PARENTAL ALIENATION AWARENESS DAY: Proclamation City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS Parents could cause children to suffer from Parental Alienation;
and

WHEREAS Some of the behaviours of Parental Alienation interfere with
parental communication and time together; and

WHEREAS These behaviours can interfere with a loving parent and child bond,
depriving children of their right to love and be loved by both
parents; and

WHEREAS Awareness, education and understanding, play an important role in
preventing the effects of Parental Alienation:

NOW THEREFORE, I, John Rowswell, by virtue of the power vested in me as
Mayor of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, do hereby proclaim and pronounce April
25, 2010 "PARENTAL ALIENATION AWARENESS DAY" in the City of Sault
Ste. Marie.

Signed,

John Rowswell, MAYOR

5th Annual Parental Alienation Awareness Day

Friday, April 23, 2010

Press Statement

5^th Annual Parental Alienation Awareness Day

Sunday, April 25^th marks the 5^th Anniversary of Parental Alienation Awareness Day. This day is marked on calendars around the globe to educate and bring awareness to the terrible abuse children suffer when they are alienated from a parent.

As an affiliate of the Parental Alienation Awareness Organization (PAAO), the Canadian Equal Parenting Council (CEPC) marks this day as a time to measure progress, socially and politically. The CEPC is a coalition of 42 family rights organizations with the common mission to secure every child's right to be equally parented when the relationship between the father and the mother breaks down.

While PAAO promotes awareness and support, the Canadian Equal Parenting Council lobbies for political change in how the laws deal with families in turmoil. A Joint press conference was held by the two organizations on Friday, April 23^rd at 10:00am at Queen's Park, Ontario with special guests Jill Egizii, author of The Look of Love, a novel about parental alienation and federal MP Jim Karygiannis.

"Education is key, but it must be backed up by action. There have been some very note worthy events in the past year and some public figures deserve credit for what they are doing right," says Kris Titus, Co-President of the Canadian Equal Parenting Council.

In Ontario, 130 family court judges and many mental health providers were trained and educated in how to recognize and deal with parental alienation.

The province also introduced their annual Family Day to reflect the benefits to society of healthy children and healthy families, and the Office of the Children's Lawyer has participated in coordinating workshops and conferences about dealing with high conflict divorce including parental alienation in whole or in part.

Federally, the Canadian Equal Parenting Council recognizes MP Jim Karygiannis for the introduction of motion M-267 in the House of Commons that reads as follows: "That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recognize Parental Alienation Awareness Day and designate April 25 as National Parental Alienation Awareness Day in order to raise awareness of the magnitude of this problem and its devastating effect on children."

MP Maurice Vellacott is honored for his Private Member Bill C-422 to amend the Divorce Act to protect parent/child relationships through presumptive equal parenting. The bill also encourages judges to take into consideration if there is manipulation or influence on the child when making custody decisions and encourages dispute resolution instead of ongoing conflict in family law cases.

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Contact: Kris Titus, Co-President – Email: Co-President_K_Titus@canadianepc.com, 905-987-5777
Brian Ludmer, VP Legislative Affairs – Email: brian@ludmerlaw.ca, 416-781-0334

Déclaration à la presse
5e édition de la Journée de sensibilisation à l'aliénation parentale

Dimanche 25 avril marque le 5e anniversaire de la Journée de sensibilisation à l'aliénation parentale. Cette journée est marquée sur les calendriers du monde entier pour éduquer et sensibiliser la population sur les terribles abus dont souffrent les enfants quand ils sont aliénés d'un parent.

En tant que société affiliée de l'Organisation de sensibilisation à l'aliénation parentale (PAAO), le Conseil de l'égalité parentale du Canada (CEPC) marque ce jour pour évaluer les progrès accomplis, socialement et politiquement. Le CEPC est une coalition de 42 organisations oeuvrant pour les droits de la famille avec la mission d'assurer le droit à tout enfant d'être élevé également par ses deux parents lorsque la relation entre le père et la mère éclate.

Bien que PAAO encourage la sensibilisation et le soutien, le Conseil de l'égalité parentale du Canada intervient pour un changement politique dans la manière dont les lois traitent les familles dans la tourmente. Une conférence de presse conjointe a été tenue par les deux organisations, le vendredi 23 avril à 10h00 à Queen's Park, en Ontario, avec des invités spéciaux Jill Egizii, auteur de « The Look of Love », un roman sur l'aliénation parentale et le député fédéral Jim Karygiannis.

"L'éducation est essentielle, mais elle doit être soutenue par action. Il y a eu quelques événements dignes de mention dans l'année écoulée et des personnalités publiques méritent d'être saluées pour ce qu'ils sont en train de faire », dit Kris Titus, Co-présidente du Conseil de l'égalité parentale du Canada.

En Ontario, 130 juges des tribunaux de la famille et de nombreux dispensateurs de soins en santé mentale ont été formés et instruits dans la façon de reconnaître et de faire face à l'aliénation parentale.

La province a également présenté la Journée de la famille, un événement annuel pour promouvoir les avantages pour la société d'avoir des enfants et des familles en bonne santé, et l' « Office of the Children's Lawyer » a participé à la coordination des ateliers et des conférences sur la conduite à tenir lorsque les gens sont aux prises avec un divorce très conflictuel, y compris l'aliénation parentale, en tout ou en partie.

