New leader named for B.C.’s police watchdog service

The Ministry of the Attorney General has announced a new leader for the province’s police watchdog.

It says Jessica Berglund has been appointed by Attorney General Niki Sharma to the position of chief civilian director of B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office.

The announcement comes following the retirement of Ronald J. MacDonald, who served in the role for seven years.

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The statement says Berglund is a lawyer with 21 years of experience at B.C.’s workers’ compensation agency, WorkSafeBC, where she held various legal and senior management roles, including director of occupational health and safety investigations.

It says she was also president of the board of directors of Pathways Clubhouse, a mental health organization in Richmond, B.C., from 2016 to 2022.

The statement says Berglund, who hails from Merritt, also served on the board of the Lawyers Assistance Program from 2006 until 2012.