An Ontario teen lived in this shed while under the watch of Children’s Aid. ‘Everybody knew, nobody cared’

Detailed summary

The story of a teen who lived in a shed for months at a time while under the watch of Children’s Aid is a stark illustration of how Ontario’s health and child welfare systems are failing youth with complex needs, leaving agencies and families to rely on makeshift, unlicensed arrangements when appropriate treatment and housing can’t be found.

James was 15 when he first moved into the shed in his parents’ driveway in Woodstock, Ont. It was a small, weathered building meant to store tools and camping gear. It had no window, no bathroom. Just a futon and a desk, his PlayStation, some fishing rods, and a few hockey posters taped to the plywood walls.

The teen lived in the shed for months at a time, through summer heatwaves and winter storms, all while under the watch of an Ontario children’s aid society.

James — that’s his middle name — has a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes behaviours his parents could no longer safely manage at home. Over two stretches since 2024, he spent a total of 15 months in the shed.

The Children’s Aid Society of Oxford County approved the placement, according to James’s parents, and emails reviewed by the Star show staff at the ministry responsible for children and youth were also aware of the…

Opening of the article, excerpted from Toronto Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.