ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — An aboriginal agency that was caring for a foster teen who died at a British Columbia hotel says the province appears to be shifting blame for political reasons.
Premier Christy Clark has accused the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society of making a "real mistake" for not telling the Children's Ministry that 18-year-old Alex Gervais was staying alone in a hotel.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the agency says the ministry can't distance itself from systemic issues that lead to devastating outcomes such as Gervais's death.
It says focusing on the agency appears to be a political move at a time when it needs leadership, not politics.
The agency says the ministry must work with it to ensure such a tragedy never happens again, and the plan must include proper residential placements for youth who need support.
Gervais fell from a fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel on Sept. 18, and his death has prompted the Opposition NDP to call for Children's Minister Stephanie Cadieux to resign.
