To give grandparents in Ontario increased legal access to their grandchildren.

According to Kim Craitor, who has recently re-introduced a bill to the Ontario Parliament to increase the legal rights of grandparents, there are thousands of grandparents in Ontario who are for various reasons denied access to their grandchildren. Quebec and some other Provinces already recognize such rights. We think it is important that Ontario should follow suit. While accepting that there may be certain cases in which the courts would be justified in denying access, there are many in which access is denied merely on the whim of the parents. This is a gross injustice, given that it is widely recognized that grandparents can play an important role in enriching the lives of their grandchildren, and that preventing them from having the opportunity to do so can cause great pain and suffering.

Our own case provides an example. I am an eighty-year-old Grandpa - Granny is seventy. After having had many happy times with our two grandchildren (now aged eight and six) since they were born, our daughter decided about a year ago that she did not want this to continue. She wants us 'rationed' to two visits a year, and she refuses to allow the children to contact us in any way, or to thank us personally when we send them presents or messages.