Our Team

First of all, I am delighted and honored to have been appointed as the first independent Child and Youth Advocate for Prince Edward Island. More importantly, this is an historic and momentous occasion for Islander children and youth, who for the first time have an independent office dedicated to advancing their rights, interests and viewpoints.

I am passionate about child advocacy. It isn’t just a job to me. It is a lifestyle and a driving force in my life. I also have a strong sense of social justice and believe that we can all be agents of positive social change if we are optimistic, principled and prepared to speak out where we see unfairness or discrimination in any shape or form, particularly where it affects our most vulnerable and marginalized youngest citizens.

I am a lawyer by profession with decades of professional experience, having served in a variety of roles over the course of my career. This has provided me with the opportunity to advocate for improved government services to children and youth in many different provinces and territories, as well as at the federal level. I have worked both within and outside of the public sector and am able to view the impacts upon children and youth through different lenses and through the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

During my time as the Children’s Advocate for Saskatchewan, I had one of the broadest mandates in the country. My Office engaged in individual and systemic advocacy, individual and systemic investigations (including child deaths and serious injuries), early complaints resolution, public education and research, monitoring and recommendation tracking, and placed a strong reliance on amplifying and promoting the voices of children and youth. I also advocated for more equitable funding and services to Indigenous children and youth and actively opposed the over-representation of Indigenous children in child welfare care and in the youth criminal justice system.

It is important for young people to see my Office as one that empowers them and reduces stigma. It is part of my Office’s responsibility to raise public awareness and see children and youth as individuals with human rights and voices to be heard. This means that we state clearly that young people cannot be reduced to categories of offenders, victims or the property of others and cannot be defined by their experience of past adversity. They are individuals who are full of promise and potential capable of writing their own successful life story.

I am a substantial sports fan too! Just a few summers ago, I was actually in Toronto on a hot and jovial day when the Raptors were celebrating with a parade for becoming the NBA Champions! It was a day when millions of people filled the streets.  I was pleased to share the experience with my wife, son, and son-in-law, who all joined in. I found that the Raptors playoff run and win took the country by storm, bonded our diverse community, and gave us a shared goal - a rallying point. One of my other favourite sports experiences was being in the stadium for ALL of the Blue Jays World Series games in the early 1990s. Now THAT was a thrill! I firmly believe we all need the Right to Play and Recreation! It brings us together and brings us joy in our lives.

Also available, Marvin M. Bernstein, formal professional biography.  
 

As Director of Advocacy Services, I work with the Child and Youth Advocate to ensure the mandate of the Child and Youth Advocate Act is delivered. Previously I held the role of Individual Advocacy Representative, which provided a foundation for understanding the lived experiences of children and youth in PEI and the barriers they face in accessing their rights as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

My interest in children’s rights and the enactment of the UNCRC has directed much of my professional work and study. During my career in education, spanning over thirty years, I held roles in the UK as Primary School  Teacher, Early Years Advisor, and most recently Teacher Educator and Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Brighton. My professional areas of expertise are early childhood education, inclusion, and rights-based education. In 2021 I successfully completed my Professional Doctorate in Education. My thesis researched the participation rights of babies and toddlers in early childhood education and care centers. Findings highlighted the interdependence of protection and participation rights, and the importance of attuned, responsive care giving that prioritizes opportunities for the voices of the youngest children to be heard and acted upon.

I am co-author of the Amnesty International First Steps resource pack, supporting educators to introduce rights to children aged 3-5. I am a contributing author to Integrated Working with Children and Young People (edited by Dr Nadia Edmond and Dr Mark Price), The Theory and Practice of Voice in Early Childhood: An International Exploration (edited by Dr Lorna Arnott and Prof. Kate Wall) and Children’s Voice and Agency in Diverse Settings: International Research and Perspectives (edited by Mhairi Beaton, Anne Burke, Pigga Keskitalo and Tuija Turunen).

I bring my passion for social justice, inclusive practices and the honoring of children’s rights to my role as Director of Advocacy Services and a commitment to serving the children of Prince Edward Island with the highest level of respect they deserve.
 

As an Investigation/ Research Representative with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, I have responsibility for child and youth serious injury or death reviews and investigations, and as appropriate, conduct research to inform recommendations for the prevention of future child and youth serious injuries or deaths. All child and youth serious injury reviews and investigations involving reviewable services are informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and guided by principles of respect, integrity, collaboration and balance.

I was born in Saskatchewan and grew up in Alberta before moving to Nova Scotia and now Prince Edward Island. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Alberta and later a Master of Arts in Sociology from Dalhousie University.

I took a round-about path to my role, as I worked in epidemiological and health care research for five years after graduating. This experience gave me the opportunity to hone a variety of research skills and methodologies. It also showed me the importance of conducting research that is both rigorous and guided by social justice values. In particular, my experience with implementing a screening program for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections showed me that research can have a material, positive impact for individuals and vulnerable populations.

I am honoured to work in the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, to be guided by the interests of children and youth, and to do research through a child rights lens to concretely benefit PEI children and youth.
 

In my role as an Advocacy Representative with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA), I provide individual advocacy to children and youth ages newborn to eighteen years. Individual advocacy includes a range of voluntary support depending on the needs of an individual child, youth and their family or a group of children and youth. Individual advocacy can include education on children’s rights, navigational support to government and community resources, information on reviewable service complaint mechanisms and providing support directly to children and youth receiving, or eligible to receive, a reviewable service. 

