‘The system has fallen apart’: A child dies every 3 days under Ontario’s care network

Every three days, a child involved in Ontario’s care system dies, according to provincial data obtained by Global News through freedom of information laws. The data tracked the deaths of 354 children from 2020 to 2022 who were either in government care or had social work files open or closed within 12 months of their death.

These alarming figures have sparked concern among advocates who argue that the government is failing its duty to protect vulnerable children. "I’m mortified, I had no idea this many kids were dying who have been in or around the care system," Ontario NDP MPP Monique Taylor told Global News. "This number is absolutely terrifying and confirms my lack of faith in the government’s ability to care for our most vulnerable kids."

In 2020, Ontario’s Child Welfare Operations Branch began compiling death notifications through "contentious issue reports." Over the next three years, the number of deaths reported was 104 in 2020, 129 in 2021, and 121 in 2022—an average of 118 deaths annually, or roughly one every three days.

The data provides details about how and where children died and their ages, although the full picture remains troubling. Most of the children who died were under the watch of child welfare agencies but were not living directly in government care. In 2020, for example, 63 children died with open cases, 34 of whom were still living at home under supervision. Similar patterns continued in 2021 and 2022, with a significant portion of children dying while their cases remained open.

Sara Austin, founder and CEO of Children First Canada, highlighted the gravity of this trend, stating, "What’s most alarming to me is the number of children dying who have open case files. They should be within a safety net, but we’re seeing these are the children at highest risk."

The leading cause of death over the three years was listed as "undetermined," accounting for about one-third of the cases. Medical deaths followed, with accidents and suicides comprising a smaller percentage. However, advocates argue that many deaths remain unexplained, and the lack of mandatory investigations into these cases has left significant gaps in understanding what went wrong.

"When someone dies in a correctional facility, an inquest is triggered," said former Ontario child advocate Irwin Elman. "But we don’t have the same guardrails in place for child deaths in the care system." He added that the lack of public inquests prevents a deeper investigation into systemic failures.

Taylor echoed this sentiment, calling for more transparency. "We know our systems are broken, so we need public inquests to determine where the system failed these children," she said. "Full public disclosure is necessary every time a child in care dies."

Advocates are urging the Ontario government to act quickly. "We have ample data showing the system is failing our children," said Austin. "This is a crisis. The child welfare system is not protecting those it was designed to care for."

Global News requested an interview with Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa, but the request was denied. In a statement, the ministry acknowledged that "the death of any child is a tragedy" and pledged to improve data collection and overhaul the child welfare system. However, the redesign process has been slow, and it remains unclear how or when it will be completed.

Elman criticized the response from official organizations, describing a "matter-of-fact, business-as-usual" attitude. "Each child’s death is a failure of the system to meet the most basic standard—keeping them alive," he said. "It’s not okay."

Taylor stressed that urgent action is needed to prevent more child deaths. "One child is too many; 354 in three years is completely unacceptable," she said. "The truth is clear, and it’s time to fix the system so that families can trust it to protect their children."