Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Aboriginal Agency Says B.C. Government Shifting Blame In Foster Teen's Death

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Sep, 2015 01:15 PM
    ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — An aboriginal agency that was caring for a foster teen who died at a British Columbia hotel says the province appears to be shifting blame for political reasons.
     
    Premier Christy Clark has accused the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society of making a "real mistake" for not telling the Children's Ministry that 18-year-old Alex Gervais was staying alone in a hotel.
     
    In a statement issued Tuesday, the agency says the ministry can't distance itself from systemic issues that lead to devastating outcomes such as Gervais's death.
     
    It says focusing on the agency appears to be a political move at a time when it needs leadership, not politics.
     
    The agency says the ministry must work with it to ensure such a tragedy never happens again, and the plan must include proper residential placements for youth who need support.
     
    Gervais fell from a fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel on Sept. 18, and his death has prompted the Opposition NDP to call for Children's Minister Stephanie Cadieux to resign.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    B.C.'s Local Governments Vote For Power Over Pot Shops Despite Federal Stance

    Delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention voted in favour of a resolution endorsing the position that they have the power to regulate pot dispensaries.

    B.C.'s Local Governments Vote For Power Over Pot Shops Despite Federal Stance

    CMHC Conducting Research On Foreign Ownership Of Canadian Real Estate

    Data indicating how much of Canada's real estate is being snatched up by foreign buyers is scant, but the country's national housing agency is working to change that.

    CMHC Conducting Research On Foreign Ownership Of Canadian Real Estate

    B.C. Childrens' Advocate Says She Was Misled About Teen Who Died In Care In Abbotsford Hotel

    B.C. Childrens' Advocate Says She Was Misled About Teen Who Died In Care In Abbotsford Hotel
    Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond issued a sharp rebuke following the death of 18-year-old Alex Gervais, an aboriginal teen in care who was killed after falling from a fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel last Friday.

    B.C. Childrens' Advocate Says She Was Misled About Teen Who Died In Care In Abbotsford Hotel

    Bland Tourism Slogan Draws Unexpected But Welcome Attention To Alberta Town Of Okotoks

    Bland Tourism Slogan Draws Unexpected But Welcome Attention To Alberta Town Of Okotoks
    The slogan "There are a number of things to do in Okotoks" was photographed on a Calgary transit train and mocked on the Internet this week.

    Bland Tourism Slogan Draws Unexpected But Welcome Attention To Alberta Town Of Okotoks

    Rare Event: Supermoon Phenomenon To Coincide With Total Lunar Eclipse On Sunday

    Rare Event: Supermoon Phenomenon To Coincide With Total Lunar Eclipse On Sunday
    Stargazers across Canada are preparing for a rare and spectacular celestial light show this Sunday night.

    Rare Event: Supermoon Phenomenon To Coincide With Total Lunar Eclipse On Sunday

    Ottawa Posts $150 Million Surplus For July, $5.16 Billion For Fiscal Year To Date

    Ottawa's surplus after four months of the 2015-16 financial year was $5.16 billion — including July's $150 million surplus.

    Ottawa Posts $150 Million Surplus For July, $5.16 Billion For Fiscal Year To Date