A FATHER AND SON FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES, THEIR RIGHTS, AND THE RIGHT TO STAY TOGETHER

Our family moved from Canada to Dominica in April 2025, hoping to build a new life together. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a fresh start has turned into a situation my son and I could never have imagined.

MY WIFE ALLISON’S DECISION TO LEAVE DOMINICA AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING HER DEPARTURE.

My wife of 23 years, Allison, who was born and raised in Dominica and had lived there for the first 18 years of her life, was the person who originally wanted our family to move from Canada to Dominica. However, after we relocated, she eventually decided, after eight months, that she no longer wished to remain in Dominica and chose to return to Canada, leaving our son and me behind.

The circumstances surrounding her departure were, at the very least, deeply troubling and appeared to involve a deliberate attempt to conceal her intentions from both Eexii and me. Based on a text message exchange I discovered between Allison and our daughter, it appeared that Allison had already been planning to leave Dominica and return permanently to Canada months earlier without informing either her son or me of her intentions. Had I not discovered those messages, Eexii and I would not have learned of her actual intentions.

What I found particularly upsetting was the apparent plan to allow us to believe that she was simply going to visit family in her home village of Dublanc. She would then spend the weekend there and depart that Sunday for Canada without informing us of her actual intentions. The apparent intention was not to tell Eexii or me until she was either boarding the aircraft or had already arrived back in Canada.

After 23 years of marriage, during which there had been no domestic abuse, infidelity, violence or any other serious marital issues that could remotely justify such a course of action, I found this deeply upsetting and difficult to comprehend.

What hurt me most was that this involved concealing such a significant decision from her own son. Eexii and I could have been left completely unaware of what was happening, without any opportunity to understand the situation, discuss the consequences or make arrangements for our future as a family. After more than two decades of marriage and raising a family together, I found it particularly distressing that such a life-changing decision appeared to have been planned without even giving her own son the opportunity to understand or prepare for what was about to happen.

When I subsequently raised the matter with Allison, she assured me that it had simply been a poor choice and that there was nothing more to it. She further reassured me that her return to Canada was only temporary. She explained that she intended to return to work for six months and that, if circumstances had not improved for Eexii and me in Dominica by then, we would relocate together to Barbados under the CARICOM free movement arrangements.

I relied on those assurances and understood that we were still working towards a future together as a family, whether that meant remaining in Dominica or eventually moving to Barbados. I had no reason at that point to understand that she was leaving with the intention of permanently separating from us.

Ultimately, Allison returned to Canada on January 8, 2026, leaving Eexii and me in Dominica. The assurances she had given me about returning to work temporarily and relocating together to Barbados were an important part of why I initially believed this was a temporary arrangement. The circumstances that followed were very different from what I had been led to expect.

THE ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO CANADA WITH OUR SON

Before the events that led to our homelessness, Allison attempted to convince Eexii to return to Canada without informing me. As I understand it from Eexii, she planned to return to Dominica in secret, arrive at our home, have the police accompany her, and get Eexii to come with her. She intended to have Eexii have his belongings ready in a suitcase, and then leave with him to return to Canada, leaving me here alone and without first informing me of what was happening.

Eexii did not agree with Allison’s proposed arrangement. He understood that what he was being asked to do was not something he wanted to be part of, and he made it clear to her that he did not want to leave Dominica and return to Canada. He wanted to remain in Dominica with me.

Throughout his life, I have been the parent primarily responsible for his day-to-day care, upbringing and well-being. He views me as the only parent who has consistently been present, protected him and provided his support. He did not want to be taken away from the home, relationships and life he had chosen to remain part of in Dominica.

MY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND MY REQUEST FOR ALLISON TO RETURN HOME AND CARE FOR OUR SON

After Allison returned to Canada, the decision and the manner in which it was apparently planned marked the beginning of the circumstances that have since left Exii and me struggling to maintain stability and support.

