P.E.I. names first-ever ombudsperson

Prince Edward Island's first-ever ombudsperson was namedThursday in the provincial legislature.

Sandy Hermiston hasbeen working as the ombudsperson for the Cayman Islands since 2017.Before that, she was at the office of the Alberta Ombudsman and Public Interest Commissioner.

Simply put, anombudsperson handles complaints bycitizens against government. P.E.I. is the last province to name an ombudsperson.

This past spring, legislation to create the officepassedin the P.E.I. legislature.

Herb Dickieson, the only New Democrat ever elected to the P.E.I. legislature, introduced a bill to create an ombudsman in 1998 but that was defeated by the PC government of Pat Binns.

The Liberals promised to create the position under Robert Ghiz in the lead-up to the 2007 election, but didn't follow through after they won.

Both the PCs and the Greens included an ombudsman in their 2019 campaign platforms.

In her new position on P.E.I., Hermiston will also be responsible for overseeing the province's whistleblower act.

Hermiston will take up her new job Feb. 14, 2022.

MLAsdealing withthe hiring process said the province received 24 applicationsfor the job during a public competition.