Ford is failing to keep Ontario kids safe

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Children, Community, and Social Services Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West); and MPP Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale—High Park) say that regardless of the verdict in the Milton trial surrounding the death of a 12-year-old boy, the Ford government must take urgent action to strengthen Ontario’s child-welfare and social services systems.

“No verdict can bring this child back,” said Gretzky. “My heart aches for his siblings, and his birth mother. This is a catastrophic failure by the Ford government to keep the kids under their care safe — the same government who has yet to release the results of their children’s aid societies audit following the death of Neveah Tucker. We could be investing in community, health care, and education supports to avoid intervention by children’s aid societies (CAS) altogether.

“Front-line workers at services like CAS are doing everything they can, but the well-being of kids in their care depends on a system that lacks the staff, resources, and supports they need, thanks to years of government underfunding. The Ford Conservatives need to release the results of their audit, and urgently invest in these people and services, so we can prevent the next tragedy before it happens.”

“These horrific instances are becoming far too common,” said Gilmour. “As this horrible story unfolds, we also remember Neveah Tucker, whose CAS file was closed too early, and led to her being found in a Toronto dumpster four years ago, just shy of her fifth birthday. To protect our children is a fundamental obligation, and the Ford government is not meeting it.

“Just months ago, we learned that the Ford government has stopped tracking the deaths of children in their care. This number is growing yearly, with Freedom of Information requests revealing that a youth in their care network died every three days on average. Any child lost is one too many. The Conservatives must be transparent about what’s happening on their watch and invest in our children’s care network so we can keep our kids safe.”