New Brunswick introduces new child protection legislation
Global News
On Wednesday, New Brunswick introduced new child welfare legislation to protect children and youth who are at risk of experiencing harm.
After a longstanding stint as Canada’s only province without standalone child protection laws, New Brunswick introduced new child welfare legislation on Wednesday to protect children who are at risk of experiencing harm.
In a release, the province said the Child and Youth Well-Being Act aims to promote “the interests, protection, participation and well-being of children and youth along with the health and well-being of families.”
Social Development Minister Bruce Fitch said in the release that the new act is the result of a comprehensive review of the child protection system conducted by consultant George Savoury more than three years ago.
Fitch said the act will also help modernize parts of the 40-year-old Family Services Act.
“The overall approach is child-centred, rather than parent-centred,” he said. “It recognizes how early detection and intervention is critical in matters where the well-being of a child or youth may be at risk.”
The act would give staff with the Department of Social Development the ability to act in protection of kids who are at “substantial risk of harm,” rather than reacting to harm that has already occurred.
It would also mean youth entering adulthood would no longer age out of the system, as some services will be extended until the age of 25 — though the scope of those services is still being determined.
Fitch said the legislation includes a mechanism that would allow for future review of the act five years after proclamation, and every seven years after that.
The FIFA draw ceremony will mark the first time Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be in the same room.
A new report finds anglophones face higher unemployment and lower wages in Quebec; gaps that researchers say carry major economic consequences.
Critics are questioning the solidity of Saab's pitch to deliver 10,000 jobs in Canada if it decides to set up shop here to assemble Gripen fighter jets.
The girl’s disappearance underscores long-standing concerns about the ease with which a parent can take a child to another country without the other parent’s knowledge or consent.
Asbestos cleanup, tight work windows and other TTC delays have slowed the build out of 5G cellular service in Toronto's subway system.
Alberta's UCP government is changing the rules to make it easier for citizens to force a referendum on issues such as the prospect of the province leaving Confederation.
An at-home DNA test given as a birthday gift solved an 80-year family mystery by revealing that a man in Quebec and a man in the Netherlands were long-lost brothers.
Lina Vargas was on the board for almost two years and told Global News that accountability and transparency are fundamental rights for all community members.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly told the House of Commons committee on international trade the move breaches federal contracts tied to manufacturing in Brampton and Windsor, Ont.
A targeted home invasion and kidnapping led to a gunpoint standoff with police and an overnight chase across Toronto. Two suspects remain at large, investigators say.
In a post on his LinkedIn account, Simon Donner says he resigned on Tuesday and he is grateful for the opportunity to help shape climate policy in Canada.
The development charges can vary greatly from city to city, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation report found.
The three leaders will be in Washington, D.C., for the FIFA World Cup draw, marking the first time they will be in the same room together.