Record number of Alberta children, young adults died while receiving provincial government supports: report

A record number of young Albertans receiving provincial government supports died over the past year, according to a new report published by the government.

The report shows 45 children and young adults died between April 2021 and February of this year. It includes 25 people from zero to 17 years old, and 20 between the ages of 18 and 24.

https://twitter.com/Tommy_Slick/status/1504147599212769287

There were also seven serious injuries reported in the same time frame, and over 200 so-called “substantiated instances” reported to children’s services.

Last year, the same report showed 34 people in government care died which was a record at the time.

Of those who died, two-thirds are still pending investigation, while eight have been classified as “accidental.” Two of the deaths are deemed to have been from suicide, while one was “undetermined.” None of the deaths to this point have been deemed homicides.

The numbers being reported include children who have been placed under initial assessment while still living at home, others who are placed outside the home, and young adults who receive financial assistance.

Thirty-four of the 45 deaths reported were Indigenous people.