“INA landmark court decision, ~ a North. Vancouver. foster mother has won a bitter six- “year battle, after social work- ers secretly withheld the trou- bled history of a teenage ward who. inflicted long-lasting ltrauma and possible sexual e “assault upon her three-year- old daughter. . ‘, By Brent Mudry _ Contributing Writer B. C. Supreme Court Mr. Justice . Thomas. Melnick awarded Barbara Donaldson and her young daughter $122,400 in a judgment critical of ‘her handiing by Ministry of Social , Services staff. a ‘- In a decision released Monday : in Vancouver; the judge also found. .sministry staff. blackballed i Donaldson, twice trying to destroy : jobs won by the whistleblower, ot’, The decision ‘is believed to be the first time that a court has held _ B.C.“ government social workers . liable for negligence in their con- ; “tractual duties to foster parents. . The five-day civil trial this sum- - Mer: was closely watched by both ministry officials and. other ‘dis- » gruntled foster. parents. The care-providers ‘have been “safraid to incur the wrath of min- istry staff and jeopardize their fam- “ilies and. livelihoods by challeng- - “ing social workers’ ‘ decisions. Foster parents from other areas of BC, told the News that a series. of : From age 1 Grubel added, ple to enter politics.': He said those who: run 1 must leave “ But Liberal may of Canada B: c. yo president’. Celso: Boscariol: said ; the ': - pension plan allows middle class pec=:, Judge slams S other lawsuits may be launched in the wake of the Donaldson deci- sion. The case traces back to 1989, when Donaldson accepted a 13- _ year-old girl into her home. Donaldson: was experienced in dealing with disturbed children with emotional problems, but min- istry staff failed-to tell the whole truth, opting to minimize the girl's ‘ past troubles. - Social worker Sohan Singh was 66 It doesn’t take the pain away .... but it ‘has closed off that part of my life. _ Foster mother Barbara - ‘Donaldson . . ot : ‘i i h q " more candid in an internal ministry memo one year earlier. The teenager, Singh stated, was “at times rough (slapped a child on the head) with the younger chil- dren in the houschold.” But neither Singh nor his suc- cessor revealed the full history to Donaldson. Donaldson ‘became: suspicious ‘jobs. that,’ may not, be available when’ their political careers are over. »-Boscariol said’ he. has tried «to * a -fecrult middle- cla citizens torun for : “federal office. The money isa big impediment, sand what happens afterwards is a big impediment,” he said... 'He'called the Reform party “40 opt out ‘short-sighted, saying’ no thought. has been-given to what. the WEST VANCOUVER MP. ultimate effect of the cuts’ will be.’ “We don’t want politics to become Herb Grubel.” -the exclusive club of millionaires. like (Reform party leader) Preston ". Manning,” he said... “| think they. have captured an issue ‘and tied to get as much political capital as they can out of it.” * North Vancouver MP. Ted White. backed Grubel’ Ss reasoning. , White asked for a pension plan similar to ones offered by’ iarge pri-. vate- sector corporations. White said he’s puzzled by Cummins’ decision to accept the feds’ pen- ion plan.” He it] have t to explain that to his constituents.” said White, their t retirement fund, taxpayers contribute $3.80. The; Liberal plan a aliows MPs to start collecting full pensions at age 55. If ordinary Canadians want to col-- “-dect pensions before age 60, they must take a 3% annual cut in benefits, say ‘ Reformers. - Progressive Conservative’ Jean ‘Charest leads the MPs payout parade, He will be eligible for $4.26 million infully indexed payout to age 75. Prime Minister Jean Chretien is eligi- “ble for $1.75 million, said the Reform ‘, party. Numbers provided by the ‘National Citizens’ Coalition (NCC) differ from some Reform numbers. ; (The NCC said’57 MPs, including. - six, Liberals, who opted out will save TED p wre: MP. for North « taxpayers $33 million. If Charest lives to 75, he will receive. $3. 