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Appeals are Futile

January 15, 2005 permalink

The Child and Family Services Act provides for appeal, but all appeals are within the Children's Aid Societies, and the responsible ministry, making them futile. For any skeptics who think they may have some value, the following letter shows the experience of a client with the patience to spend four years navigating the appeals process to the top.

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Saturday, January 15, 2005

Dear Dr. Ioannis K. Tsanis, Dipl. Eng., M.A.Sc., Ph.D. P.Eng.

Hello there Dr Tsanis, my name is John Dunn. I am the Executive Director of the Foster Care Council of Canada. I read the profile of your wife Dr. Marie Bountrogianni on the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site and in doing so, I learned that you are her husband. I am emailing you, because of the fact that I have previously attempted to contact your wife via the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site, yet it appears from the responses I have received that the messages were intercepted and answered by her staff instead by her and I don't know if she knows that this is happening.

I feel that she should be empowered to use her own voice, knowledge, and extensive experience to answer the questions I have posed to her in a manner which demonstrates her knowlege of the issues as opposed to others answering the questions in a manner which makes her look as if she does not know what we are asking of her.

If you could please forward these questions directly to her at home tonight so that I can be sure she has received and read them, it would be greatly appreciated. I will start by listing the questions I have asked in the past, then I will submit a couple of new questions. I know she is a very busy woman, and appreciate the time you and her will take in ensuring these questions are answered by her.

Open Letter To Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Children and Youth Services,

1. I have asked you previously through submissions to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site when you would be initiating the mandatory five year review of the Child and Family Services Act and if you would be consulting with the public in order to obtain their input on this very important Act which affects thousands of Ontario's children and families.

2. I have also asked if you will be posting on the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site the fact that a review of the Child and Family Services Act is or will be taking place and how the public can get involved.

3. I have also asked if you when you first came into office as the Minister of Children's Services if you will be supporting and working toward open adoptions in Ontario through Children's Aid Societies.

4. I filed a complaint to the Catholic Children's Aid Society four years ago because they would not give me copies of my own life records from when I was a crown ward. I took the complaint through all of the levels from my worker, to his supervisor, through to the Executive Director Mary McConville, then to the Board of Directors and when I was still not satisfied with the responses given (no copies allowed) I went to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services on 80 Grosvenor to discuss it with the Deputy Minister, and was referred to your Issues Co-ordinator. To this day, four years later, I have still not heard from the Issues Co-ordinator on this subject. How much longer must I wait to hear from your Issues Co-ordinator on my case?

I can be contacted by email at; [suppressed to reduce spam]

or by regular mail at;

John Dunn
Executive Director
The Foster Care Council of Canada
1218 Meadowlands Drive East
Suite 503
Ottawa, ON
K2E 6K1

Thank you for your prompt reply.

John Dunn
The Foster Care Council of Canada
http://www.afterfostercare.com

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