I grew up in Stratford, Prince Edward Island, with my two older brothers, my younger sister, my father who is a retired principal and my mother who is a retired teacher. I now live in Charlottetown with my husband, three young children and two pug-mix puppies.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree with the Psychology Honours program I knew I wanted a career helping people, but I was unsure of my next steps. I began work at a community care facility and found a passion providing nursing care. I was fortunate to be accepted into one of the first cohorts of the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Prince Edward Island. I spent the first part of my nursing career as a critical care nurse working in an intensive care unit, and these years built the foundation of my work ethic, first and foremost by providing patient and family centered care through active listening and open communication.

I later transitioned to public health nursing, providing outreach and treatment to members of a vulnerable population who face adversity due to poverty, lack of social support and education. The ‘go-to-you’ service delivery approach reflects accessible healthcare, health equity and strives for all people to be participants in their own health care decision-making.

Since joining the OCYA team I have completed the Master of Nursing Degree program from Dalhousie University, which strengthened my knowledge on children’s human rights as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. My passion for accessible service delivery, open communication, and informed decision-making now holds a child’s rights lens. It is a privilege to be part of a team that protects the rights of children and youth, by empowering their voice and ensuring they are fully informed when decisions concerning their well-being are being made.
 

In my role as an Advocacy Representative with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA), I provide individual advocacy to children and youth ages newborn to eighteen years. Individual advocacy includes a range of voluntary support depending on the needs of an individual child, youth and their family or a group of children and youth. Individual advocacy can include education on children's rights, navigational support to government and community resources, information on reviewable service complaint mechanisms and providing support directly to children and youth receiving, or eligible to receive, a reviewable service. 

I was born in Nova Scotia and moved to Ontario when I was very young. I grew up in Ontario, initially attending university in Manitoba before moving to British Columbia. For the next 15 years I went to school, lived, worked and became a parent in British Columbia before returning with my family to Ontario in 2010. I am welcoming a new chapter in my life and a new province, I am excited to be now calling PEl home. I completed a Childhood education Certificate from North Island College and a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care, with a child protection focus, from the University of Victoria, both in British Columbia. I spent more than 10 years in the early child education field in British Columbia and the past 13 years working in child protection in Ontario. 
 I have a keen awareness of the long-term impact of childhood opportunities, environments, and experience. I have also had the privilege of promoting and protecting the rights of children and youth and supporting their navigation of systems and barriers to service. As an ally for children, youth and families I am passionate about the critical need to invest a variety of resources to change the trajectory for a child or youth and support their healthy and positive outcome. 

I see my role in the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate as an exciting opportunity to use my education, experience and skills to come alongside the children and youth in PEl in a unique way that makes space for, and honours, their voice.  
 

In my role as Systemic Advocacy Representative with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, I examine the root causes of issues affecting Island children and youth and suggest solutions to address these gaps. I promote the rights of Island children and youth through research, develop content for position statements and submissions, and conduct systemic reviews and investigations.

I was born and raised in the Ottawa Valley.  I completed my Bachelor and Master of Arts in Geography at the University of Ottawa.  My early academic work spanned a range of environments, from a summer position in the lab analyzing Arctic lake sediment cores for climate change signals, to graduate field work in Kingston, Jamaica researching international legal frameworks for the protection and conservation of the Caribbean Sea.  I completed my PhD in Geography from the University of Saskatchewan in 2010.  My doctoral dissertation addressed Canada-US cooperation for the conservation and management of the transboundary grasslands’ ecosystem.  This research process instilled in me the value of understanding multiple perspectives on issues and in collaborating with multiple stakeholders; it also introduced me to prairie hospitality, and the importance of keeping a full gas tank on rural highways!

I spent a year living in Edmonton, Alberta, before my husband and I moved to his hometown of Vancouver, BC.  During this time, I was a sessional instructor in Geography at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia. Our three children were born in Vancouver, and I was fortunate to spend several years focusing on my role as a parent. In 2016, our family made the decision to move to PEI. After settling in Charlottetown, I quickly became involved as a volunteer in our school community, and then with the PEI Home and School Federation. I served as the Regional Director for the Colonel Gray Family of Schools from 2020-2022, Federation Vice President from 2022-2024, and briefly as Federation President in the Spring-Summer of 2024.  In 2022, inspired by my childrens’ needs in the school system, I began to work as a substitute educational assistant with the Public Schools Branch.  I completed my Educational Assistant Diploma remotely from Coastal College of British Columbia in 2023 and spent the 2023-24 school year working as a certified EA in Charlottetown.

I am honoured to bring my skills as an academic researcher and writer, my experiences and passions as a caregiver and advocate for my own children, and my training and experiences as an educator full circle to my role with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.
 

Kristine has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western University with a focus on program evaluation. She has a diverse career spanning education, policy analysis and child-centred program leadership. She brings a strong blend of research expertise, writing ability, systemic thinking, and a deep commitment to child rights advocacy that aligns with the core mandate of our Office. She is also aware of the need for services directed at Indigenous children, having served as a Policy Analyst for the Native Council of PEI.

Throughout Kristine’s over 20 years of experience as a school administrator (including that of Principal and Vice-Principal) and educator in different parts of the globe, she has conducted child-safeguarding investigations and worked with different child welfare specialists to ensure students, especially those who are most vulnerable, are supported and protected. In addition, she has conducted program evaluations, designed inclusive curriculum, led equity and anti-discrimination training, and developed frameworks for culturally responsive education.