461 million. remove Donaldson‘s repeated pleas for “put ‘A TWO-YEAR ec ocial Services -as she saw her toddler quickly’ decline “after the teenage girl moved in. The three-year-old described as a bright, cheerful, self-assured child who enjoyed playing in groups. She -:soon became withdrawn, and especially” upset in the presence of the teenag- a “er. ; “She acted like avery fright- . ened chi!d.” the judge noted. “Iam satisfied that she was sexually abused by the teenager.” Donaldson's daughter requires special counselling and therapy to recover from her abuse, and special tutoring to catch: up in “school. Justice Melnick noted that it took munths fer, social workers .1o the “teenager, despite help. : Donaldson was $30,000 for lost earning capacity and $35.720 for assorted damages. Her daughter. was . awarded $61,740 for future care and coun-_ . _ selling. “This serves as a fair warning to safeguards, in place,” Donaldson's: lawyer, Cochran said. Donaldson hopes her court win will help other families in similar situations. “tt doesn’t take the pain away + but it has closed off that part of ma my life.) she told the News.-“Itis a huge breakthrough.” . ; ~) Councils municipal. collaboration: con- - cluded Monday night with the councils of .North Vancouver joint commission to operate - the: North Vancouver Museum and Archives.. « NORTH VANCOUVER ‘DISTRICT COUNCIL ‘By Martin Millerchip” a |The: “ conimitment has funding implications municipalities ‘and’ could: pave the way for both a’ new. museum, and the creation of a $3.65 million Heritage... Services: Centre (archives), It could also force a decision on the future of Presentation House: District councillors compared the creation of the. new commis- sion to the North Shore Recreation’ Commission and wondered. out loud how long it would be before a “joint library board could be creat- ed. Coun. Pat Munroe described the ' process as “harmonization”; Coun. Don Bell called it “amalgamation “by degree.” .. - Coun. went even further. a Although she voted:for the cre- , ‘ationof the commission and .the _ funding formula, Goldsmith-. Jones . described ‘the process’ as “quite “bizarre and rather insulting.” : “The only reason we are debat- . ing. this whole thing is to decide © “whose priority is what because we - should be amalgamated municipal- ities,” said Goldsmith-Jones. “Instead, we have to makeup a-- .whole bunch of things (the «new, “commission),- debate: things ; and - (museum, director) Robin Inglis: : has- ‘to drive between two council was now ‘awarded Doug ; exercise. in, huge’ for, -both:: ‘Dykeman: ~ Museum Commission to’ develop and main- ; -tain'an appropriate level of muse- Pam Goldsmith-Jones ; WEST VANCOUVER firefighter Gord Howard hoses down fur-/ niture at 3080 Roseberry Ave. while the family dog surveys the. situation. A fire likely started by a cancle destroyed a child's’ bedroom last Friday. The homeowner. tried'to put out tha fire. : © Museum Sociéty: 2 employers. ~City and District agreeing in’ ‘principle: to the creation: of a Museum’ staff would ‘become. of the commission. a the “range. of, $444, 000 I the. district underwrites $17, 0 for ‘archival '- services and storag +. Monday® nights: Under the formula, agreed: wo on” “ commit; to: funding" approximately : “$60,000 in 1996 and move,’over a” four-year: period, to” funding: 50% of the total museum/archives bud- get. | Staff expe a 50% share to be : “in the region’ of $241,000." NVD COUN. Pam. ‘Goldsmith: Jones ...“we should be amal- ° . gamated municipalities: oe mectings. Irs absolutely ridicu- “lous.” Conimented | ‘Mayor - Murray. “The! history that. we have over the last five ot.six years is already merged and is already. amalgamated and is already in one place, and J think we,can just do.a “ better job by'doing good business.” The city and district will agree by bylaw: Fito "establish the North Vancouver / and Archives - um.and archives services in North Vancouver; / i to approve an annual budget and’ _to share. in’ the’ provision of an annual subsidy to the commission, and moe HM. to approach the issue of new - facilities as-a shared endeavor that, would ‘be, subject to negotiations / and expenditures outside the scope of the. annual operation and Als, ‘budget. pe ’ “There will be nine ‘commis-! sioners ‘appointed for. three- “yeur terms: four from each municipati- ty and one-representitive of the Friends: of the ' North: Vancouver “years "Capital costs'of any:new facili-. ty would be'in addition to that bud- get. i : " The joint’ city/district.. commi ; ‘tee that’ recommended the creation’ of the Museum ' Commission: calso - indicated | that!-a “new - Heritage.’ ervices Centre ‘could be’ devel-*..:,: oped within the next: three. to’ five “years .on.a district: site. at Lloyd -Avenue and West 3rd Street-across » “from the ICBC claims centre! ..~: The cost of such a 23,000 sq. ft. (2,137 sq m) building ini 1996 dol-' : fa lars is estimated at $3,650,000.:". - -. Inglis described the creation of : the’; Museum - Commission