 

At thebeginning of April 2026, I explained to Allison that I had secured employment at the InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa and that I would earn a high income. I explained that my employment meant she no longer needed to remain in Canada working to support us financially. I asked her to return to Dominica so we could resume living together as a family, and so she could take responsibility for caring for Eexii and managing the household while I worked.

My initial working hours were expected to be extremely demanding, approximately 6:00 AM until 9:00 PM, for the first couple of months while I established myself in the position. I explained that I needed her to be present to look after Eexii during those hours and, for the first time, take on the day-to-day parenting and household responsibilities. For our children’s lives, I had been the sole parent who stayed home, raised and cared for the children and managed the household while Allison worked. I felt it was now reasonable for her to take on those responsibilities so that I could work and provide financially for the family.

My intention was for us to work together, rebuild our stability and eventually secure suitable accommodation in Portsmouth, rather than continue living in the Loubiere area. I was offering her an opportunity to return home, be present in her son’s life and allow me to establish the financial security that we hoped to achieve when we moved here.

At that point, Allison made it clear that she had no intention of returning to Dominica, despite it being her country of birth. She stated that she hated the country and the people, and that she intended to remain in Canada. At that time, she effectively presented me with an ultimatum: either Eexii and I return to Canada, or she would proceed with a divorce after a year and would immediately withdraw financial support from us.

In other words, I was being told that unless I agreed to return to Canada with our son, she would end the marriage and stop supporting our household financially. This placed Eexii and me in an extremely difficult position, as I was trying to establish employment and build a stable future for us in Dominica, while being threatened with the withdrawal of the financial support on which we were desperately dependent.

After discussing the situation with Eexii and explaining the ultimatum Allison had given us, I asked him how he felt and whether he wanted to return to Canada. He made it clear that he did not want to leave Dominica. After considering his wishes, we made the decision that we would stay in Dominica and continue trying to build our lives here.

Following that decision, Allison withdrew the financial support we had depended on. She refused to pay the rent for April, leaving us without electricity and cooking gas for more than half of the month. We were consequently forced to walk down to the beach every day to prepare our meals because we had no gas at home.

Our circumstances became particularly desperate because I had virtually no money available to purchase groceries. For almost the entire month of April, Eexii and I were reduced to eating little more than plain rice with seasoning. We had no fish, chicken or other meat, and no vegetables to add to our meals. We were simply trying to survive on whatever little food we could afford.

What made this situation even more difficult was that Allison knew I had secured employment, and knew that I would not receive my first paycheck until the end of April, approximately May 1. Despite knowing this, she told me that maintaining the household was now entirely my responsibility.

She also made it clear that she would not provide me with money for transportation to get to work, despite knowing that transportation would cost approximately $900 EC for the month. In effect, she expected me to pay the rent, purchase groceries, maintain the household and cover all our living and work-related expenses immediately, while simultaneously refusing to provide the money I needed to get to the very job that would eventually allow me to do those things.

She also left it entirely up to me to find suitable accommodation in Portsmouth, despite knowing that my working hours would initially be approximately 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM and that travelling from one end of the island to the other would take a significant amount of time. This would have meant spending much of the day away from Eexii, with little opportunity to manage the practical arrangements for relocating and securing a home while maintaining my employment.

I believe Allison’s withdrawal of support was retaliatory. Allison had given us an ultimatum: return to Canada or face the consequences of her ending the marriage and withdrawing financial assistance. Eexii and I chose to remain in Dominica, and I believe she responded to the decision by making our circumstances as difficult as possible, apparently hoping that the pressure of having no rent paid, no electricity, no cooking gas, inadequate food and no transportation money would eventually force us to give in and return to Canada.

This was particularly distressing because I had done exactly what I was supposed to do to improve our circumstances: I had secured employment and was trying to establish a reliable income so that I could support my son. Instead of allowing me the short period necessary to receive my first salary and become financially independent, Allison withdrew the very support we needed to reach that point.

I was effectively being expected to maintain an entire household without having received any wages, while also being denied the transportation money needed to attend work and being left responsible for finding new accommodation. The consequences were not simply financial inconvenience. Eexii and I were left struggling to obtain adequate food, cook our meals, maintain basic household services and preserve our accommodation.

