shockedcanadian
Diamond Member
- Aug 6, 2012
- 43,702
- 42,742
- 3,605
Another dead, vulnerable child. Canada, a nation that targets the young, the poor and the vulnerable. Disgusting.
www.thestar.com
The parents of a London teen who died while waiting for mental health treatment in Ontario’s child protection system are calling on the coroner to launch an inquest into her death.
Fifteen-year-old Jade spent a year living in budget motels because child protection workers couldn’t find an appropriate placement for her, a Star investigation found. During that time, she ran away repeatedly, lived on the streets and developed a serious drug addiction. She died of a fentanyl overdose in October 2024.
“We don’t want other families to go through what we’ve been through,” Jade’s father, Tim, said in an interview. Jade’s parents and child advocates say an inquest is needed to learn how the province failed to protect her and to prevent other children from falling through the cracks.
(To comply with a court-ordered publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Star has used middle names for Jade and her family members.)
Diagnosed with several mental health and developmental conditions, Jade became a ward of the province after her adoptive parents, and then her birth mother, relinquished custody to the Children’s Aid Society of London and Middlesex because they could no longer manage her needs and behaviours at home.
An increasing number of families are surrendering their kids to CAS for this reason, a disturbing trend documented in reports to the provincial ombudsman that have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Child welfare agencies have been warning the government about a critical shortage of services and supports for children with complex needs for at least four years, the Star has found.
‘Imagine that it was your daughter’: Jade died in the care of Children’s Aid. Her parents are demanding an inquest
Jade’s story is representative of “hundreds, if not thousands, of children in the province,” said Ontario’s former child and youth advocate. “Someone has to stand up, take responsibility and make
www.thestar.com
The parents of a London teen who died while waiting for mental health treatment in Ontario’s child protection system are calling on the coroner to launch an inquest into her death.
Fifteen-year-old Jade spent a year living in budget motels because child protection workers couldn’t find an appropriate placement for her, a Star investigation found. During that time, she ran away repeatedly, lived on the streets and developed a serious drug addiction. She died of a fentanyl overdose in October 2024.
“We don’t want other families to go through what we’ve been through,” Jade’s father, Tim, said in an interview. Jade’s parents and child advocates say an inquest is needed to learn how the province failed to protect her and to prevent other children from falling through the cracks.
(To comply with a court-ordered publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Star has used middle names for Jade and her family members.)
Diagnosed with several mental health and developmental conditions, Jade became a ward of the province after her adoptive parents, and then her birth mother, relinquished custody to the Children’s Aid Society of London and Middlesex because they could no longer manage her needs and behaviours at home.
An increasing number of families are surrendering their kids to CAS for this reason, a disturbing trend documented in reports to the provincial ombudsman that have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Child welfare agencies have been warning the government about a critical shortage of services and supports for children with complex needs for at least four years, the Star has found.
