According to statistics that have been presented by the Winnipeg Police Service, nearly 6,500 people were reported missing last year in the City of Winnipeg alone. That is an astonishing number. What is even more concerning is that, according to police, the vast majority of those that are reported missing are “vulnerable youth who are in the care of Child and Family Services (CFS).”
That means that each and every month there are more than 500 people, mostly at risk youth under the watch of CFS, that are reported missing to police. There are a number of consequences as a result. The first and most important is that hundreds of young people are at risk on any given month in Winnipeg. The NDP Minister of CFS downplayed the number suggesting that the majority of the children who go missing are found within 48 hours. Yet, we have seen too often the tragedy that can happen when at risk youth are missing.
The staggering number also creates immense challenges for police who are tasked with trying to find those that are reported missing. With more than 500 reports of missing children a month the resources that police have to try to find those that are missing is stretched to the maximum.
If you are wondering how Manitoba compares to other provinces in this regard the answer is poorly. Most other provinces are seeing a reduction in missing children and youth while Manitoba has seen an increase. In fact, according to federal statistics, girls are six times more likely to be reported as runaways in Manitoba than anywhere else in Canada. And where are the signs that this problem is getting better? There really aren’t any.
The number of children in care seems to only be going up. In January there were 10,673 children and youth reported to be under the care of Child and Family Services. That’s significantly more than the same time last year. And as CFS struggles to deal with the number of children under their watch, are these children and youth finding safe and appropriate homes? Not according to the Department of Family Services which reported in January that there was a spike in the number of children under CFS care who are being housed in hotels. This after years of promises by the NDP to end the practice and several failed strategies.
The number of children and youth in care is rising, the number of vulnerable children and youth reported missing is increasing, police resources are being strained and many of those in CFS care still don’t have appropriate housing. After 15 years, the NDP have clearly broken their promise to keep Manitoba’s most vulnerable children safe.