In my view, the timing and circumstances strongly suggest that the withdrawal of financial support was intended to punish us for refusing to return to Canada and to create living conditions so harsh that we would eventually have no choice but to abandon our decision to remain in Dominica.

However, there is an important part of this story that cannot be overlooked.

WE BELIEVE OUR HOMELESSNESS WAS DELIBERATELY CREATED

After returning to Canada, Allison stopped providing the financial support necessary to maintain our accommodation. She did not pay the rent for April, and she also failed to provide the money needed to cover the May rent. As a result, we fell behind on our rental payments and ultimately lost our home at the start of May. This left Eexii and me without stable accommodation and placed us in an increasingly difficult financial situation.

What makes this particularly concerning is that, immediately after she did this, she contacted the Division of Social Services seeking to have our son apprehended and returned to Canada because of the situation.

Her withdrawal of financial support, the resulting loss of our accommodation and the request to have our son removed from my care were connected.

She deliberately created the circumstances in which we could no longer maintain stable housing, which she believed would make it easier for the Government of Dominica to justify removing our son from me and returning him to Canada, leaving me behind in Dominica without my family, financial support or a home.

I was left trying to keep our family together with virtually no resources, while simultaneously facing efforts by the Government of Dominica to have my son taken away and exiled from Dominica.

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SON AT CHANCES

This is perhaps the most disturbing part of our entire story.

On May 7, 2026, the Government of Dominica took my son from my care and transported him to Police Headquarters in Roseau. He was subsequently transferred to CHANCES, a government-operated residential facility for children in State care considered abandoned or in need of protection.

My son was not simply taken somewhere he did not want to go. According to his account, what followed was a frightening and traumatic experience involving repeated physical assaults, hours of intimidation, threats and treatment that has left me deeply concerned about his safety and well-being.

During the apprehension itself, my son was searched by Police after asking to speak with a lawyer or have his father present. His retainers were thrown onto the ground and broken after being deliberately stepped on. His phone was also thrown onto the ground and appeared to have been damaged.

During the journey and while waiting at Police Headquarters, he says officers and Social Services personnel repeatedly insulted me in front of him, telling him I was a bad father and that they were happy to have removed him from my care.

My son also describes being physically assaulted by a police officer during questioning. According to his account, the officer used physical force in an apparent attempt to intimidate him and pressure him into answering questions. My son repeatedly refused to answer and continued stating that he wanted a lawyer. He says the officer responded by physically assaulting him in an effort to make him speak.

He further describes the officers repeatedly speaking to one another in Patwa, then looking at him and laughing. This made him feel singled out, intimidated and humiliated. He also recalls an officer making comments about having previously shot someone who had attempted to take his firearm. My son found these comments frightening and extremely intimidating, particularly in the circumstances in which he says he was being questioned and physically assaulted.

PHYSICAL ASSAULTS INSIDE CHANCES FACILITY

Once he arrived at CHANCES, my son says he was given absolutely no explanation about why he was being detained there.

He reports that when he asked for clean drinking water after being given a glass of water that appeared dirty, a staff member wearing blue struck him three times on his left calf with a short wooden broom handle.

On another occasion, a staff member wearing red allegedly struck him repeatedly with a wooden paddle-like object, grabbed him by the hair and pulled and dragged him towards his shares room while repeatedly calling him “boy” and shouting at him in Patwa.

He says he was forced into the room and the door was locked from the outside.

The physical treatment allegedly continued the following day.

My son says a staff member wearing red struck him on the head while he was taking a nap on a couch, and he was told to clean the approximately 12 shared rooms on that floor. My son refused, and the staff once again resorted to violence.

When he attempted to return to his room, another staff member wearing blue grabbed him from behind around his neck and upper body, choking him.

During this incident, he reports hearing the staff member use an explicitly racist slur about his skin tone against him.

While he was being choked, the staff member wearing red allegedly repeatedly kept striking him across his back and left side with the same wooden paddle-like object.

