Last September, I received a phone call at 4:30 pm informing me that my children had been taken at 2 pm from their school. They had no warrant so the couldn't come and take them from home, therefore they seized them at school. I was given no warning. Suddenly, my children were gone and there was nothing I could do about it.
We did have a few meetings with the DYP workers but they didn't give me information on how I could get my children back or elaborate on what I had done wrong.
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Nothing is clear about why exactly they were taken. Quebec Youth Protection did contact officials on Ontario after I moved here to get custody of my seventeen year old daughter, but Ontario refused to send her back to Quebec. I was asked if the children had any bruises or if they lacked warm clothing, lacked a home, or lacked food. Because it was none of these reasons they were completely perplexed as to why they were ever removed.
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Ontario is very involved with my 2 older children and the attitude and involvement is one of caring. Authorities are extremely supportive for our family. One professional even had tears when she saw how exceptionally the children were cared for with diet, physical activity, and family time.
Read the whole thing. This is a heart-breaking story.
You can also watch a CTV News report from Montreal.
When I read of Child Protection horror stories, the common refrain is that they are a law unto themselves.
They don't need a warrant to show up at your house and take away your kids.
They make a deal as to how you can get your kids back.
When, you fulfill your end of the bargain. they put more conditions.
Then they find more reasons to keep your kids.
They often do WAY more damage than they are trying to prevent.
Kids end up living in foster care when they would be better off with their parents notwithstanding their bad parenting.
In my book, bad parents are often better than no parents.
I am not talking about cases where the parents are clearly beating their kids or subjecting them to inhumane conditions.
But sometimes parents are terrible at their job: inadequate nutrition, inadequate,stimulation, very poor lifestyle choices.
Notwithstanding, they love their children. That emotional bond is so crucial. When you disrupt that bond, it makes everything worse. Now the kid not only has to deal with his parents' bad choices, he has to deal with living in a new family, which brings even MORE emotional baggage.
And don't be fooled: Ontario Child Protection can be just as fascist, notwithstanding this woman's positive experience.
