Thursday, March 10, 2016

Bulletin: Major Development: Motherisk: New Brunswick: CBC News investigation gets direct hit: The CBC reports today that the New Brunswick government has changed its position and will now review all child protection cases involving unreliable hair-based drug and alcohol testing from the discredited now-closed Hospital for Sick Children's Motherisk lab. (As many as 1,400 people in New Brunswick had their hair sampled there. "Close to 1,000 people from Nova Scotia had their hair tested at Motherisk, according to The Hospital for Sick Children. It estimates between 250 to 380 people had at least one positive test. While Ontario and New Brunswick have now banned the use of hair testing, Nova Scotia continues to use tests from other labs. The province says it's still deciding whether it will ban the tests.)


"New Brunswick will review all child protection cases involving unreliable hair-based drug and alcohol testing from the discredited Motherisk lab, following a CBC News investigation.  The provincial government had previously said it would only review closed cases if a family requested a second look. The Department of Social Development now says it will proactively check its files, as critics questioned whether flawed drug tests may have caused children to be permanently separated from their parents.........The change of heart is the latest move by the province to address concerns about the questionable tests.  Last week, the provincial government said as of March 1 that it has stopped using hair testing from any lab as evidence in child protection cases. Ontario did the same last April.  The Department of Social Development also vows it will stop using hair testing from any lab as evidence against parents in court, MacLean said.  The Department of Social Development also vows it will stop using hair testing from any lab as evidence against parents in court, MacLean said. As many as 1,400 people in New Brunswick had their hair sampled at Motherisk's Toronto lab, a CBC News investigation has revealed.  Hundreds of those people produced at least one positive test between 1997 and 2015, results the lab now admits may be inaccurate.  Norman Bossé, the province's child and youth advocate, has argued the New Brunswick government should review all cases involving the discredited hair testing.  Ontario has launched a sweeping review into 25 years worth of cases, looking to see if hair-based drug testing was given too much weight by judges.........Close to 1,000 people from Nova Scotia had their hair tested at Motherisk, according to The Hospital for Sick Children. It estimates between 250 to 380 people had at least one positive test. While Ontario and New Brunswick have now banned the use of hair testing, Nova Scotia continues to use tests from other labs. The province says it's still deciding whether it will ban the tests. The province also hasn't committed to proactively reviewing its files to see if harm was done by Motherisk's testing. Nova Scotia says it will only examine individual closed files if government receives a request from a person, their lawyer or a children's aid agency."