He says he was subsequently grabbed by a staff member wearing blue, his hair and dragged towards his room, where he was again locked inside alone for hours.

INTIMIDATION, ISOLATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE

My son also describes being repeatedly questioned and interrogated by five different women, Government of Dominica employees, while confined in isolation in his room.

He repeatedly requested to speak with a lawyer or have his father present. According to his account, those requests were ignored.

Instead, he says he was repeatedly questioned about our family circumstances, my employment history, his mother, his Canadian passport and whether he would agree to return to Canada.

He also reports being told that:

 

• His father was a bad parent and had abandoned him.
• His father would be killed if he did not return to Canada with him.
• His pets would be killed if he refused to return to Canada.
• He would never leave the facility, and that it was now his new home and family.
• Previous comments that he should harm himself were subsequently dismissed as jokes.

He says these questions and statements were repeated over and over until he felt mentally overwhelmed and pressured to almost agree to return to Canada.

QUESTIONS ABOUT POLITICS

Perhaps even more concerning, my son reports being questioned about his political interests and our political movement.

Among the questions he recalls being asked were:

• What is the name of your political party?
• Do you know who Roosevelt Skerrit is?
• Why do you want to lead a political party?

He also reports being told that only educated people could enter politics and that he should return to Canada to complete his education.

I find it deeply troubling that a child who had just been removed from his father’s care, without explanation, was being questioned about political involvement by Government of Dominica employees while also being subjected to these other circumstances.

WHAT HE WITNESSED HAPPENING TO OTHER CHILDREN

My son also describes witnessing disturbing incidents involving other extremely vulnerable children at the facility.

He reports seeing a young Asian girl being beaten with a belt by a staff member after being removed from her bed.

He further describes an incident involving a teenage girl in a wheelchair who was distressed and screaming. According to his account, a staff member placed her hand over the girl’s mouth and subsequently slapped her on the side of her head, like the incident with him on the couch.

He also reports witnessing a staff member reach into a crib and strike a baby approximately seven to nine months old who was crying.

These are particularly distressing allegations because they concern children who may have limited ability to communicate, defend themselves or seek help.

My son says witnessing these incidents left him frightened and emotionally overwhelmed.

LOCKED ROOMS, POOR CONDITIONS AND DENIAL OF CONTACT

Throughout his short stay at CHANCES, my son reports that the door to his shared bedroom was repeatedly locked from the outside for periods of several hours, leaving him confined inside the room and unable to leave.

He describes being unable to sleep because of cockroaches in his bed and room, extreme heat and a non-functioning fan.

His phone was withheld, with staff telling him that police had instructed them not to allow him to communicate with his father.

He was not provided with a meaningful opportunity to contact me, obtain independent assistance or legal counsel while these events were taking place.

He also says staff consistently referred to him as “boy” while addressing other children by their names, making him feel singled out and degraded.

HE ESCAPED AND WALKED APPROXIMATELY 14 KILOMETRES TO COME HOME

On the evening of May 8, after being repeatedly told he could not leave, my son eventually managed to get out of the facility.

He walked approximately 14 kilometres back to where I was staying in Madrelle.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., I heard him calling for me. He came running towards me, screaming and crying, visibly distressed and terrified. I embraced my son and reassured him that he was safe and that he was home.

After he had calmed down sufficiently, he began telling me what had happened. I recorded portions of our conversation. When I examined him, I observed marks and bruising on his back and legs. He attributed these injuries to the physical assaults he described experiencing inside CHANCES.

I recorded on my phone the visible injuries and subsequently asked him to write down everything he could remember about his experiences. Because I feared he would be located and returned to the facility, I arranged for him to stay somewhere separate and undisclosed.

We have retained information relating to these events, including photographs, video recordings and his written account.

AND NOW, IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN

Despite everything my son has reported experiencing while in government custody at CHANCES, the Government of Dominica is once again seeking to have him apprehended and returned to that facility for a further four months.

