The family of a 14-year-old Nova Scotia boy living on the street says red tape from the Nova Scotia government is preventing them from providing him with a safe home in Ontario.
According to family members, the boy, who cannot be identified as he’s under the care of the province, was abandoned by his parents when he was 12.
His uncle says they didn’t realize how bad it was until they returned home to Nova Scotia on vacation over the summer.
“Myself and my wife went downtown around 10:30 at night and there he was in the streets of Truro running around again with people that he shouldn't have been running around with,” said the uncle.
His aunt and uncle contacted community services to start the process to become his legal guardians.
“They took our information and they said, ‘Well if the relatives are willing to step up that's the best thing,’” the uncle said.
But they say the process wasn’t easy. They hired a lawyer and were eventually granted temporary custody.
Their nephew has now been staying with them for two weeks and is registered to begin school in Ontario.
“For the first time in his life he's had a stable home, stable people that care for him, that want to see him succeed,” said the uncle.
But then his life was turned upside down again with a call from the Nova Scotia government.
“He has to go back to Nova Scotia, back to foster care, start school in Nova Scotia, and then some time in the future, we don't know when he'll be returned to us, and then he has to pick up the pieces again here,” the uncle said.
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services says while she can't speak about specific cases, there are established protocols in place that guide interprovincial guardianship requests.
"It is normal for such placements to begin with short visits to provide both the child and the family with the opportunity to become acquainted before arrangements for permanent placement would occur," said the spokesperson in the statement.
But the uncle says everything is going great as is.
“He wants to stay (in Ontario). There's no doubt about it that he wants to stay (in Ontario),” said the uncle.
He says after raising two of their own children, he and his wife have jumped through hoops to be their nephew's guardians.
He claims it isn't fair that paperwork and procedures are preventing his nephew from living the life everyone seems to agree is best for a child.
The family is expecting a call from community services with flight options any day now, and they’re told they have no choice but to put him on a plane and send him back to the Maritimes.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.
