Alberta cabinet minister cites limitations in child care death probe

Alberta’s children’s services minister, facing demands she break up a family under investigation in a child’s death, says she doesn’t have blanket power to take children away from their biological parents. (Photo: ann_jutatip/ Flickr)

EDMONTON – Alberta’s children’s services minister, facing demands she break up a family under investigation in a child’s death, says she doesn’t have blanket power to take children away from their biological parents.

Danielle Larivee says judges, not politicians, make that call and they won’t do so without direct evidence.

Larivee has been under fire from political opponents after it was revealed this week that caregivers at the centre of the horrific death of a four-year-old girl in kinship care still have custody of their natural children.

Opposition members say those kids need to be removed from the home for their safety.

But Larivee says the kids are not being harmed and are being assessed by social workers.

Larivee would only say the checks are “intermittent” and declined to give further information on safeguards, citing privacy laws.