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Alberta Foster Children Die Under Publication Ban
October 24, 2014 permalink
A two-year-old boy in Alberta foster care has died. The news report is sketchy because: "Four days after his death, the boy's family applied for and was granted a Calgary provincial court publication ban on his name and that of his four young siblings." This family may be one that prefers to keep its tragedies private. Or the social services system may have twisted their arms. Many of the purportedly voluntary acts of parents involved with social services are anything but voluntary.
In another article Global News reported a four-year-old foster girl dying on September 27.
And in a third article the Edmonton Sun reports two children dying in Maskwacis. Because of the vagueness of the articles, there is no way to be sure whether the total number of foster deaths is two or three.
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Police investigating death of 2-year-old in provincial care
CALGARY ─ Another young child has died in provincial care in Alberta, QMI Agency has learned.
Tsuu T'ina First Nation police are investigating the death of a two-year-old boy who was a ward of the province when he died Sept. 25 at Alberta Children's Hospital.
Sources tell QMI Agency the child's mother is being investigated by police, but hasn't been charged.
The child may have suffered from some sort of assault, sources said.
Lisa Shankaruk, with Alberta Human Services, confirmed the boy's death and said an investigation may take place.
"We can confirm a child who was two (years old) died in care in Calgary," she said.
"Human Services will be looking at the situation and we've committed to releasing the results of any investigation publicly."
Four days after his death, the boy's family applied for and was granted a Calgary provincial court publication ban on his name and that of his four young siblings.
Shankaruk couldn't say who had custody of the child when he died, citing privacy legislation.
Tsuu T'ina spokesman Peter Manywounds, speaking on behalf of the nation's police department, would not comment on the case Tuesday.
Early this year the province disclosed 741 children who'd had some involvement in child welfare had died between Jan. 1, 1999 and Sept. 30, 2013.
The toll was made public after it was revealed 145 kids died over the same period while under provincial care and only 56 were publicly reported.
New legislation was drafted over the summer that lifts the long-standing publication ban on deaths of children who were wards of the province, allowing family members to talk about the tragedies publicly.
Under the same Bill 11, families with children in care can apply for a publication ban before the courts if they choose.
Source: Sun News Network
4-year-old girl dies following accident in Maskwacis
EDMONTON — Alberta RCMP is investigating after a four-year-old girl died after an accident in Maskwacis.
The girl was recently brought to Edmonton after she was injured while playing outside with other children in Maskwacis, formerly known as Hobbema, said Sgt. Josée Valiquette.
She said the RCMP stepped in because of the seriousness of the girl’s injuries. The girl died in Edmonton Saturday.
Alberta Human Services, which oversees social-based services such as foster care, family care and child support services, has confirmed the child was receiving its services.
Source: Global News
Maskwacis youth second minor to die in child welfare custody
Two children involved with child welfare have died in one week, with the recent death of a youth in Maskwacis leaving a community grieving.
“This community is hurting in a lot of areas, and there’s a lot of people fighting to bring the positives out,” said Brent Dueck, a watch supervisor with the Maskwacis RCMP detachment. “Anytime something tragic like this happens, it’s a blow to everybody concerned.”
RCMP were called to a home in Maskwacis — formerly known as Hobbema — at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, after family members discovered the youth dead in their basement.
Details are sparse as the case is under a publication ban through the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, at the request of the youth’s family, but local RCMP say the death is not suspicious.
This latest death comes just days after a two-year-old ward of the province died at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary on Sept. 25.
Sources told the Sun that the mother is the focus of a police probe, but has not been charged. Sources also said the child may have suffered some kind of an assault.
The Tsuu T’ina First Nation police are investigating and Alberta Human Services has committed to publicly releasing results from their own investigation.
Earlier this year, the province revealed that 741 children who had some kind of child welfare intervention died between Jan. 1, 1999 and Sept. 30, 2013. During that time, 145 children died while under provincial care.
Source: Edmonton Sun