Au fédéral, le Conseil de l'égalité parentale du Canada reconnaît l'initiative du député Jim Karygiannis pour la présentation de la motion M-267 à la Chambre des communes qui se lit comme suit: «Que, de l'avis de la Chambre, le gouvernement devrait reconnaître la Journée de sensibilisation d'aliénation parentale et désigner Avril 25 comme Journée nationale de sensibilisation à l'aliénation parentale afin d'accroître la conscience sur l'ampleur de ce problème et ses effets dévastateurs sur les enfants. "

Le député Maurice Vellacott est honoré pour son projet de loi privé C-422 modifiant la Loi sur le divorce afin de protéger les relations parent / enfant grâce à la présomption égalité parentale. Le projet de loi encourage également les juges à prendre en considération s'il y a manipulation ou d'influence sur l'enfant lors de décisions sur la garde et encourage le règlement hors-cour des différends au lieu de recourir aux tribunaux en droit de la famille.

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Contact: Titus Kris, Co-Président - Email: Co-President_K_Titus@canadianepc.com, 905-987-5777
Brian Ludmer, vice-président des affaires législatives - Email: brian@ludmerlaw.ca, 416-781-0334

PARENTAL ALIENATION AWARENESS DAY: 'It's a sad situation when your children are turned against you in family court'

Very good work by Sharon and Paulette. Congratulations! Tomorrow is the 1st anniversary of Paulette's climb to the top of the Cookstown Mall Tower to bring greater awareness of Parental Alienation.

Group targets divorce fallout

PARENTAL ALIENATION AWARENESS DAY: 'It's a sad situation when your children are turned against you in family court'

Posted 7 hours ago

Sharon Mawhinney hates to see her children upset. Unfortunately, as a result of her divorce, that's exactly what has happened.

But the Barrie mother of four said her children aren't the only ones hurting. The process and the mud-slinging have been hard on her, too.

"I'm a victim of parental alienation, and two of my children have been alienated," said Mawhinney, a member of Parental Alienation Awareness Ontario.

"My stage of alienation is severe and it's a sad situation when your children are turned against you in family court."

Mawhinney's personal experiences within family court motivated her to create an awareness event --

Parental Alienation Awareness Day (PAAD) -- to speak out against parental alienation and the emotional strain divorce puts on children.

The city's first PAAD event takes place Sunday at Centennial Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"A lot of people don't take the high road in family court, and the children get caught in the middle," she said.

"This event is about creating a public awareness about stopping this alienation of parents and kids. I'm fighting for parents' and childrens' rights.

"We're also encouraging people to speak up when they hear a parent bad-mouthing their ex-partner in front of their children," Mawhinney said. "Parents shouldn't be putting their hatred and their attitudes about each other on the kids."

Dr. Ken Marek couldn't agree more. The Barrie clinical psychologist said often when families split up, children will be affected on some level.

"There's often an incredible amount of emotion that comes with divorce and the kids do get caught up in it all or they become collateral damage," said Marek, who specializes in individual, couple and family counselling.

"The reality is, as much as divorcing parents attempt to make it an easy transition, it's always going to affect the kids somehow.

"Children often blame themselves for their parents splitting up, or try to think of ways to get them back together, or they'll start acting up," he added. "The more communication and civilized action there is between the parents, the children will adjust faster."

Mawhinney said she received approval from Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden to proclaim Sunday as Parental Alienation Awareness Day in Barrie.

The event is open to parents, children, grandparents and friends affected by alienation through divorce.

An information table will be set up with relevant books for sale, and children will be invited to blow 'bubbles of love' at noon during the event.

The bubbles symbolize a child's freedom to love both divorced parents, without feeling like they must chose a side, she said.

A similar event will be held in Alliston on Sunday, at 11:30 a.m. at Riverdale Park, near Stevenson Memorial Hospital.

Organizer Paulette MacDonald has been promoting the day for the past five years, and this year's event will include testimonials, singing and those same 'bubbles of love', which will be blown at noon all across Ontario and the world at these events.

"Those bubbles signify the ever rising love of our children and you can't contain the bubbles, just like they can't contain their love for their family," MacDonald said. "We're letting children know it's OK to love both parents."

MacDonald said even through her own divorce, that was the message she gave her children.

"I'm a divorced parent, and we decided to put our children first and didn't set foot inside a family court room," she said. "I just assumed that's the way all parents did it, to keep their children from getting caught up in everything."

After meeting her current partner in 2005, MacDonald was introduced to the more common way of divorce settlements.

"My partner's ex-wife began dragging them, and myself and my children, through the whole process," she said. "That's when we were all introduced to parental alienation and the emotional impact it has on children.

"Parental alienation usually occurs when there's an ugly divorce," MacDonald added.

MacDonald felt so strongly about this issue last year, that she scaled the water tower of the Cookstown Outlet Mall, dressed in a Batman costume, and hung a flying banner promoting parental alienation awareness.

"I also held a pre-event last year, before April 25 and we had a bunch of people come out to celebrate," she said.

The goal of both MacDonald and Mawhinney is to end this type of alienation among families, and have family court laws changed to prevent this from happening.

"The biggest problem is not enough people know this is happening in their own communities," she said. "It's going to take us years to get family laws changed, but we have to start somewhere."

MacDonald said character lessons at Simcoe County schools are helping prevent this problem.

"The school boards are doing a great job with character education," she said. "I want to see that bumped up."

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2548713
ncruickshank @ thebarrieexaminer.com