Children in care

The B.C. government says its new Child and Youth Well-Being Action Plan marks a turning point in how children and families receive support, promising to replace fragmented, crisis-driven services with a coordinated system that focuses on prevention and early intervention. But for Indigenous children, who continue to experience disproportionately high rates of poverty and involvement with the child welfare system, the plan raises an important question: will this plan of action be different?

On Jan. 23 Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin hosted the 2024 B.C. Reconciliation Awards, a celebration that included recognition for the work of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services.

The clock is ticking for First Nations and the federal government to agree upon the terms of a $47.8-billion child welfare agreement, as a change in Ottawa appears likely if the Liberal minority government is toppled.

A Port Alberni couple has been sentenced to 15 years after they pled guilty to manslaughter in the 2018 death of six-year-old Don-Tay Patrick Lucas.

Following sentencing, the judge allowed members of the Lucas family, including Don-tay’s biological father, to stand before the accused to offer words of forgiveness to them. There wasn’t a dry eye in the courtroom as the family reached out with words of love and compassion.

On Thursday, May 16 the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old are scheduled to appear in Port Alberni Law Courts to receive their sentence for the boy’s death.

Don-Tay Patrick Lucas was only six years old when he was found unresponsive in a south Port Alberni townhouse on March 13, 2018. First responders and police were told that the child was injured after a fall down the stairs, but suspicions arose immediately and the death became the focus of a years-long investigation by the RCMP and BC Coroner’s Service.

It’s been five years since six-year-old Dontay Lucas was found unresponsive in his home in a townhouse on the south side of Port Alberni and now his mother and her husband, who have been in custody since May 2022, are appearing in a Port Alberni courtroom as the preliminary hearing begins.

In Canada, a preliminary inquiry is a judicial hearing that is used in serious criminal cases to determine whether the evidence assembled by the Crown against an accused person is sufficient to proceed with a trial.

Young adults aging out of the foster care system in British Colombia now have a new set of supports to help them achieve success as they begin taking on adult responsibilities.

On May 30 Minister of Children and Family Development Mitzi Dean announced the development, saying it was important that youth in care transitioning to adulthood be supported so that they could fulfill their dreams, achieve their goals and reach their potential.

In an effort to keep more Indigenous children out of the foster care system, a transitional living facility is coming to Port Alberni to support mothers and their young ones.

Port Alberni, BC – Usma Nuu-chah-nulth invited children in care to an event designed to teach the children about Nuu-chah-nulth war veterans and the familial connections that exist between them and their war heroes.

“Usma is inviting children and youth to share a meal with local veterans and have the opportunity to honour their past and present family members,” said the invitation. The event was held at the Usma office building in Port Alberni on Oct. 21 and started with lunch.

A court ruling has put a young Tseshaht girl into the custody of her grandparents, moving one Indigenous child out of foster care, while thousands remain in a system that is being compared to the removal of children during the residential school era.

Judge Alexander Wolf cited the decision as an example of what needs to happen more if the number of Indigenous children in care are to decline, an issue that is particularly relevant on Sept. 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.