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Lawsuit filed against Sask. government over foster child death

May 28, 2015 | 12:53 PM

A father is suing the Saskatchewan government over his son’s death in foster care.

Twenty-two-month-old Evander Lee Daniels drowned in a tub full of scalding water back in 2010. Daniels was living in an overcrowded foster home when he died. The house was officially approved for three foster children. At the time there were five children, all under the age of four, living there.

A report released earlier this month by provincial children’s advocate Bob Pringle found that multiple failures by the ministry of social services contributed to Daniels’ death.

Chris Martell, Daniels’ father, has filed a statement of claim against the provincial government. He said he’ll likely need a lifetime of care, having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since his son’s death.

“I didn’t want anybody to know I had it. I kept it a secret, but the symptoms are just too much. It’s just, the anxiety, all the other symptoms are just too much to bear,” he said. 

Martell also touched on his treatment at the hands of the ministry after Daniels died.

“I was just left to the side. I wanted answers and I wanted information. I never got anything from them for five years,” he said.

Martell said he and his family have been raising funds to cover legal bills for the case. He said so far the lawsuit is costing him $10,000.

– With files from News Talk’s David Kirton

news@panow.com 

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