May 8, 2017
SHARE
CANADALAND
#182 It Was Illegal To Print Their Names: Alberta’s Lost Children
Since the late 1990s nearly 800 children in Alberta government care have died. Veteran Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons has been shining a light on this crisis since the start. In November 2016, Simons published a story that shocked the province. It was about a four-year-old girl named Serenity. Let down by a wide range of government and non-governmental services, Serenity was the victim of horrific abuse and neglect. Simons’ article, Her name was Serenity. Never forget it. spurred the Notley provincial government to convene an all-party committee to investigate the multiple failings of Alberta’s child welfare system. Her tireless coverage earned Simons honourable mentions from the National Newspaper Awards and the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom. She joins guest host Omar Mouallem for the episode.  
Omar Mouallem
Russell Gragg
Producer

Since the late 1990s nearly 800 children in Alberta government care have died. Veteran Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons has been shining a light on this crisis since the start.

In November 2016, Simons published a story that shocked the province. It was about a four-year-old girl named Serenity. Let down by a wide range of government and non-governmental services, Serenity was the victim of horrific abuse and neglect.

Simons’ article, Her name was Serenity. Never forget it. spurred the Notley provincial government to convene an all-party committee to investigate the multiple failings of Alberta’s child welfare system.

Her tireless coverage earned Simons honourable mentions from the National Newspaper Awards and the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom.

She joins guest host Omar Mouallem for the episode.

 

More from this series
The army of hidden workers who fool you into thinking AI is magic.
January 13, 2025
This is one shitty story. Is Canada’s sewage infrastructure ready to be flushed?
January 6, 2025
Since the blockbuster success of his musical “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda has been busy: acting, directing, and composing for Disney projects, including the upcoming movie “Mufasa: The Lion King.” 
December 30, 2024
“…you have this attempt to actually change the Aurora Borealis. to affect it physically. This was called Project Waterhole. So they sent up a rocket with 100 kilograms of explosives, and exploded it in the Aurora Borealis band. Within two seconds, they had created a 40 kilometer wide hole in the Aurora Borealis.” - from The Forgotten Need to Probe the Sky
December 23, 2024
“Here's something that not many people know about the baby business.  There are ‘leg-men.’ We call them ‘leg-men’ though some of them are women, who make it their business to find pregnant women who are not married. The leg-men look for them in a million and one places. They meet them in bars and parks and cafes and all over. They hear things.”  - Eugene Moyneur (ex-wrester, ex-bodybuilder, baby-smuggler)
December 16, 2024
“The people who want to play morality police and decide who does or doesn't get to speak, they're not qualified arbiters of anything.” - Caryma Sa’d
December 9, 2024
Are dentists defrauding the Canadian government?
December 2, 2024
The Millenium Bug was supposed to bring the world to a halt, but governments claimed they squashed the problem. Was it all a panic over nothing?
November 28, 2024
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
CANADALAND