LilMtnCbn
01-07-2005, 06:21 AM
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1105037755483_10044695
5/?hub=Canada
Ont. may waive adoption fees for tsunami orphans
Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Ontario government is considering waiving fees for
international adoptions for children in south Asia orphaned by the tsunami
disaster, a spokesman for Children's Services Minister Marie Bountrogianni said
Thursday.
"The call for adoption could come, and we want to make sure that Ontario is
ready,'' said Andrew Weir, senior communications adviser to Bountrogianni.
Ontario charges $460 for international adoptions involving relatives, and $925
for non-relatives. Weir said Bountrogianni is considering forgoing those fees
for tsunami victims.
"The minister is looking at a number of things, one of which is the fee, and
another is making it as easy as possible for families to deal with both the
federal and provincial government,'' he said.
Weir's comments came the same day a Sri Lankan-Canadian businessman made a plea
to Premier Dalton McGuinty to help the thousands of children orphaned by the
catastrophe.
"So many children left behind are orphaned, and we have to take care of those
kids,'' Ganesan Sugumar told McGuinty.
"Most of the Canadian-Sri Lankans would like to help the children who are most
important to us.''
International adoptions are regulated under provincial adoption laws, federal
immigration laws, and the laws of the child's country of origin.
NDP critic Marilyn Churley said many of the estimated 600,000 people in the
Toronto area with family in the devastated region of south Asia would be hard
pressed to pay the adoption fees.
"I'm sure many, many, many of these families ... would not be able to afford
that high fee,'' Churley said.
She said the Ontario government has been "shamed'' by the disaster into
reviewing the adoption fees, but noted the Liberals had called the fees "an
odious head tax'' and promised to scrap them when they were in Opposition.
"Now when they have the opportunity to get rid of this `odious head tax,'
they're only considering getting rid of it for people from the devastated
area,'' Churley said.
"We are demanding today that the government come out and just say these will be
waived, and do what they promised to do in Opposition.''
Conservative critic Cam Jackson also called on the government to scrap the
adoption fees.
"This is a simple one; the government just has to make a decision,'' Jackson
said. "We need to facilitate those adoptions for cousins and the nieces and
nephews who are orphaned.''
Weir stressed it's too early to think about adoptions because international
agencies in the disaster area are working to reunite orphaned children with
other relatives.
"At this point, what the minister is focused on is just making sure that
Ontario is ready to help if and when the affected countries do determine they
have children who would benefit from inter-country adoption,'' Weir said.
"That's usually something that comes a little bit later in the process.''
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
5/?hub=Canada
Ont. may waive adoption fees for tsunami orphans
Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Ontario government is considering waiving fees for
international adoptions for children in south Asia orphaned by the tsunami
disaster, a spokesman for Children's Services Minister Marie Bountrogianni said
Thursday.
"The call for adoption could come, and we want to make sure that Ontario is
ready,'' said Andrew Weir, senior communications adviser to Bountrogianni.
Ontario charges $460 for international adoptions involving relatives, and $925
for non-relatives. Weir said Bountrogianni is considering forgoing those fees
for tsunami victims.
"The minister is looking at a number of things, one of which is the fee, and
another is making it as easy as possible for families to deal with both the
federal and provincial government,'' he said.
Weir's comments came the same day a Sri Lankan-Canadian businessman made a plea
to Premier Dalton McGuinty to help the thousands of children orphaned by the
catastrophe.
"So many children left behind are orphaned, and we have to take care of those
kids,'' Ganesan Sugumar told McGuinty.
"Most of the Canadian-Sri Lankans would like to help the children who are most
important to us.''
International adoptions are regulated under provincial adoption laws, federal
immigration laws, and the laws of the child's country of origin.
NDP critic Marilyn Churley said many of the estimated 600,000 people in the
Toronto area with family in the devastated region of south Asia would be hard
pressed to pay the adoption fees.
"I'm sure many, many, many of these families ... would not be able to afford
that high fee,'' Churley said.
She said the Ontario government has been "shamed'' by the disaster into
reviewing the adoption fees, but noted the Liberals had called the fees "an
odious head tax'' and promised to scrap them when they were in Opposition.
"Now when they have the opportunity to get rid of this `odious head tax,'
they're only considering getting rid of it for people from the devastated
area,'' Churley said.
"We are demanding today that the government come out and just say these will be
waived, and do what they promised to do in Opposition.''
Conservative critic Cam Jackson also called on the government to scrap the
adoption fees.
"This is a simple one; the government just has to make a decision,'' Jackson
said. "We need to facilitate those adoptions for cousins and the nieces and
nephews who are orphaned.''
Weir stressed it's too early to think about adoptions because international
agencies in the disaster area are working to reunite orphaned children with
other relatives.
"At this point, what the minister is focused on is just making sure that
Ontario is ready to help if and when the affected countries do determine they
have children who would benefit from inter-country adoption,'' Weir said.
"That's usually something that comes a little bit later in the process.''
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
