The Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering wants to hear from residents across the province, including Richmond.
The commission was established in May by B.C. Premier John Horgan to investigate money laundering in the province.
The commission is holding five public meetings across B.C., with one scheduled to take place in Richmond on Nov. 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hilton Vancouver Airport.
“These public events will provide British Columbians from different parts of the province with the ability to identify areas that they would like the commission to focus on or to include in the process,” reads the press release.
Members of the public can register to give a presentation, limited to a maximum of 10 minutes, at one of the public meetings. Those who can’t attend, but want to provide information, can email [email protected]
In particular, the public inquiry wants to hear about the most significant laundering issues and its consequences in each community, how the commission should focus its mandate, steps the commission should take to address laundering and how community members can participate in the process.
Under its mandate, the commission is tasked to investigate the extent, growth, evolution and methods of money laundering in the province, and what economic sectors are impacted.
The commission is also to investigate what regulatory agencies or bodies may have omitted information that contributed to money laundering, and what barriers have prevented law enforcement agencies from effectively cracking down on money laundering.
Last month, the commission released a list pf 16 organizations that will be given official standing once the hearings begin.
These include the Law Society of B.C., the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. B.C.’s Ministry of Finance and the Government of Canada are also named in that list.
The inquiry, led by Commissioner Austin Cullen, is expected to deliver a final report in May 2021.
The public meetings will take place as follows (all meetings will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.):
Vancouver: Oct. 23, 2019
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
900 West Georgia Street, Vancouver B.C.
Kelowna: Oct. 29, 2019
Best Western Plus
2402 Highway 97N, Kelowna B.C.
Victoria: Nov. 4, 2019
Marriot Hotel Victoria Inner Harbour
728 Humboldt Streeet, Victoria B.C.
Richmond: Nov. 7, 2019
Hilton Vancouver Airport
5911 Minoru Boulevard, Richmond B.C.
Prince George: Nov. 14, 2019
Ramada Plaza
444 George Street
Prince George, B.C.
