QUEEN’S PARK — Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West), Shadow Minister for Children, Community and Social Services, is calling on the Ford government to take urgent action to strengthen Ontario’s child-welfare and social-services systems following devastating testimony at a Milton trial into the death of a 12-year-old boy.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy, and my heart goes out to everyone mourning this loss,” said Gretzky. “This could have been preventable. Front-line staff in agencies like Children’s Aid Societies are doing their best, but they are stretched beyond their limit. Years of government underfunding have left our social-service system without the staff, resources, and supports needed to protect kids before a crisis happens.”
Gretzky said the Ford government’s failure to properly fund children’s aid, developmental services, family supports, and community-based mental-health services has created unsafe gaps across the province.
“When a child’s wellbeing depends on an overwhelmed system with chronic staffing shortages and wait-lists for vital supports, the results can be catastrophic,” said Gretzky. “We need to invest in prevention, in early intervention, in family supports, and in the dedicated people working every day to keep children safe.”
The Ontario NDP is urging the government to commit to sustained, predictable funding for child-protection and social-service agencies, and to ensure every child and family in Ontario can access the help they need when they need it.