Read the letter from B.C.’s Chief Coroner to CLBC CEO Ross Chilton here. (June 4, 2025)
Below is a plain language version of CLBC’s response to the Coroner’s Inquest recommendations. (June 13, 2025)
What happened?
A person named Florence Girard passed away in 2018 while living in a home sharing arrangement supported by CLBC. This was very sad, and we honour Florence and her life.
After Florence’s passing, CLBC made changes to strengthen accountability and safety, for example:
- Now, agencies conduct home visits every three months.
- People receiving CLBC-funded home sharing services must have health-care planning and doctor visits at least once a year.
- We’ve introduced improved monitoring and oversight tracking systems, and hired more staff to monitor outcomes and concerns.
- We’ve significantly improved training, standards and policies for home sharing providers, including better critical incident tracking.
Then this year the BC Coroner held a special meeting called an inquest. This inquest looked at what happened and made recommendations to CLBC to help keep people safer in the future.
What is CLBC doing?
CLBC is taking these recommendations very seriously. We want to make home sharing better, safer, and more person-centred. Here is what we are doing this year:
1. CLBC has written a detailed response to the Coroner’s recommendations. Key points are:
- We have a new computer system to manage information about people who get services.
- We gave the people who help oversee the work of home share providers a 10% raise to help recruit and keep people in these positions.
- We have a new pilot program to do more unannounced visits to home share providers.
- We are looking at how to do more training for home share providers.
The inquest said CLBC should increase the amount home share providers are paid, and that is being looked at. We are also:
- Working to improve home sharing by looking at how to make services more efficient (work better and faster).
- We will also look at how to improve people’s quality of life.
2. CLBC is working closely with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. They are doing a review focused on safety.
3. A group of people with lived experience, families, service providers, and experts will help guide this work. This group is called the external advisory committee.
What does CLBC believe?
CLBC believes that:
- People with developmental disabilities have the right to make their own choices, live with dignity, and be included in their communities.
- We do not refer to people as being “in care.” Instead, we say people are receiving support to live their lives.
What else is important?
- CLBC supports bringing back the Provincial Medical Consultant, who helps give expert medical advice for people who need services.
- We also support more help from Health Services for Community Living to improve health care and hospital discharges.
- CLBC’s budget is set by the government. We are legally required to keep our budget balanced.
- Over 93% of our funding goes directly to services for individuals.
- If we want to add new services or increase payments, we must either move money from existing services or ask the government for more.
What will happen next?
We will continue to:
- Listen to individuals, families, and providers.
- Improve training, safety, and oversight of home sharing.
- Work with partners to make changes based on the Coroner’s recommendations.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who took part in the inquest. CLBC is committed to building a stronger, safer system for everyone.