Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Breaking News and Publisher's note: Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto suspends Motherisk hair drug testing. Toronto criminal lawyer Dan Brodsky says, “Today’s move seems to be an acknowledgement that the work done at Motherisk might have led to wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice in some cases." Publisher's Note: New posts on pause for several weeks (with the exception of breaking news) while I complete a writing assignment. But keep in touch! Best wishes. Harold Levy. Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.


BREAKING NEWS: "Sick Kids suspends Motherisk’s hair drug testing; The Hospital for Sick Children cites questions that arose in its own review of the Motherisk lab in suspending the program, pending the results of a provincial review.........The Hospital for Sick Children has suspended its controversial Motherisk drug and alcohol hair-testing program amid new questions about analyses carried out by the laboratory, which have been presented as evidence in an unknown number of child custody and criminal cases.  The decision, which comes in the wake of a Star investigation, has potentially wide-reaching implications — both for child welfare agencies that rely on the testing as proof of parental substance abuse and for cases that have hinged, in some part, on Motherisk’s results. In a statement Thursday, Sick Kids said that “questions have arisen that require further analysis” amid an ongoing provincial review and an internal probe of the hair-testing program. As a result, it is halting “all non-research operations” at the Motherisk lab, pending the results of the independent review, announced last November. “Today’s move seems to be an acknowledgement that the work done at Motherisk might have led to wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice in some cases,” said Toronto defence lawyer Daniel Brodsky, who sits on the board of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Readers. Due to a 'writing' assignment,  I will not be filing fresh posts  (with the exception of breaking news) for several weeks. When I am back in action I will make up for lost time with a vengeance. In the meantime, please keep me up to date with developments and don't hesitate to bring new matters of interest to this Blog to my attention at hlevy15@gmail.com.

Best wishes,

Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.
 
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;