Just days after the ninth anniversary of her murder, proposed legislation named in honour of Kimberly Proctor is back in front of the BC legislature.
Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite reintroduced the Safe Care Act or Kimberly’s Law on Wednesday.
“This legislation allows for the apprehension of vulnerable children and youth whose situation places them or others at an unacceptable level of risk,” she writes.
“And allows for their subsequent safe placement in a service that will respond to their trauma and high risk of harm.”
The act calls for treatment and counselling for any child or young person who is deemed to be at high risk of committing violent crimes or has a severe substance abuse problem.
Proctor was lured, raped and murdered by two teenagers in Langford on March 18th, 2010.
Her badly burned body was discovered the next day under a bridge off the Galloping Goose Trail in Colwood.
Three months later, Kruse Wellwood and Cameron Moffatt were arrested and charged.
They pleaded guilty at trial.
16 and 17-years-old at the time of the murder, they were sentenced as adults to life in prison with no eligibility of parole for 10-years.
Proctor’s family says both teens showed signs of violent behaviour prior to Kimberly’s murder, and have long advocated for reforms that would help prevent what happened to her from happening to another person.
“There are several indications, when they start hurting animals, hurting people, bullying, all those indications are indications of violent behaviour,” said Kimberly’s grandmother Linda Proctor on Wednesday
“And it usually escalates.”
Thornthwaite has introduced the Safe Care Act in the past but it has failed to attract sufficient support.
Kimberly’s family hope this time around will be different.
“This legislation is an important tool to prevent further tragedies by filling gaps in the current child-care system,” said Kimberly’s aunt Jo-Anne Landolt.
“We really hope that the government will pass this bill so other families won’t have to endure the pain we went through.”
Ben O'Hara
