British Columbia’s ombudsman will release a report today looking at issues surrounding the firings of eight government health workers almost five years ago.
Jay Chalke was asked by the provincial government to investigate following persistent calls from the Opposition NDP and the dismissed employees for a public inquiry into the case.
The workers were part of a drug-research program in 2012 when they lost their jobs amid allegations of inappropriate and potentially criminal conduct.
One of the researchers, co-op student Roderick MacIsaac, later took his own life.
READ MORE: Government apologizes to Roderick MacIssac’s family
A 2014 government report concluded that an investigation that led to the firings was flawed from the start and media reports later showed the RCMP never examined the allegations against the researchers.
The province has apologized to MacIsaac’s family and reached out-of-court settlements with many of the workers or their families.