January 4, 2018
City News
Parents can’t be faulted for their poverty, judge rules in toddler-custody case
An impoverished Halifax-area couple have regained custody of their toddler daughter, after a judge declared: “There is a difference between parents who are poor, and poor parents.”
The province took the little girl into care in June 2016 because of her parents’ multiple challenges, including mental-health issues, interpersonal conflict and unstable living circumstances brought on by poverty.
But Justice Elizabeth Jollimore said the biracial toddler was not put in a “culturally appropriate” foster home, and noted the couple have worked to improve their circumstances and relationship prospects.