Police Chief Adam Palmer wants to see improvements in the quality of support for aboriginal children to avoid another tragedy like the well-publicized case of a 19-year-old woman whose life was marked by an indifferent social care system until she died of a drug overdose in the Downtown Eastside.
Palmer made the comment in a letter he sent in May to Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs in regards to a report released by the B.C. Representative for Child and Youth that detailed the sad tale of Paige (her surname wasn’t released) and how she didn’t get the help she needed from various authorities before her death in 2013.
“I share your concerns about the tragic circumstances and too-short life of Paige,” said Palmer in letters obtained by the Courier this week that reveal how Paige’s file is now the subject of an RCMP investigation. “I hope we will see systematic improvements to the supports for aboriginal children such as Paige and all vulnerable children, flowing from the Representative’s report and any subsequent investigations.”
Paige died after years of abuse, neglect and what Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the Representative for Children and Youth, wrote in her report was “persistent inaction from front-line professionals and an indifferent social care system that led to this young woman’s demise.”
Palmer wrote his letter in response to Phillip’s request that a police investigation be launched to determine why — in several instances — police, health officials, social services workers and others failed to report that Paige needed protection under the Child, Family and Community Service Act. In his letter, Phillip requested an outside agency lead the investigation because of Vancouver police’s history with Paige.
Palmer said the department was reviewing its policies relevant to the report and sending a reminder to all officers about their obligations under the Act. He acknowledged Phillip’s point that some of the allegations involved VPD officers but noted there were many examples in the report which showed police provided Paige with help.
“I want you to know that our officers work very hard every day to provide excellent service to people of all ages and from all walks of life in our city,” the police chief said. “We also have a great working relationship with the Ministry of Children and Family Development and have processes in place whereby we communicate with the ministry on a daily basis.”
Last week, news broke that the RCMP was investigating the allegations in Turpel-Lafond’s report. That investigation was launched after Palmer contacted Dan Malo, the acting deputy commissioner of the B.C. division of the RCMP, who agreed to have the Mounties examine the allegations of non-compliance under the Act.
“The Vancouver Police Department will cooperate in every way possible with any such investigation undertaken, as it did with the investigation by the B.C. Representative for Children and Youth,” said Palmer, noting Police Complaint Commissioner Stan Lowe was also contacted about Phillip’s concerns.
Cpl. Janelle Shoihet, an RCMP media relations officer, told the Courier police took over the file in the summer and continue to examine the scope of the investigation. Asked where police would begin in what could be an exhaustive and complicated investigation, Shoihet said “you look at the facts and you start drilling down into each and every fact.”
Added Shoihet: “It’s a tedious and long process and sometimes investigations are years in the making.”
In an interview this week, Turpel-Lafond said she was pleased the RCMP was following up on her report, noting such an investigation was unprecedented and could result in a person or persons facing a fine up to $10,000 and six months in prison.
“Many people in our system of care in British Columbia will have their eyes opened by this process, and it’s overdue,” she said. “In Paige’s entire life, there were only 30 child protection intakes, yet in the last three years of her life in the Downtown Eastside, there were literally hundreds of incidents where people should have reported there was a child in need of protection and didn’t.”
Phillip said by telephone this week that it was “good news” that a police investigation is underway but said the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs will be “very vigilant in terms of ensuring that it doesn’t just get swept under the carpet.” In his letter to Palmer, Phillip wrote about his concern that many people may have adopted an attitude of not bothering to report cases involving vulnerable aboriginal girls to the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
“This culture of complacency has to be responded to with urgency and focus so that we can be confident, as can other First Nations’ chiefs, leaders and families that we do not discount the value of some children’s lives,” he said. “Because Paige was an aboriginal girl in the Downtown Eastside, made here abuse and neglect no less significant than were she living in any other place. Indeed, we would suggest to you we know this is a place of grave danger for girls like her.”
Paige died of a drug overdose in a washroom adjacent to Oppenheimer Park.
@Howellings
