Christian, against, because, Children, children

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Christian couple says child welfare removed foster children because they refused to say Easter Bunny is real

A Christian couple says two foster children were removed from their home and their eligibility as foster parents cancelled by the Hamilton Children’s Aid Society because they refused to say the Easter Bunny was real.

Derek and Frances Baars, who lived in rural Hamilton at the time but have since moved to Calgary, filed a lawsuit against the CAS on Tuesday, alleging a child support worker insisted the couple proactively tell two girls in their care, aged three and four, the Easter Bunny was genuine, despite the couple’s belief that lying is wrong.

“We have a no-lying policy,” Derek Baars said in an interview.

“We explained to the agency that we are not prepared to tell the children a lie. If the children asked, we would not lie to them, but we wouldn’t bring it up ourselves.”

The Baars are members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.

Courtesy of Derek Baar
Courtesy of Derek BaarDerek and Frances Baars.
The couple was content to hide chocolate eggs for the children to find on Easter, play games and buy them Easter dresses, but this did not satisfy the support worker, who insisted the Baars go out of their way to instil a belief in the special power of the Easter Bunny as an essential part of Canadian culture, the couple claims.

Derek recounted an awkward meeting with the worker, where she told the Baars they were “required” to “affirm the existence of E.B. and S.C.”  — with the worker using initials for the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus as the children were present.

“We said that we would neither confirm nor deny the existence of these two mythical creatures but were not prepared to lie,” he said.

Soon after, the two girls in their care were removed.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, a conservative non-profit organization that defends constitutional freedoms through litigation, is sponsoring their lawsuit. The CAS has not yet had an opportunity to review the court documents.

“There are two sides to every story,” said Dominic Verticchio, executive director of the Hamilton CAS.

There are two sides to every story
He disputed any allegation the CAS was disrespectful of the Baars’ beliefs and said the CAS works to have the customary practices of children placed in care continued while in foster care.

Frances Baars, 31, and Derek Baars, 36, were married in 2010 and have been unable to conceive a child of their own. The couple applied to be foster parents in 2015. They completed a five-day training program, during which they discussed their beliefs with the CAS, they claim.

“We had talked with the trainers about the fact that we do not celebrate Halloween, for example,” Frances said in a sworn affidavit.

The couple passed a home study after numerous interviews and home visits and were approved as foster parents. Their position on the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and Halloween are noted in the CAS home study filed in court, as is the fact that Derek is blind.
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