The province should appoint an anti-bullying co-ordinator to help reduce bullying, a report on the
issue released Thursday says.

The government established a task force to study bullying last April after two sets of grieving parents complained that online bullying was responsible for the suicides of their teenage daughters.

Wayne MacKay, who chaired the group, makes 85 recommendations in his report.

The Halifax-based law professor is calling on the government to introduce legislation aimed at boosting awareness and prevention of bullying, among other measures.

“Bullying is a major social issue throughout the world and is one of the symptoms of a deeper problem in our society _ the deterioration of respectful and responsible human relations,”
MacKay said in a statement.

“The magnitude of the problem is daunting and there are no simple solutions on the horizon. There are, however, some effective strategies.”

The report contains many recommendations to improve policies, procedures and research on bullying. The recommendations are aimed at school boards, universities, government departments, police
agencies and community groups.

MacKay also recommends developing an anti-bullying website, a social media platform and an annual conference on bullying and online bullying.

He also says so-called progressive discipline should be used in the classroom, emulating a program that has already been introduced in Ontario.

The report did not say how much it would cost to implement the recommendations.