Paul and Zabeth Bayne – Part 13 – The Bayne Campaign for Justice

Ombudsman / BC's Independent Voice for Fairness

Our Province has an Ombudsman. With respect the case of Zabeth and Paul Bayne and their three children now in foster care and in custody of the MCFD, I am back to this important matter of fairness. I called it justice in an earlier post. Fairness works for me to. In order to adjudicate fairness, our province wisely, has established a BC Ombudsman’s Office.
http://www.ombud.gov.bc.ca/

Here are the welcoming words on the welcome page of the website. “If you think a provincial government ministry or public agency has treated you unfairly, we may be able to help.
The Office of the Ombudsman receives enquiries and complaints about the practices and services of public agencies within its jurisdiction. Our role is to impartially investigate these complaints to determine whether public agencies have acted fairly and reasonably, and whether their actions and decisions were consistent with relevant legislation, policies and procedures. Our services are provided free of charge.

There are some key words in that paragraph for the Baynes, some being “impartially investigate” and “free of charge.” Baynes are in desperate need of objective eyes committed to reviewing every detail of their family life crisis. Lawyers’ fees to date have consumed their asset in their home and they have nothing left.
If there was ever a hopeful sound for the Baynes it is the following...

The website promises that the B.C. Ombudsman is an officer of the provincial legislature yet independent of government and political parties and is responsible for making sure that the administrative practices and services of public agencies are fair, reasonable, appropriate and equitable.

Kim Carter is Ombudsman for the Province of British Columbia.
Kim Carter is highly qualified for this appointment. I would enjoy meeting her. She sounds like a remarkable and interesting person. Kim Carter has a broad background in criminal, international and administrative law. She has appeared as counsel before the Federal Court of Canada, the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada. She has worked in Canada and overseas in many capacities including as leader of the Canadian War Crimes Investigation Team responsible for conducting on-site war crimes investigations in the Former Republics of Yugoslavia for the United Nations Commission of Experts in 1993. She was also a member of the Canadian Delegation during negotiating sessions for the International Criminal Court in New York. She attended Glendon College at York University for an undergraduate degree; received her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1979 and completed her Master’s of Law at the University of Ottawa in 2005. Kim served as a member of the Canadian Forces Reserves from 1975 to 1981 as a logistics officer. After her call to the bar in Ontario she transferred to the regular force as a legal officer. In addition to providing legal advice on a wide range of administrative issues, she acted variously as defence counsel, prosecutor and appellate counsel. She was the Director of International Law for the Canadian Forces from 1991 to 1995 and acted as Senior Canadian Forces Counsel during the Somalia Commission of Inquiry. In 1999 then Colonel Carter was appointed the first independent Director of Military Prosecutions for the Canadian Forces. In 2001 she was appointed by Governor-in-Council as a military judge and in 2002 became Canada’s first female Chief Military Judge until her retirement from the Canadian Forces in 2006. She was appointed Ombudsman for the Province of British Columbia on May 15, 2006 for a six year term.