Who is watching over the MUSH sector? (CHCH News)

CHCH Story
November 26, 2011

Anchor:
Well. Just who is watching the Children’s Aid society? That question seemed to stymie Premier Dalton McGuinty in Niagara Falls today. McGuinty was giving rank and file Liberals a pat on the back at the party’s provincial council, and while he got a warm reception from party faithful, Scot Urquhart reports there was a chilly greeting from protesters outside.

SU: As rank and file Liberals rose to their feet to praise Dalton McGuinty, a handful of protesters outside demanded changes to the law.

Protester1: We’re looking for oversight by the Ombudsman of the MUSH sector.

SU: What is the MUSH sector?

Protester2: Universities, colleges, Children’s Aid Societies, and police services.

SU: Right now, those public agencies are beyond the reach of the provincial Ombudsman. Complaints against them are handled by the ministries that run them. The protesters say that system doesn’t work.

Protester1: If a child dies in care, nobody’s accountable for it.

SU: That issue was brought into tragic focus by the murder of two-year-old Marissa Whelan. Her body was found on the Six Nations reserve in October. She had disappeared in July, but no one reported it, including her mother. Roseanne Whelan was later charged with her murder. Family members claim that the CAS had been notified more than 50 times that the toddler was at risk, but did nothing.

When asked about giving the Ombudsman oversight of the MUSH sector, McGuinty said:

McGuinty: We have given the Ombudsman oversight, over the Children’s Aid Societies for example.

SU (to Protester1): Is that news to you?
Protester1: Definitely. There’s no Ombudsman oversight of the Children’s Aid Societies. Ontario’s the only province in the country that does not have oversight by the Ombudsman.

SU: Later, when asked to provide clarification of the discrepancy, the Premier’s press secretary sent us an email.

Leslie O’Leary, Assc. Press Secretary

“...the Premier misspoke earlier today if he spoke about expanding oversight to the Ombudsman instead of the Auditor General.”

SU:  Now the Liberals have given the Auditor General more freedom to look into the financial dealings of the CAS, but the Ombudsman still doesn’t have any power to investigate complaints against them. There was a bill on the table to accomplish that goal, Bill 131, but it died when the provincial election came along. There is still, however, one more chance to change things, and that’s the Drummond Commission report. It is due very soon, and it may recommend an expanded role for the Ombudsman, to investigate not only the CAS, but hospitals, colleges, universities, and police services as well.