On August 3, 2008 Katelynn Sampson died. Seven-year-old Katelynn was murdered by her two caregivers in their Parkdale, Toronto apartment. Paramedics found her lifeless body in a pool of blood, covered in 70 wounds, each more ghastly than the last. Eight of her ribs had been broken, her teeth Read more…
If a government had decided to lead a war against its own children and families how might it prosecute that war. I’m thinking the first thing it might do is eliminate the Ministry that was responsible for the well being of children. The next thing it might do is Read more…
Reflections on Child And Youth In Care Day years ago the Ontario Legislature unanimously passed legislation that made every May 14th Children and Youth in Care Day. May 14th was selected to honour the landmark youth written report on life in care, My Real Lifebook” (https://ocaarchives.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ylc_report_eng.pdf) that was released on that date. Read more…
I know a little girl. She lives in a residential care setting that is part hospital and part group home. You see this little girl is what they call “medically fragile”. That means she has a multitude of disabilities and health conditions that make her life ever more fragile than say my own Read more…
I was Ontario’s Child Advocate from 2008 to 2019. Prior to this I worked with young people in and from care of our child protection system for over 25 years. I carry so many stories from children and youth I have met. These stories are like apples on a tree of knowledge. I can Read more…
This week a group of reporters from Global News and APTN released a report on the life of children in care – particularly those living in group homes. Shout out to journalists Ken Jackson and Carolyn Jarvis. The report is harrowing. I encourage you to find the courage to watch Read more…
“I have had it up to here with you guys” he said, gesturing emphatically. “I am not voting for anyone! You guys come here at election time asking for a vote and then nothing for four years!” As I knocked on thousands of doors in Don Valley West, I heard a version Read more…
Dear Committee Members; Please accept this document as an Alternate Report to Canada’s Combined Fifth and Sixth Reports on The Convention on the Rights of the Child submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 2020. I have also contributed to the Canadian Council of Read more…
From Irwin Elman NDP Candidate In Don Valley West Dear Thorncliffe Park, For those of you who haven’t met me yet, my name is Irwin Elman. I am running as your NDP candidate for Don Valley West and I want to represent your voice in the Ontario legislature. I am Read more…
Irwin Elman NDP Candidate Don Valley West Dear Don Valley West, It feels as if every moment of my life and my career has led me to be ready to write this letter to you. I am writing with respect to seek your support and your vote for me as your representative at Queen’s Park. I have been working for a better community, a better province, and a better world since I was a teenager. As a child living in ahardscrabble part of Ottawa, I witnessed my Mom working long hours as a service worker, trying to ensure that rent was paidand food was on the table, all the while looking after three children. Her devotion to us taught us discipline, commitmentand determination. Mom also taught us empathy, to know how fortunate we were, and that while it was not ourresponsibility to try to save the world, we were not exempt from trying. Renting an apartment in Don Valley West and living from pay cheque to pay cheque, I felt the worry each year when the leasewas up, wondering if I could afford the rent increase. I came to appreciate our community – Don Valley West – a riding of greatdiversity, with pockets of wealth and pockets of people living in poverty. I believe all of us want our neighbours to be well andgiven the supports and service they need to fully participate in society. After graduating from the University of Toronto as a teacher and while gaining my Masters in Education, I created acentre to serve young people from all four Children’s Aid Societies in the GTA, helping them to live on their own. I wastransformed by the thousands of remarkable young people I met over 20 years, many of whom came from Don ValleyWest. In 2009–2019 I was unanimously appointed and then reappointed by the Ontario Legislature as the Provincial Advocate forChildren and Youth. As an Officer of the Legislature, I was responsible for partnering with the most vulnerable children,youth and families in Ontario to ensure their voices were heard and their rights respected. I learned to listen and to respectfully make a plan to get to where the person needed to be. I learned how to bring diversepeople together to focus on the issue at hand and find solutions. Whether participating in major policy discussions or supporting someone’s personal challenge, I honed the skills needed to serve the people of Don Valley West. I have seen from the inside how Liberal and Conservative governments work. I saw Liberal governments that cared onlyabout the effect any decision would have on their political fortunes, with their central focus of Read more…