Children’s Ministry refuses to compensate youth it misinformed: B.C. Ombudsperson

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s government is refusing to pay a young woman for its own mistakes and the provincial ombudsperson says she may not be the only one harmed. 

Jay Chalke says the Ministry of Children and Family Development gave the woman incorrect information, leading her to believe she was eligible for government support for post-secondary education worth tens of thousands of dollars. 

Chalk’s report says the ministry doesn’t accept responsibility, nor will it compensate her and it also won’t look to see if others have been similarly affected. 

The report has five recommendations to the B.C. government, including paying the woman for the full value of the tuition, cost of living and health care supports she was told she would receive.