Canadian seniors struggle to care for foster kids
B.C. pair declined flight from Haiti to stay behind and care for daughters
Suffering from osteoporosis, parasites and a history of respiratory infections, Canadian Sebastien De Marre is so vulnerable to the coronavirus he should have been among the first to return home from abroad.
But when the government’s repatriation flight came calling earlier in April, the 69-year-old international aid volunteer refused to leave Haiti, where basic necessities and health care are inadequate in the best of times.
What De Marre, a retired camera technician, cannot leave behind are two foster children: Amaika, 8, and Rosena,12. He and his wife, Marie Paule
Brisson, 71, have volunteered in Haiti since after the 2010 earthquake. They’ve cared for the girls since they were babies.
“They are totally dependent on me,” De Marre said. “Could you just walk away from your young daughters, who have known no other parents or family, leaving them in a very poor, disadvantaged country where COVID is spreading and there is no medical care or support system or relatives to care for them?”
The couple from Nelson, B.C., have made numerous attempts to adopt them and bring them to Canada, but have run into one obstacle after another due to government bureaucracies and the civil service in Haiti, which is still in recovery from the massive earthquake.
De Marre and Brisson, a retired teacher, applied for a temporary residence permit on
April 23 for the girls to come to Canada until it’s safe in Haiti again.
Longtime family friend David Putt said he’s worried about the health of De Marre, who is alone with the girls. Brisson left Haiti in February to visit the couple’s adult son, but was then barred from going back due to COVID-19.
“Sebastian’s situation is extremely perilous. He is 69 and is very underweight. He has repeatedly had parasites and intestinal problems as well as other health conditions. If he gets the coronavirus, it is game over for him,” said Putt, 74, who has known the couple for 26 years and initially invited them to volunteer for Pure Water for the World in 2009.
“With COVID-19 now spreading rapidly to outlying areas of Haiti, including Jacmel, where he and the girls are, he is particularly susceptible to infection. The health system in Haiti is very minimal. He is taxed to the extreme to look after his daughters and himself in the deteriorating conditions in Haiti.”
Putt’s concerns over his friend’s situation prompted him to start an online petition pleading with Ottawa to issue the girls the temporary permits they need to enter Canada. The petition has collected 6,500 signatures in a month.
He has confirmed the Haïtian Institut de Bien Être Social et Recherches, a community services ministry, would issue an exit permit for the girls to come to Canada if the family can obtain a temporary residence visa from Ottawa.
The immigration department would not comment on the case except to say immigration matters like these are complex and challenging for the families.
De Marre said he and his wife have made numerous attempts to adopt the girls and spent a fortune on lawyers and immigration papers.
De Marre said it has been a struggle to care for the girls as basic necessities such as food and gasoline have become scarce. He is anxious that there may be no one to look after the girls if he gets sick because even those who said they would help have left the country.
He also worries about leaving the girls in an orphanage. “At least when I am here, so long as I am able, I can protect and care for them,” De Marre said.