Rare shark washes up on Long Beach
LOCALLY OWNED &
OPERATED
ALBERNI
West Coast, Page 8A
TOWING 24 HO UR
SERVICE
• ICBC Towing • Flat De ck Service • Lock Outs • Jump Sta rts • Full Service Storag e We buy scrap car s, trucks, heavy trucks
250-724-4050
23C 11C Sun in the afternoon
& machinery
2490 Timberlane Rd.
New mobile friendly we
bsite
albernitowing.com !
Serving the Alberni Valley
www.avtimes.net
Thursday, October 1, 2015
» Children in care
CANADA’S ELECTION
Duncan defends federal record at forum Five candidates appear before almost 300 citizens MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
because there are not enough homes here,” Simister said. Simister said being a foster parent takes compassion and is often a thankless, emotional job, making it difficult to recruit more willing families. “The media portrays foster homes as evil and hurtful,” she said. “It is not at all what the TV portrays. We are self-sacrificing who bend over backwards for people and deal with grief and loss daily. Who would want that job?” Simister said the end result is more youth heading to the streets and turning to drugs and alcohol. She said it is time for a change and is taking initiative. Her goal is to launch a new service based on an Australian model of care where the children remain at home under qualified supervision and the parents leave for necessary services and treatments. “Ask any foster parent after a few years and they will tell you that discouraging is the main feeling,” Simister said. “You watch lives go downhill. A lot of people are working hard to do good things but the system is failing and it is time for a change.”
Canada’s environmental legislation has been “gutted” by the Conservative Party, according to a questioner at the Courtenay-Alberni All Candidates Meeting on Tuesday evening. Environmental issues were brought up multiple times during the meeting, hosted at the Italian Hall by the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce with the Port Alberni and District Labour Council. Nearly 300 people filled the hall with five candidates present from the federal Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green and Marxist-Leninist parties. After opening remarks the candidates fielded questions in an open mic format. They were given about a minute to answer before their microphones were shut off. Questions ranged from poverty issues, to health care budgets, free trade agreements, concerns over legislation and the behaviour of MPs in the House of Commons. Much of the evening focused on attacks on the Conservative Party’s record over the past nine years, with John Duncan defending jabs at his party from the other four candidates and the audience. “Environmental legislation has not been ‘gutted’,” Duncan said in response to one of the questions. “Environmental legislation has been updated to reflect the modern reality that we do have a resource sector. The resource sector was hampered in every way at every turn by antiquated legislation. Have you noticed how easy it is to build a pipeline these days under the current rules?” Canada leads the G7 nations in research and development money from the federal government, he added. Over 90 per cent of requests to the department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for interviews were approved last year, Duncan said, defending the government from accusations that it lacks transparency. “The protocol hasn’t changed.”
Kristi.Dobson@avtimes.net
See ELECTION, Page 3A
Issues raised at the provincial level regarding children in foster care are hitting close to home for Port Alberni’s foster parents. [KRISTI DOBSON, TIMES]
System fails, says foster mom Children’s ministry scrutinized in B.C. legislature after fatality KRISTI DOBSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
T
he province’s Ministry of Children and Family Development says more supports are available for children in care, but an Alberni foster parent of 30 years believes the system is failing B.C.’s most vulnerable residents. Question period of the first fall session of the legislature on Monday opened with opposition against Stephanie Cadieux, cabinet minister for children and family development. New Democrat leader John Horgan raised the issue of children under ministry care following the death of 18-year-old Alex Gervais. The youth, in foster care, was placed in an Abbotsford motel and fell from the fourth floor last week. Despite statistics that back the ministry’s actions, opposition is calling for the premier to step down. “Today we have on the ground 110 more child protection workers than we did this time last year,” Cadieux said. “The number of children in care is at its lowest level in over 19 years – over 3,000 children lower than in 2001.” “I question those numbers and it is an irrelevant statement,”
» Use your smartphone to jump to our Facebook page for updates on these stories or the latest breaking news.
FRASER
said Scott Fraser, MLA for Alberni-Pacific Rim. “The government did measurable cuts in 2002 and never replaced that. They have been behind the eight ball ever since. The government has been underfunded and under resourced for over a decade.” Fraser said there are more children with complex needs requiring care, something local advocate and foster parent, Theresa Simister agrees with. Gervais’ death is an extreme example of the ministry’s failings, said Horgan, but Simister has witnessed children receiving inadequate care on a local level. As a foster parent for 30 years, Simister has cared for more than 50 children in her home and says
the system is failing. “I started out because I wanted to help, but what I see mainly is that it is not working,” she said. “Kids are not getting any longterm benefits from foster care.” She said foster parents like herself can provide short-term support, including immediate safety, food and clothing, but she has witnessed teens returning to similar situations from which they were taken, including drug and alcohol abuse. Often children are bounced back and forth within months between different foster homes and their own homes, while the their biological parents undergo addiction treatment. Simister said that creates a lack of continuity in young lives and little chance to develop through socialization and extracurricular activities. “Every home in this Valley is full, and some have extensions where they can take extra children,” Simister said. Between the Ministry of Children and Family Development and USMA Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, there are 77 children in foster care in Port Alberni. “Kids are sent to Nanaimo
Aviators name Coulson entrepreneur of the year
SPCA manager shares lifelong love of animals
Alberni-bred CEO recognized by B.C. Aviation Council as his company’s works on international projects.
Irene Towell is a familiar face among animal lovers. She has worked for the local animal shelter for 30 years.
» Alberni Region, Page 3A
» Community, Page 5A
Inside today What’s On 2A Alberni Region 3A
Opinion 4A Community 5A
ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES VOLUME 66, NUMBER 183
-Ì>ÀÌÊÌ Êw à Ê>Ì
Sports 6A Scoreboard 7A
Drive 1B Entertainment 2B
Classifieds 7B Nation & World 8B
$1.25 newsstand (GST incl.)
Now in stock!
KREG JIGS Kreg Joinery™ helps do-it-yourselfers and woodworkers of all skill levels build projects faster, stronger, and better than ever before. Windsor carries all of the pocket-hole jigs, machines, and hardware you need to complete high quality projects in no time. Come in and check out our selection!
7 `à ÀÊ* ÞÜ `ÊUÊ{Ç{äÊ/iL Ê ÛiÊUÊ* ÀÌÊ LiÀ ÊUÊ* \ÊÓxä ÇÓ{ xÇx£ÊUÊ >Ý\ÊÓxä ÇÓ{ ÎÎÓx