Jack, Paul, Lucy and Barbara-Anne Chapman
The Daily Mail in the UK has a story about the Chapman family's ordeal on August 8, and this is from the Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald in July when the family was told to leave Canada:
When Paul and Barbara-Anne Chapman arrived in Canada in July with their two children, they expected to be welcomed with open arms.
After all, the British natives were planning to immigrate permanently to Nova Scotia, open a small business, hire up to 25 local people and move into a newly purchased home in Fall River. But instead of a warm reception, Mr. Chapman says they have been told to pack their bags and leave the country because their daughter Lucy has a mental disability.
The seven-year-old has Angelman syndrome, a rare chromosome disorder. She is unable to speak and has the mental capacity of a three-year-old but requires no additional medications or physical assistance.
"It’s just ridiculous," Mr. Chapman said in a phone interview July 24. "It’s not a crime to be disabled."
The family had applied to come to Canada three years ago but were denied entry, they said, because their daughter would place too high a burden on the Canadian health care system.
But in October 2005, just months after they were turned away, the disabilities section of the Immigration Act was modified. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that government officials should consider each case individually when determining whether a family that includes a dependant with a disability should be allowed to immigrate to Canada.
In light of the new development, the Chapmans reapplied to move permanently to Nova Scotia under the province’s immigrant nominee program. After a gruelling two-year process, they recently received approval from the provincial government.
"We had to have six sponsors, and the Greater Halifax Partnership had to recommend us, and the province had to approve us as well," Mr. Chapman said. "We’re highly skilled and we’ve had businesses in the U.K. before, so we’re quite experienced.
"It’ll be good for the people of Nova Scotia, it’ll be good for everyone."
Thanks to Bill and the Bad Cripple blog for the tip about this story.
