Canadian Authorities to Rule on Foster Care for Children in Reclusive Sect
Last month, about 150 members of the group Lev Tahor (“Pure Heart”) decamped from a village north of Montreal to Chatham, Ontario, about 200 miles southwest of Toronto. Comprising about 40 families, the sect fled just before a Quebec court ordered 14 children into foster care. The children, from three families, range in age from 2 months to 16 years.
Quebec authorities said they had evidence of neglect, psychological abuse, poor health care and an education curriculum that fell below the province’s standards.
Earlier this month, Ontario child welfare authorities sought a warrant to uphold the Quebec order.
At a hearing Monday (Dec. 23) in Ontario, testimony from the Quebec court ruling painted a dire picture of life in the reclusive community. A court decision on child services was adjourned until Jan. 10.
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