Submitted by Andy Davidoff,RDCK Area I Director
Dear Editor,
I have read the open letter in your publication to the Honourable Niki Sharma, the Attorney General of BC, and commend and fully support the collective efforts of everyone imploring the B.C. Government to fulfill its historic obligations to implement all of the recommendations contained in the B.C. Ombudsperson’s 1999 and 2023 reports to address the life-long trauma caused by the government’s forcible confinement of Sons of Freedom Doukhobor children in New Denver from 1953-1959.
The “New Denver Policy” adopted by the BC Government resulted in the incarceration of innocents and created child prisoners locked behind an oppressive physical barrier that intentionally created a searingly painful separation between the children and their parents, who were the ones that the government intended to punish.
As an educator and a local government elected official, I cannot imagine anyone ever inflicting such a draconian and harmful policy on children.
The following image insertion herein is titled “Child Prisoner #48” and is based on a photograph taken by William F. Perepolkin, the father of “#48”and depicts the above in a manner that may resonate with the current members of the B.C. Government, that I am copying in this letter, more than my words will.
I am hereby requesting them to take the lead in “righting the wrong” perpetrated by their predecessors.
It is time to release “#48” and all of the other innocent, child prisoners from their almost lifelong incarceration and to implement the recommendations that can help them to start to heal from their individual and collective trauma.
“…and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
Again, I encourage everyone supportive of righting this wrong to let our MLAs and B.C. Government know that the time to address this historic obligation is now!
Respectfully submitted,
Andy Davidoff RDCK Director, Electoral Area I; President, Kootenay Columbia Teachers’ Union
CC: Honourable David Eby, Premier; Honourable Niki Sharma, Attorney General; Honourable Katrine Conroy, Minister of Finance; Honourable Rachna Singh, Minister of Education; Brittny Anderson, MLA; Roly Russell, MLA
READ MORE: Doukhobor kids taken from homes in 1950s deserve compensation: report
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