Lake Cowichan - Stuart R. Stirling of Duncan got it right in his letter published in your Jan. 9, 2015 issue when he stated, "There is a crisis in our province that is more pronounced in our community of children being taken from their homes to support a system that profits from children being kept in foster homes."
I applaud Mr. Stirling for coming forward and having a voice because the other piece to this which has not been mentioned is that parents of minor children in the Cowichan Valley are afraid to stand up against this Ministry, for fear they will be targeted by them.I know this, despite the fact I have no minor children, I know of no less than nine children who have been taken by the Duncan Ministry of Children and Families.Compare that to when I was raising my boys, who now are in their 20s. I raised them in Lake Cowichan; a small community where neighbours know one another, and everyone knows everyone's business.In the 20-plus years of raising my boys, I did not know of one child or family involved with this Ministry. I had not heard of any child ever being removed from their home. In the last two years, children being removed from homes in the Cowichan Valley has become an epidemic. What is going on?I will join Mr. Stirling's voice and call for a full independent investigation into this Ministry of Children and Families here in the Cowichan Valley, and I will stand up and speak for all those parents who are too afraid of this Ministry to do so.Susan LoweLake Cowichan