Thu, July 16, 2009
Chip Martin The London Free Press
Ontario’s minister for children says she’s doing her best to ensure foreign adoptions started by a bankrupt private adoption agency are completed.
London MPP Deb Matthews said Thursday she’s following the situation at Kids Link International Adoption Agency, which operates under the name Imagine Adoption.
About 400 families are in limbo since the Cambridge-based firm declared bankruptcy Monday.
Matthews said “job one” is to complete about 20 adoptions awaiting federal paperwork such as visas. And she’s working with Jason Kenney, the federal citizenship and immigration minister, she said, “to speed that process.”
“We are trying to get the kids who in fact have already been adopted and are waiting for their Canadian visa,” the London- North-Centre MPP, reached in Newfoundland, said.
“We are trying to get that work done and get them into their new homes as soon as possible... we’ll get them home.”
About another 30 children have been matched with parents already but aren’t as ready to leave Ehiopia as the first 20, she said.
“Others have been matched, so they have been told and sent photographs of their child,” she said. “Parents form very strong bonds with their kids and it is a very important moment when that match happens. Those are the kids we are really focusing our actions on to see what options there could possibly be.”
Matthews said her ministry is considering all its alternatives to deal with the situation.
It is also attempting to ensure the safety of children still in a transition home in Ethiopia.
“It’s too early to tell how successful we are going to be but we are looking at every possible option.”
Imagine Adoption had its licence renewed in October and met all the requirements for such operations, she said.
“The licence states that they can perform adoptions that comply with Ontario law,” she said, adding “It does not seek speak to the financial viability of the company. These are private companies.”
In filing for bankruptcy, Kids Link revealed it owed $800,000 to 400 families and its assets of $723,004 were $363,000 less than its liabilities.
Matthews said bankruptcy trustee are sensitive to the plight of the children and families caught by the collapse and have been “quite wonderful to deal with.”
She directed those affected to monitor her ministry’s website at www.ontario.ca/children for developments.
Londoners Dave and Catherine LaRouche are among the anxious families looking for news.
More than a year ago they started the process with a visit to the agency’s office in Cambridge and since then have spent nearly $15,000 and still have no match.
“They said all the funds would be kept in trust,” he said.
LaRouche seemed relieved Matthews had been contacted and seems to be following the issue, but said he’d feel better if she hurried home from vacation to deal with it.
He said he views her comments as “a political posture... but I have to accept it.”
Chip Martin is a Free Press reporter.
No comments:
Post a Comment