I am deeply concerned that, having failed in its initial attempt to have my son removed from Dominica “Before Courts Get Involved“, despite his Dominica citizenship, the Government of Dominica is now attempting to achieve the same outcome indirectly by having me removed through immigration proceedings.

This would leave my son without his father in Dominica just months before he turns 18 on March 7, 2027, effectively removing the very family support he wishes to retain as he approaches adulthood.

Of particular concern is the apparent conflict of interest involving the Immigration Officer Valda Powell, who was directly involved in the original attempt to have my son removed from Dominica. Following that unsuccessful attempt, the same officer subsequently denied my immigration extension, relying on the circumstances of my son’s apprehension and effectively characterizing me as an unfit parent. I believe this raises serious questions about whether the denial of my immigration extension was retaliatory and effectively a second attempt to achieve what the Government had previously failed to accomplish: removing me from Dominica and thereby leaving my son without his father.

There is also a significant contradiction in the reasoning used to justify that decision. The officer’s position was apparently that I was an unfit parent, yet my son subsequently lived in my care for approximately five and a half months following his apprehension, and the Government was aware of his whereabouts and that he was living with me throughout that period. No attempt was made to apprehend him during that time. It is difficult to reconcile the claim that I was unfit to care for my son with the fact that the Government of Dominica knowingly allowed him to remain in my care for those five and a half months. The same incident that resulted in my son being taken from me is now being used to justify removing me from the country, raising serious concerns about retaliation, procedural fairness, and the improper use of immigration powers.

We cannot understand why the response to our family’s circumstances has only been from the begining is to further separation rather than meaningful assistance to help us establish a safe and stable home.

WHY WE BELIEVE OUR POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT MATTERS

During our time in Dominica, we established a growing political movement focused on democratic reform, Direct Democracy, transparency, accountability and protecting the rights of ordinary people.

Since becoming involved in this work, we have experienced circumstances that have caused us to question whether our political involvement has influenced how our family is being treated.

My son reports being questioned about the political party while inside CHANCES. Then, during the October 19 Civil Claim proceedings brought by my son and me concerning his apprehension, the immigration officer Valda Powell made several references to political party-related social media posts.

Why is our political involvement being brought into proceedings concerning the welfare and safety of my son?

We have also experienced repeated difficulties maintaining Facebook accounts, including accounts created for ourselves and our political movement being disabled shortly after creation.

We cannot establish that every action is politically motivated. However, the Government of Dominica’s employees repeated references to our political activities in circumstances involving my son’s removal have raised serious concerns that we believe deserve public attention.

A WARNING ABOUT MY SON’S LIFE THAT I BELIEVE WAS IGNORED

On October 23, 2026, I formally notified the Government of Dominica, DSS, the Ministry of Health, and other relevant government individuals that Eexii had told me he would end his own life if he were taken away from me and returned to State care.

He made this statement because he was adamant that he would never return to CHANCES after what he says he experienced during his previous stay there. He had described being hurt, physically assaulted, intimidated and threatened while in the facility. He also told me that he had been confined alone in an isolated room, behind a door with no window, for approximately five hours. He explained that it was during this period of isolation that thoughts of killing himself first began.

Consequently, even the prospect of being returned to CHANCES brought back the fear associated with those experiences and caused him extreme emotional distress. His refusal to return was not simply a matter of preference or defiance; it was rooted in what he described as deeply distressing and frightening experiences that had profoundly affected him. The prospect of being placed back into those same circumstances was something he genuinely feared.

I did not take his words lightly. I deliberately brought this information to the attention of the authorities because I was genuinely concerned that forcibly separating my son from me and returning him to the same institution would place his life and mental health at serious risk.

Despite notifying DSS and the Government of Dominica, I received no communication expressing concern about his immediate safety. Nobody contacted me to ask for further information. Nobody requested to speak with Eexii about what he had said, arranged a professional mental-health assessment, or explained what steps would be taken to protect him.

I find this extremely difficult to understand. When a child tells a parent that he will take his own life rather than return to a particular environment, that warning should prompt immediate attention, a proper assessment and appropriate professional intervention.

