Dec. 3 will mark the seventh anniversary of Samantha Martin's death.
The 13-year-old lived in a Morinville foster home for much of her life and was released back into the custody of her parents in St. Albert five months before she died.
Her mother Velvet Martin said it's time for the government to admit the failures of the foster-care system.
"There comes a point where it becomes impossible to deny that there are problems. It's time to fess up now," said Martin.
After a four-year legal battle with the province, a joint investigation by the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald released this week found that a total of 145 children, including 57 babies, died between 1999 and 2013.
The government previously reported only 56 deaths over the same time period.
The report detailed deaths of infants by disease, sudden infant death syndrome, malnutrition and head trauma. Cause of death for teenagers included overdose, hanging and murder. A disproportionate amount of foster-care deaths – at least 69 – were children of aboriginal descent.
The investigation also found that only a fraction of deaths were investigated and even then recommendations were not necessarily followed up. Alberta has no system for studying trends among children who die in foster care.
After Samantha's death in 2006 from cardiac arrest – the alleged result of neglect in foster care – a public fatality inquiry was conducted in 2011.
Since the project has come to light, Human Services Minister Dave Hancock has called for a ministerial round table scheduled for January.
Martin said the move is evasive.
"It's becoming evident to a lot of people that that evasion is geared in the hope that the public will forget about it, that the media will die down and by that time we can just fluff over issues," she remarked.
"If we have a governing system that truly cares about the children then they will investigate right now, immediately."
Money not the answer
The report found Samantha, who suffered form a rare genetic condition called Tetrasomy 18p, only saw her family doctor four times in four years.
Alberta regulations require that children in care meet with their caseworkers face-to-face every three months. This did not happen in Samantha's case. The longest gap between visits was 14 months.
Martin said there are problems with the system, such as overloaded caseworkers, but she doesn't believe that one of Hancock's proposed solutions – to put more money into the system – is the answer.
"Outwardly it looks benign … if you allocate those funds into that system all it's going to do is fuel more apprehensions of children," she said.
She explained the system needs to be overhauled and funds instead allocated to preventive programs and supports for the families so their children don't end up in the system.
Martin has been an advocate for family-centred care practice ever since she was advised to put Samantha into the foster-care system where it was believed she would receive better care for her medical conditions.
"It's about taking control and giving it back to the families because often families know what is good for them far above anybody else," she added.
Martin sees the need for programs such as addictions counselling, parenting classes and family planning. She is hopeful the exposure the investigation has garnered will be the catalyst for change in the foster-care system.
