Sandy Hermiston, who has been the Ombudsman in the Cayman Islands since September 2017, has accepted a post as Ombudsman in Prince Edward Island in Canada.
Hermiston confirmed to the Compass on Friday, 5 Nov., that she will be taking up her new job on 14 Feb. next year.
She will be the first person to hold the position of Ombudsman in Prince Edward Island, which passed legislation to create the office earlier this year – the last province in Canada to do so.
Hermiston was also Cayman’s first Ombudsman.
Her appointment was announced in the Prince Edward Island’s legislature on Thursday, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
She told the Compass in an email, “The decision was a difficult one. I have really enjoyed the challenge of the job here and had fully intended to stay until the end of my term in 2024. In the end it boiled down to the isolation from family and friends as a result of the pandemic. I wasn’t ready to stop working yet so when the PEI opportunity appeared I felt it could be the perfect fit.”
She added, “My husband and I will miss Cayman and its people very much. It has been a life changing experience for us and we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute.”
Prior to becoming Ombudsman in Cayman, Hermiston, who is Canadian, worked at the office of the Alberta Ombudsman and Public Interest Commissioner.
The CBC, in its article, said Hermiston will be responsible for overseeing the province’s whistleblower act.
It reported that MLAs dealing with the hiring process said the province received 24 applications for the job during a public competition.
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Thank you Sandy Hermiston for working so hard on our behalf. The mountains of work you had to go through to sort out the enormous backlog of complaints and requests. The endless challenges you faced and managing to be transparent throughout all your work. Cayman will miss you but you have left the position in a really great place for someone new to take up the mantle.
A shame to lose Ms Hermiston, she was fearless in her position, which as we know, is an unusual quality these days. Congratulations to PEI on your stellar choice.