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Memorial for Chancey Miller
September 25, 2012 permalink
A vigil in Chatham Ontario to memorialize the death of Chancey Miller in foster care appeared in two press reports.
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Downtown Chatham CAS Protest
A handful of residents protest against the CAS outside the Downtown Chatham Centre on Monday.A group calling for changes to legislation dealing with Children’s Aid Societies held a demonstration in front of the Downtown Chatham Centre this afternoon.
Chris Carter of Canada Court Watch has held protests before, but had a special reason for this one.
“(It’s) in memory of Chancy Miller. Chancy was taken by the Newfoundland protection services and brought to Toronto Sick Kids Hospital,” says Carter. “Shortly after that they decided to take Chancy out of the hospital and put her in a foster home and she died shortly thereafter.”
Carter says the 2nd reading of a private members bill will take place this week which aims to allow the Ontario ombudsman to look investigate the Childern’s Aid Societies.
Source: Blackburn News
Residents show support for Bill 110
Chris Carter, a member of Court Watch Canada, has delivered a petition with more than 1,100 local signatures to Chatham-Kent Essex MPP Rick Nichols, in support of Bill 110, to give the Ontario Ombudsman the power to investigate public complaints against children's aid societies.ELLWOOD SHREVE ellwood.shreve@sunmedia.caMore than 1,100 area residents are showing their support to give Ontario's ombudsman the power to investigate public complaints against children's aid societies.
Chris Carter, a member of Canada Court Watch, has delivered a petition with 1,167 signatures, to Chatham-Kent Essex MPP Rick Nicholls' constituency office that supports Bill 110, to amend the Ombudsman Act to allow for public complaints about the CAS to be investigated.
Carter said several local residents took part in collecting the signatures during various public events over the summer.
He said the goal is to have the petition delivered to Queen's Park as a show of support when Bill 110. A second reading for the bill is scheduled in the Ontario legislature this Thursday.
The bill was introduced by Hamilton NDP MPP Monique Taylor, children and youth services critic, and passed first reading in June.
Carter, who has been leading the charge on this issue by organizing several local protests calling for this change,s is encouraged by the fact that Premier Dalton McGuinty has called Ontario's Ombudsman Andre Marin to discuss the issue of powers being extended to the MUSH (Municipalities, universities, school boards and hospitals) sector, which includes the CAS and long-term care facilities.
Marin has repeatedly asked the government to extend the ombudsman's jurisdiction over the MUSH sector, which is the case for other provinces.
Marin told reporters earlier this year, while releasing his annual report that he had spoke with McGuinty and the premier appeared to have an open mind about this issue.
"So long as the door is open I remain optimistic," Marin said.
During an interview with the London Free Press in late August, Marin was asked if he has any sense of whether the province will allow him to investigate universities, school boards, hospitals, nursing homes, police and children's aid societies.
"If you had asked me that question a few months ago I would have said no . . . But I have renewed hope . . . We are in discussion with the premier and the premier's office," Marin said.
Carter is also optimistic about some movement being made.
"It's my personal feeling this bill is going to pass second reading and go to committee," he said.
Source: Chatham Daily News
Addendum: Chris Carter reports on success with his delivery of petitons to MPP Rick Nicholls.
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Chris Carter
Well he was good to his word.
Last week Friday September 28/12 I visited his constituency office and had a brief conversation with Chatham PC MPP Mr. Rick Nicholls re: the issues of CA$ attacks against children and families.
I handed over an additional six pages of signatures re: the Ombudsman's Amendment Act petition which Lee Bolton and others had obtained during a productive afternoon public protest rally completed downtown Chatham last week Monday September 24/12 in memory of Miss Chancey Miller:
http://www.facebook.com/events/536826703010714/
Mr. Nicholls promised he would read the petition into the record AND that he and other PC MPPs would be supporting the NDP private member's Bill 110.
Following numerous other MPPs such as the Woodstock PC MPP Ernie Hardeman (thank you Christine for your work on bringing Mr. Hardeman on board) and a number of NDP MPPs and maybe even the Liberal MPP Kim Craitor (?), Mr. Nicholls read the petition into the record yesterday (has anybody else been watching the OLA debates re: the contempt proceedings re: Liberal Environment Minister Chris Bentley recently?).
Thank you to the creator(s) of the petition, CAS ONTARIO website for posting it online for us to print off and utilize and to the citizens of Chatham who came together and got this petitioning done and the Chatham Bill 110 vote secured.
Source: Facebook, Canada Court Watch
A tribute to Chancey, including video of her while still alive, from Facebook and local copy (mp4)
