LIFTED PUBLICATION BAN CONFIRMS AYLMER SOCIAL WORKERS WERE OUT OF LINE

ST. THOMAS, Ont., July 2, 2002 (LSN.ca) – The lifting of the publication ban on the case of seven Aylmer children abducted by Family and Children’s Services of St. Thomas and Elgin confirms that the children were well-loved and well-looked after; that they defended their parents actions, including spanking with instruments, because they knew it was done out of “love”; and above all, that the primary social worker responsible was a zealous rookie with little experience off the university campus.  Also confirmed is that it was an anonymous phone call that sparked the events that led to the abduction, which in turn prompted some area parents to flee to the United States for fear of further extreme actions by off-the-rail social workers led by Shelley West, a 27-year-old St. Thomas native with nothing but a B.A. in psychology from Brock University.  Last Friday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Thomas Granger threw out Ontario Court Justice Eleanor Schnall’s publication ban in response to an appeal by media and social welfare groups.  Revealingly, the Toronto Star writes today, having viewed videotaped social worker interviews: “The children are charming, spirited but never impolite, answering questions in an unaffected manner that contrasts strangely with the fake jollity of the adults questioning them. There’s no attitude, nor any paralyzing shyness. They laugh, they cry, they’re composed, they’re confused, they’re upset and through it all their demeanour is dignified and secure. They behave like children who know they are loved.”  For detailed Toronto Star coverage see:  https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1025206048830&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News&col=968793972154   For an Associated Press account see:  https://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Spanking%20Trial