Wally Oppal is setting up community forums to hear from family and friends of British Columbia's missing and murdered women before holding official commission of inquiry hearings.
After a barrage of criticism over his appointment as commission head, Mr. Oppal is asking his critics how they would like him to do his job.
The first community meeting is slated for Dec. 6 at the Vancouver Japanese Language School on the edge of the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, from which dozens of women have gone missing. The door will be open to anyone who wants to talk to Mr. Oppal.
"We want to give people the chance to tell the commissioner what they feel is important about the missing women's investigation," commission counsel Art Vertlieb said on Tuesday in an interview.
"It's a way of just making sure that the inquiry's terms of reference are clearly understood, and to have the commissioner make sure he understands what needs to be looked at," he said.
Mr. Vertlieb said he does not know who will show up. "Could be nobody, could be lots of people. It is hard to know," he said.
Mr. Oppal was appointed last month to look into the police investigations of the disappearances and murders of the women and why serial killer Robert Pickton was not charged after an incident in 1997.
The official hearings will be restricted to those who have standing recognized by Mr. Oppal. Those who wish to apply for standing must submit a written application by the end of November. "You have to show you have a contribution to make to help the commission do its work. It is not just saying you'd like to be there because you'd like to be there. You have to say how you will help the commission fulfill its mandate," Mr. Vertlieb said.
Mr. Oppal is also planning to hold a forum in Prince George, but a date has not been confirmed. The official hearings will begin later next year.
Mr. Oppal, who was not available for an interview on Tuesday, stated in a news release that he would use the forums to describe the role of the commission, clarify its terms of reference and seek community input on procedural matters. He hoped to encourage feedback on what could be covered by his mandate and find ways to deal with issues that were outside the scope of his work, he said.