Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/3/2015 (2379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Girls are six times more likely to be reported missing in Manitoba than in other parts of Canada, and the majority of them are in care of child and family services.
The Opposition Conservatives, citing police figures, said the number of missing children and youth per capita in Manitoba dwarfs that of any other province.
The Winnipeg Police Service receives about 6,500 missing person reports each year, most of which involve vulnerable youth in CFS care.
The Tories said that while the problem is easing across Canada, it is getting worse in Manitoba.
Between 2010 and 2014, the total number of reported missing children and youth increased 22 per cent in Manitoba, while the Canadian average saw a 20 per cent decline, they said.
"Shedding tears is not enough," Progressive Conservative family services critic Ian Wishart said Tuesday. "This government and this department’s job is to help wipe away these tears. They are not. They are failing Manitoba’s most vulnerable children."
Wishart said in the short term, the province must do a better job of using the resources it has at its disposal. He said there are documented cases of vulnerable kids being housed in hotels when there were spaces available for them in shelters.
In the longer term, he said, the province must provide more supports to families rather than simply apprehending at-risk children.