Women embrace each other outside of the missing women inquiry in downtown Vancouver, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011.JONATHAN HAYWARD
The deadline for the final report in the Pickton inquiry has been moved back from Dec. 31 to June 30, Attorney-General Shirley Bond announced Friday.
Commissioner Wally Oppal had requested the extension earlier this month.
The government agreed to an extension to give the commission sufficient time to complete the hearings currently under way, consider the evidence and develop the final report with recommendations, she stated in a news release.
The inquiry's current schedule calls for hearings through most of November and a month-long break beginning Dec. 1.
The inquiry is not expected to hear from any police on the missing women's task force before the end of the year.
Two women from the Downtown Eastside are slated to testify beginning Monday.
The inquiry before its Christmas break is also expected to hear testimony about internal reviews of the RCMP and the Vancouver police.
So far, the inquiry has heard from expert witnesses testifying about prostitution, drug addiction and attitudes to police, and some family members.
The commission of inquiry was appointed to look into the police investigation of Robert Pickton and why he was not arrested sooner. Dozens of women went missing before he was arrested in February, 2000. He was convicted of second degree murder of six women. He has said he killed 49.