Alison Leaney has been a formidable advocate and public educator for the prevention of abuse, neglect and self-neglect of vulnerable adults for over three decades. Her passion and dedication are as fresh as the day she joined the Public Guardian and Trustee of BC (PGT), where she helped turn a small pilot program into a province-wide organization we now call the BC CRN.
How It Started
In the early 1990s, the Public Trustee, as the office was then known, created a planning group to implement BC’s adult guardianship legislation. Alison arrived just as a pilot project was getting started in five selected communities to develop what became known as Community Response Networks (CRNs). The coordinators of these first CRNs were each given a vision, a small grant and a few guiding principles to form networks to prevent adult abuse, neglect and self-neglect.
When Alison Leaney first joined the PGT, she had been working on the frontlines as a registered social worker for 13 years, caring for individuals impacted by domestic violence, complex medical issues and experiences in the criminal justice system. She wanted to find a way to impact more people positively and was seeking opportunities to help affect changes in legislation. Alison eagerly joined the Adult Guardianship Implementation Project Team under the leadership of Linda Derkach, alongside Dr. Tam Lundy, Dr. Rob Gordon, and many planning group members.
As the program grew, Alison collaborated with the team and community members to develop toolkits to share with new coordinators. She then spent much of her time travelling throughout the province to help educate more communities about the CRN mandate. Through the efforts of many staff, volunteers and responsive community partners, over 60 CRNs were formed across the province by the early 2000s.
Eventually, implementation for the project was nearing its end, but the members involved knew that the work needed to continue. Efforts began to officially form a non-profit organization. Alison helped establish a board of directors with Linda Derkach as the first chair and led many fundraising efforts to support the new charitable organization.
In 2003, Alison became the founding half-time executive director, with Heather von Ilberg, Kathy Doerksen, Yvonne Kennedy, Heather Archer and April Struthers becoming the organization’s first CRN mentors team. Reflecting on those pioneering days, Alison quickly adds that despite the difficult subject matter, long hours and hard work, “it was a lot of fun. We were a small but mighty team! In the early days of the BC CRN, we didn’t have a lot of money, but we had each other.”
Advocating to Prevent Abuse
Besides her pioneering role with BC CRN, Alison has passionately advocated for support and assistance to adults in vulnerable circumstances through various roles. During her time as chair of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA), she met Margaret McPherson, the innovator of the “Neighbours, Friends and Families” bystander approach in responding to domestic violence. Alison recognized the application of Margaret’s work to what BC CRN was doing and connected her to CNPEA. They provided input to develop the program into an initiative for older adults in vulnerable circumstances, now known as “It’s Not Right. Neighbours, Friends and Families” (INR). Alison went on to work with Margaret as a national trainer to roll out the INR initiative throughout Canada. This program was later adopted into BC CRN’s core training.
Alison is currently the full-time Director of Adult Guardianship and Community Engagement in Services to Adults at the Public Guardian and Trustee of BC. Within that capacity, she serves as co-chair of the Financial Abuse Investigators Action Group for the Council to Reduce Elder Abuse (CREA) with Detective Anna Grigoletto of the Vancouver Police Financial Crimes Unit. Through that initiative, efforts are made to build strong collaborative relationships among diverse financial abuse investigators with various mandates. The action group hosts regular meetings and events such as the recent conference held in Langley.
What’s Next
Alison is set to officially retire from the PGT near the end of March 2025. As she looks back on her early involvement with BC CRN, she feels deep gratitude for having been involved with founding the organization. She could “thank each and every one of the very special people I met throughout BC who showed me that there are many people who care about others and step up every day, both at work and in their personal lives. It’s because of each of these folks that I have been involved for so long, nearly 30 years. My work with the BC CRN and the PGT has been very fulfilling, a privilege really. My work has always been much more to me than a job.”
Alison intends to treat this as a new beginning, spending more time with family and friends and working on her bucket list. Given her passion for social justice, It’s not likely that Alison will completely put down the baton on advocating for issues closest to her heart: the rights of adults in vulnerable circumstances and environmental change. Though she has no immediate plans, she is open to new opportunities as long as they fit her new goals. “Given the state of the planet today, I hope to return to supporting communities in some capacity,” Alison says. “ I think we have learned that regardless of what else is happening, no one can take away our strong relationships with one another.”
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Explore our website to learn more about BC CRN or connect with your local CRN for more information or resources.