The Children (Care and Adoption) Act 2023 is also relevant to these concerns. My understanding is that it places the child’s safety, welfare and well-being at the centre of decisions, requires the child’s views to be considered according to his age and maturity, and provides for investigation of previous concerns about a child’s care, including his physical, mental and emotional health.

Instead, on October 29, 2026, at 2:22 PM, just six days after I provided this warning, DSS contacted me demanding that I bring Eexii to them so that he could be returned to State care.

In other words, after I had expressly warned that returning him to State care would place his life at risk, the Government of Dominica was still pursuing his return to that very institution.

This is especially concerning because I had already informed the Government of Dominica about the injuries Eexii says he sustained during his previous stay at CHANCES. I told them I had photographs showing marks on his body. And DSS, the Police and the Government of Dominica never requested those photographs, sought further details from me, or investigated those allegations. Instead, mine and Eexii’s concerns were dismissed as stories I was making up.

I am now being asked to trust the same Government to return my son to the same institution, despite the concerns I have repeatedly raised and the warning about his own life being ignored.

I am not asking people to accept these allegations without investigation. I am asking that my son’s statements, the photographs, the evidence and his mental and emotional well-being be properly examined before anyone makes a decision that would further expose him to harm.

I believe Eexii deserves to be heard, taken seriously and assessed by qualified professionals who are independent of the dispute. His safety must come before administrative convenience. No decision about his future should proceed without properly addressing the risk he has communicated.

Our situation is not simply about a father trying to find somewhere to live. It is about a father trying to keep his son safe, together with the need for proper investigation, accountability and a stable environment where Eexii can rebuild his life.

MOTHER’S FAILURE TO ADDRESS HER SON’S SUICIDAL STATEMENTS

I also personally informed Eexii’s mother, Allison, about what he had said. Rather than addressing his statement that he felt he would have to end his life if returned to State care, she responded with approximately 20 seconds of comments about how terrible Dominica was. 

She did not address his expressed suicidal thoughts or ask about his immediate safety. Nor has she addressed the issue in any of the subsequent emails Eexii has sent her, in which he has explained that he has felt like killing himself. 

I find this deeply concerning. This was not simply a disagreement between a mother and her child. It was a direct warning about a child’s life, and I believe it deserved an immediate and serious response from both parents and the Government of Dominica.

WHY WE ARE ASKING FOR HELP

We have now been homeless for almost two months.

I have contacted many of the Government of Dominica’s different departments, agencies and other independent organizations and churches seeking assistance, asking for help finding accommodation, resources and any way to rebuild our lives.

All but two of these requests for help have gone unanswered.

The Canadian Government’s response to our concerns regarding allegations of a Canadian child being harmed while in the Government of Dominica State care was limited to providing us with a list of shelters in Canada, which we were expected to contact and make arrangements with ourselves while still in Dominica.

This was despite our clearly expressed desire to remain together as a family in Dominica and our requests for assistance addressing the circumstances we were facing there.

No meaningful assistance was offered to help us remain together or address the allegations concerning my son’s abuse while in the Government of Dominica State care.

When these events first began in Dominica, I contacted more than 50 lawyers seeking legal representation and assistance in protecting my son and preventing what was happening to him. Not a single lawyer responded to my requests for help. The lack of legal representation continued to be an issue at the first hearing on October 19, 2026. During that hearing, the Justice acknowledged my lack of legal representation and effectively appealed to the lawyers present in the courtroom, asking whether any of them would be willing to step forward and assist me. The Justice recognized that having legal counsel would help address the procedural and legal complexities of the matter and make the proceedings more efficient. Despite this direct appeal, not one lawyer in the courtroom volunteered to assist.

What made the situation particularly distressing was that, rather than addressing the apparent difficulty of an unrepresented father attempting to navigate such serious proceedings involving his child, the hearing proceeded without anyone stepping forward to assist. I recall the judge smiling and laughing at the situation before proceeding with the hearing. I was therefore left to represent both myself and my son in proceedings involving the Government, its various departments, and their legal representatives, without any meaningful access to legal assistance despite having made repeated efforts to obtain it.

