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Former Insider Supports Ombudsman Oversight

July 22, 2008 permalink

The online newspaper the Manitoulin Expositor publishes a letter from Larry Killens. We found another article from the same source dated January 2003 saying that Mr Killens was ousted as a CAS director.

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undated letter retrieved July 22, 2008

Accountability is required from Children's Aid Societies

MPP Mike Brown is out of touch with supporters

To the Expositor:

The following is an open letter to MPP Mike Brown.

Dear Mike,

In the spirit of the timeworn phrase, "Who dares not offend, cannot be honest," I write the following comments and observations.

I have sent to you a site on the Internet that encourages the reader to petition our government, of which you are reported to be our representative. I point out the following observations:

  • There are 541 signatures at the time of this letter attached to this petition, demanding that the Ontario Ombudsman's office be given authority to investigate concerns/complaints of an individual that has an issue with the CAS.
  • Of the 541 signatures there are persons who purport to be educators, CAS workers, users of the system and victims of the system, and even one member of parliament has signed on.
  • As recent as last week our local news media carried a letter from a person who says that he and others have been wronged by the non-action of CAS and have no avenue to appeal to what appears to be honest complaint and cry for help.
  • I myself was removed from the board of directors for the CAS and to this day after urgings and letters sent to the CAS, the family resources, your office, still am unaware as to why this transpired; I was never given the pleasure of a hearing or explanation. I often wonder why the government of the day, yours, doesn't shake their heads in wonder as to why an individual, who was removed from the CAS Board of Directors, runs for and wins the office of public school trustee? It certainly shows me the degree of credibility the public places on the CAS and their activity.

Mike, speaking for myself, I feel you are out of touch with your supporters and citizens you serve-not new but very, very sad. I ask you for a commitment to help those people in Ontario in a meaningful way!

Will you champion the request to give the Ombudsman the power to probe decisions and investigate complaints concerning the provinces Children's Aid Societies (CAS)? I am not asking you to change the world, just require this entity to be accountable to someone.

In closing, all provincial Ombudsmen in the Dominion of Canada first identified child protection as a priority issue in 1986 and still Ontario does not allow the Ombudsman to investigate people's complaints about Children's Aid Societies (CAS) decisions. Who knows, perhaps First Nations residential schools would never have happened?

I am assuming, Mike, that this is your last term and hope you want to leave some sort of legacy of what you have or have not done. What a way to end it Mike, helping kids!

Larry Killens

South Baymouth

Source: The Manitoulin Expositor, pointed out by Canada Court Watch

sequential