U.S. judge rules boy can return to Calgary after nearly two years in foster care

[The Straight Story]

Almost two years after a 12-year-old Calgary boy was whisked into foster care in the United States in a bizarre custody dispute, an Oregon court judge has decided he's coming home.

Noah Kirkman will be back home in Canada in a few weeks, but there was no suggestion that anything was amiss that caused the youngster to be kept from his family for almost two years.

.....

The legal nightmare began when Noah was vacationing with his stepfather in small-town Oregon, while his mother and younger sister remained at home in Canada.

The boy was riding his bike without a helmet when he was stopped by police, but had trouble answering questions. He has severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but maintains an A average in school. Officials checked out his background and found an open social services file in Canada, which was the result of his special needs assistance, and that he was in the U.S. without his mother, his legal guardian and deemed her note permitting care by his stepfather wasn’t enough.

Noah was taken into custody to protect his welfare, although Oregon’s Department of Human Services won’t talk about the case citing privacy rules.

Noah’s mother, Lisa, and stepfather, John, who now resides with the family in Calgary and is the father of Noah's sister Mia, (he and his wife for a time lived in different cities) have been fighting to be reunited with Noah ever since.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/us-judge-rules-boy-can-return-to-calgary-after-nearly-two-years-in-foster-care/article1585405/

[JBoy]

1. There must be something weird about this case.

Why would they not have just gotten the boy back to his mother if they thought he should not have been with the father? Or at least returned him to social services in Canada?

[classof56]

2. Seems his mom may have had some issues that concerned authorities

I'm not good at copying links on my posts, but you could go to
www.statesmanjournal.com (Salem OR paper) and click on the
link center page "Ore. sends boy back to Canada despite
objections" for what appears to be a more in-depth
accounting of this case. Not sure how I feel about this, but
seems to have cost Oregon a whole bunch of money to get things
resolved. Hope it works well for the boy and he gets the help
he needs now and in the future.

[LiberalFighter]

3. If there were issues it was not within the jurisdiction of the US courts to decide them.

Or for any agencies.

They should had handed off the boy to authorities in Canada.

[Kber]

4. Here's the direct link

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100531/UPDATE/100530025

According to the article, he was in and out of foster care in Canada too. He is going to live with his grandparents in Canada, not his mother, who seems to have some minor difficulties of her own.

It also seems like they contacted Canadian authorities on the fist day. There are other details worth reading before forming an opinion, I think.

It seems more complicated than reacting to a kid without a bike helmet.

[uncle ray]

5. his mother was a vocal cannabis activist.

need i say more?