Another serious issue is the hearing I scheduled for October 19, 2026, which was originally intended to address outstanding procedural matters that I had been attempting to resolve in the proceedings.

However, what was supposed to be a hearing to address those outstanding procedural issues somehow became an apprehension hearing, with the Government of Dominica effectively taking control of the proceedings and shifting the focus to obtaining an order for my son’s re-apprehension after approximately five and a half months of him living in my care.

To justify its request, the Government of Dominica made an unlavish claim that it had been unable to locate my son anywhere on the island during that period. This assertion was particularly troubling given that both my son and I had attended the Defendants offices on numerous occasions, where we were physically present and standing directly in front of the very officials and departments involved in these proceedings. My son had been physically present at Immigration, the Division of Social Services, CHANCES and the Ministry of Health on multiple occasions.

On several of those occasions, Defendants had direct contact with him and were aware that he was living with me. Yet, despite these repeated encounters, the Government of Dominica presented a claim that it had been unable to locate him for five and a half months.

I find it difficult to reconcile the Government’s assertion that my son could not be found with the fact that he had repeatedly been physically present before its own officials. This was a central issue that deserved proper examination before the Court relied upon the Government’s account to issue an order for his re-apprehension.

During the hearing, I was removed from the courtroom after expressing that I would not agree to my son being returned to CHANCES while those serious allegations remained uninvestigated. Following my removal, the Justice proceeded to set a trial date of November 25, 2026, without my knowledge or participation. I subsequently discovered that a trial had been scheduled just 37 days after the October 19 first hearing date.

Despite the short timeframe, the Justice has not ordered any pre-trial preparation or disclosure process. No witness lists have been exchanged, no proper disclosure of the evidence to be relied upon has taken place, and I have not been provided with the procedural information necessary to prepare for trial.

Of further concern, the Government of Dominica filed its Defence to my claim on October 12, 2026, seven days before the October 19 hearing, yet I was never provided with a copy. The Government never emailed me the Defence, telephoned me to advise that it had been filed, or made any attempt to arrange a time and place to deliver a copy to me. I received no notification whatsoever that the Defence had been filed.

Even when my son and I attended the October 19 hearing, the Government’s legal representatives did not provide me with a copy, nor was the filing or existence of the Defence raised or discussed while I was present in the courtroom. I was therefore left completely unaware that the Government had formally filed its response to my claim.

I am therefore faced with a trial date approaching without having had a proper opportunity to prepare my case or understand the full extent of the evidence being advanced against us, as I still do not have a copy of the Defence at the time of this posting.

Compounding these problems, despite repeatedly requesting a copy of the October 19 order from the Registrar, practically every day following the hearing, I did not receive a copy until November 12, 2026, approximately 24 days after the hearing. As a result, several of the deadlines and directions contained in the order had already passed or were approaching before I was even provided with the document.

Another major obstacle has been my son’s Dominica passport and cellphone, which the Government of Dominica has withheld. This has created additional difficulties accessing financial assistance and receiving money that could help us secure accommodation.

We are asking for help because we need somewhere safe to live, somewhere our son can remain with his father, and somewhere our three beloved pets can stay with us.

Donations will go towards:

• Securing stable rental accommodation.
• Food and essential household supplies.
• Our son’s basic needs, education and well-being.
• Food and care for our two dogs and cat.
• Essential legal expenses as we continue trying to protect our family and resolve the proceedings against us.

I never imagined that bringing my family to Dominica to build a better future would leave us fighting for something as basic as a roof over our heads. I am a father trying to protect my son, keep our family together and allow him to grow into adulthood with dignity and stability. My son has already been through more than any young person should have to experience. He deserves to feel safe. He deserves a home. He deserves to have his voice heard.

We are not asking for luxury or special treatment. We are asking for the opportunity to live safely, rebuild our lives and remain together as a family.

If you are able to donate, share our story or help bring attention to our circumstances, we would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you for listening, for caring and for helping us find a way forward.

Kory and Eexii Read