VICTORIA -- Doug Keefe, former Nova Scotia deputy attorney general, and John Furlong, former head of VANOC, will co-chair the independent review of the planning and activities before Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final, and the violence that followed.

Both co-chairs bring different but complementary sets of skills and experience. The combination of an out-of-province perspective and local knowledge will help ensure the review will achieve its terms of reference by Aug. 31.

Doug Keefe, QC, has led a number of high-profile commissions, investigations and task forces in Nova Scotia. Keefe established the inquiry into the 1992 Westray Mine disaster, in which 26 miners died as the result of a methane explosion, and oversaw the Nova Scotia government's participation in the inquiry and response. He also played a key role in support of Nova Scotia's chief medical examiner immediately following the Swissair Flight 111 crash of 1998, in which all 229 aboard died.

Keefe spent nearly 30 years with the Government of Nova Scotia, including seven years as deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general and eight years as executive director of legal services and victim services. In these roles, he helped to lead consultations and negotiations with a wide range of stakeholders, with interests ranging from Aboriginal hunting to offshore petroleum agreements.

John Furlong, OC, OBC, led the Vancouver 2010 Bid Committee from 2001-04, then served as president and CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). This work required significant co-ordination of government agencies, including police forces and security agencies, to stage large, safe public events and celebrations. In 2010, Furlong became an Officer of the Order of Canada and received the Order of B.C.

The Province, City of Vancouver and Vancouver Police Department are committed to fully co-operating with Keefe and Furlong toward the timely completion of their review. As announced June 20, they will report out to the Province, City and Vancouver Police Board by Aug. 31, 2011. The report will be made public.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is providing the review team with office space and administrative support. The ministry is also working to identify technical experts in police operations and crowd management that the co-chairs may wish to access in support of their review. The ministry has also begun to provide Keefe and Furlong with background materials to ensure they have all the tools and support necessary to begin work immediately.

Further to the general details of the review's scope released earlier, the Province, City and Police Board today released the full terms of reference for the review. These are attached.

Learn More:

• View the June 20 joint news release announcing the scope of the independent review: http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2011PSSG0079-000752.htm

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
250 356-6961

City of Vancouver
Corporate Communications
604 871-6336
media@vancouver.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Riot Review Terms of Reference

The Premier, Solicitor General, Mayor and Vancouver Police Board Chair, and the Chief Constable committed to the citizens, residents and the businesses of Vancouver that the experience of the riot following the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, June 15, will be subject to a rigorous and independent review.

The Premier and Mayor also agreed that this unfortunate event involved more than just Vancouver and that the learnings will be important for all communities in the province.

The public and business sector from Vancouver and beyond have been clear since the event. They know that the events that unfolded were unacceptable, put the public at risk, damaged public and private property and impacted the City's reputation. However, they don't believe that what happened represents the vision and values of the City of Vancouver and British Columbians should not shy away from the opportunities of celebration in their public spaces.

Several changes have been made in Vancouver's public safety infrastructure and processes in response to the Police Commission Report on the 1994 Stanley Cup riot. These have allowed the public to safely enjoy numerous very large events in public space over the last few years - the Celebration of Light, the Olympic experience and the first six days of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals being important examples. However, further changes may be necessary in light of the June 15 experience and a multi-sectoral approach is required.

There is global expertise in Vancouver and other jurisdictions on managing major events, which needs to be tapped to ensure we continue to integrate emerging best practices in crowd management, policing, public safety and transportation management into major event planning. Predicting the behaviour of crowds of people in different gatherings is an area of science and the latest information should be considered in our review, including strategies to address the presence of criminal elements that purposely plan to disrupt public events.

We have asked John Furlong, OC, OBC, and Douglas Keefe, QC, to undertake an Independent Review with a report made public to City Council, the Police Board and the Solicitor General by Aug. 31, 2011.

The scope of the Independent Review will be focused on the following four areas:

1. The learnings from the 1994 riot and how were they integrated into our planning for this event.

2. The foundational elements of the VPD/city plans for the event and the relationship of those plans to what transpired in the lead-up and during the riots.

3. The availability of liquor at public events and the contribution this made to the events that unfolded.

4. Looking forward, a framework for how the City of Vancouver and the VPD work with the appropriate partners to optimize the safe, inclusive and enjoyable participation of our public in celebrations in the public spaces for which our City is world-renowned.

The review will be based on the assumption that Vancouver will continue to be a city that wants to continue to experience the full use of our vibrant public spaces to celebrate safely and responsibly.