers helping out with children. For several years this has been debated as a policy in many organizations. In minor hockey it was implemented. In local public schools, surprisingly, it has not been implemented, which I have lobbied local principals at Poirier for. In New Brunswick it was implemented as Policy 701, here is the link. http://www.gnb.ca/0000/policies.asp

It’s about time local residents came out of the dark ages and took their heads out of the sand. This is a smart move that will help prevent known threats from getting close to innocent children who depend on adults to help nurture and care for them as they develop into young healthy adults. Every client I work for demands these types of background checks and sometimes much, much more such as financial background and sometimes these character validations extend back five or more years and include independent verification.

It’s my opinion this is not optional and should be implemented not just in Girl Guides but also schools.

Mark Bernard

Sooke