32 children died in Alberta Children’s Services care from April to November 2022

Alberta’s Ministry of Children’s Services reports that 32 youth have died in its care from April to November 2022, which the NDP says is a record for that time frame.

In a report from the service, it shows that the number nears the total number of children that died in Alberta from April 2021 to March 2022, which was a record 49 deaths.

The number is one below the deaths recorded from the years 2017 to 2020 intake, which starts from April to March in those years.

Twenty girls and 12 boys died, and eight deaths happened to those under the age of five. Twenty of the 32 deaths happened to those under the age of 17.

In addition, a two-month-old died while receiving services on Dec. 27, along with three other deaths between the ages of 16 and 20 throughout December. There were also 117 children recovering from “substantial incidents.”

Eighteen of those deaths are “pending,” while nine are not under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). The provincial report says the manner of death is determined by the OCME in “most circumstances.”

“In some cases, such as when a child dies in hospital while under the care of medical professionals, an attending physician may determine the manner of death as natural, and no further review is required by the OCME,” the report reads.

When that happens, the classification of “Death not investigated by the OCME” is given. The province also states that the OCME is not able to investigate deaths if they happen outside Alberta, and a confirmed manner of death “may not be provided by the other jurisdiction.”

Results change from month to month, the report added.

Twenty-eight of the children who died are Indigenous, with 16 of them “pending,” while eight are not being investigated by the OCME.

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There are no other details about the specifics of the deaths from April to November, and the report has led the Alberta NDP to call the province out and provide more insight for a third time.

“Action is clearly needed now more than ever, as we learned that the number of children and youth who died while under legal guardianship of the government has broken last year’s record, and we’re not even at the end of the fiscal year,” said Alberta NDP Critic for Children’s Services Rakhi Pancholi.

“This is the third time my colleagues and I have put forward this motion for the UCP government to heed the recommendations by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, and clearly the response by the UCP is inadequate.

“There are deadly consequences for the UCP continuing on the same course.”

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) represents around 95,000 workers and includes 22,000 that work directly for the provincial government.

In a news release Wednesday, it says that understaffing and poor work conditions are leading to delays and are leaving vulnerable children at risk.

“Our members have been told by their managers that 46 per cent of positions in the North Region are vacant,” said Sandra Azocar, vice president of the AUPE.

It says that number doesn’t include those who are temporarily away from work for reasons that include sickness and maternity.

“Hiring and retention are significant issues when working conditions are so poor. Recently, we had zero staff in High Level and Athabasca, but this isn’t just a problem in rural areas,” Azocar’s statement reads. “Last week, I was told there were zero staff in the Sherwood Park and Fort Saskatchewan offices.”

She says the lack of workers and the “unmanageable caseloads” is leading to workers being away from the families they are assigned to for multiple hours at a time.

“Children at risk are left at risk, because no one is available to check on their well-being,” Azocar said. “They deserve better.”

CityNews has reached out to the office of Minister Mickey Avery for comment.