Local parents are circulating a petition to push for the Ontario Ombudsman to oversee Children's Aid Societies.

"Ombudsman oversight is desperately needed to help reform Ontario's Children's Aid Societies," said Faith Stuart, a local grandmother concerned about the power wielded by the CAS.

Stuart and other CAS critics say the child-care organizations in Ontario get $1.3 billion in taxpayer support but operate like private organizations and aren't accountable to anyone.

She and other local residents are circulating a petition asking that the ombudsman get oversight powers.

Ombudsman Andre Marin called on the government in December to let his office address the hundreds of complaints he gets each year about child welfare matters.

"It is deeply disturbing that my office is unable to help our most vulnerable citizens," Marin told the legislature's standing committee on social policy.

"Other provinces in Canada have ombudsman oversight for the CASs," said Stuart. "I believe Ontario is the only one that doesn't."

The petitions, which have already been signed by thousands, can be downloaded from the Internet at www.afterfostercare.ca. To contact Stuart about the petitions, telephone 519-753-8973.

Another group of parents will be involved in a rally June 20 on the front lawn of Queen's Park at 11 a.m.

That group is also pushing for independent oversight of the CAS in Ontario and is protesting recent changes to the Child and Family Services Act and the unnecessary drugging of children who are in care.

Participants include speakers from After Foster Care, Canada Courtwatch and a Brantford parent involved with the CAS.

For more information on the Queen's Park rally, telephone Rob Ferguson at 519-754-0927.

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Please also send an email your MPP supporting Bill 88 Ombudsman Amendment Act (Children's Aid Societies), 2006 !!

Canadian Press Published: Friday, June 09, 2006 TORONTO (CP) - Two grandparents convicted of second-degree murder after they left five-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin to wither and die in a cold, fetid room were sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 20 years. Elva Bottineau, 54, was ordered to serve 22 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole, while husband Norman Kidman, 53, will get his first chance at early release after 20 years behind bars, said Superior Court Justice David Watt.   more »

Well hopefully today justice will deliver some good news.

Last month, a judge found Elva Bottineau, 54, and her common-law husband Norman Kidman, 53, guilty of second-degree murder for Jeffrey Baldwin's death. They are to be sentanced today! Second-degree murder carries an automatic life term, but the judge can set parole eligibility after as little as 10 years.

I am praying they get the full 25 years without parole. I hope they die in jail and rot in hell.

The couple convicted for killing Jeffrey Baldwin is now being sued -- along with the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto -- for negligence. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Jeffrey and his three siblings by the Children's Lawyer, also alleges physical and sexual assault, psychological abuse, infliction of mental distress, breach of duty and the intentional infliction of mental distress. The amount of damages has not yet been set.   more »

Five-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin was found dead in his grandmother's east Toronto house in 2002. Officially, Jeffrey died of pneumonia, the result of breathing in his own feces, but the real cause was severe, prolonged malnutrition. Four months after his death, his grandparents, in whose care he had been placed by the Toronto Catholic Children's Aid Society, were arrested and ultimately convicted of second-degree murder. The grandparents, Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman had a history of child abuse; Jeffrey was not the first child to die in Elva's care. And this history of abuse was detailed in CCAS files. Gillian Findlay and the fifth estate have investigated the death of Jeffrey Baldwin to find out why and how this couple could have been given custody of Jeffrey and his siblings.   more »

What's happened to our sense of community and care for on another? Do me a favour - get to know your neighbours, their children, your local business, visit your local park, be aware of your community. I can't help but think these little actions might have made a difference.   more »

Court heard he was treated like a dog, made to eat out of a bowl with his fingers and he often drank from a toilet when he was thirsty. Immediately upon the verdict's release, Ontario's chief coroner announced that an inquest would be held. "The circumstances surrounding Jeffrey's death have been a matter of public interest," Dr. Barry McLellan's office said in a release. "Issues to be addressed at the inquest include the Toronto Catholic Children's Aid Society's involvement in Jeffrey's placement and the role that agency, and others, had in monitoring his well-being prior to his death."   more »

The Toronto Star announced that the verdict in Jeffrey's case is now scheduled for April 7, 2006 at 9:30am.

Mr. Kapoor argued that in examining "the appalling facts" of the tragedy, glaringly absent from the Crown's case against Ms. Bottineau is any proof of her intent to kill. Not only did she call 911 on the day Jeffrey died, he said, but she wanted the boy alive rather than dead because of the welfare money he and his three siblings generated. "She was abusive, and she wanted to abuse him, but she didn't want to kill him." Jeffrey died because Ms. Bottineau "doesn't see what we see," Mr. Kapoor contended.   more »

The lawyer for a Toronto woman accused of starving her grandson, Jeffrey Baldwin, to death says she is so mentally deficient she cannot be held responsible for murder. Well lock her up for her own good then - stick her in a mental institution and investigate the CCAC for placing children in her care.   more »