Changes to adoption policies internationally force Canadian agencies to shutter, leaving couples in limbo

Patricia and Aaron Pearson were overjoyed when, after four years of trying, they finally conceived their daughter Emma.

But they always dreamed of giving her a sibling. Since pregnancy had been such a struggle, and they knew there were children out there that needed a home, they turned to Choices Adoption and Pregnancy Counselling Agency on Vancouver Island.

The couple spent $12,000, underwent numerous background checks, had a home study and took part in an education course. They were registered in the domestic adoption program and on the wait list for a South African adoption when they received an announcement from Choices last week.

The e-mail informed them Choices was closing as of May 31, staff were working to find another agency to take on the Pearsons’ file and they would be in touch, Patricia Pearson said.

“We were pretty shocked. It seemed to come out of the blue. We hadn’t had any indication that they were struggling financially or that this was a possibility,” she said.

“There isn’t a solid plan in place. That was pretty frustrating. We felt that the board should have done their due diligence and had some more specific options in place before sending out something like that.”

Choices is the latest private adoption agency to shut its doors due to changes to international adoption policies. More countries are looking to place children with local families who share their culture, which is resulting in fewer kids being available for adoption in Canada.

Jane Cowell, board chair for Choices, said about 140 families were in various stages of adoption through the agency and it is working with the Ministry of Children and Family Development to create plans for ongoing services for the families.

There are only two private adoption agencies left in British Columbia, after Family Services of Greater Vancouver closed in November due to the decline in overseas adoptions.

Statistics kept by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada show that international adoptions declined by 21 per cent between 2015 and 2017, from 903 down to 712.

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