Sneh Duggal
The Trillium
June 25, 2025

The provincial ombudsman said it's "disappointing" his office continues to see cases of families reaching the "heartbreaking conclusion" to surrender their kids to children's aid societies to get them care they need.

"I don't know about surprised, but it's disappointing, and some of these cases are very heartbreaking and harrowing," Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé said Wednesday as his office released its 2024-25 annual report.

The report noted 15 cases his office addressed last fiscal year of "families surrendering custody of children with complex special needs to children’s aid societies (CASs) in order to get them the care they needed."

Dubé said while he can't speak to whether the cases were concentrated in any particular region of the province, it's an issue his office has been "dealing with for decades."

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