Children’s aid system faces heightened calls for change after Ontario couple’s murder, torture convictions – CBC

May 07, 2026

Burlington pair had been caring for 2 Indigenous brothers for years with goal of adopting them

WARNING: This story references allegations of child abuse.

The judge in the trial for a Burlington, Ont., couple convicted of murder and other charges involving two brothers in their care was clear in laying blame: Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney are the ones who committed the crimes.

In his nearly 300-page decision released Tuesday, Justice Clayton Conlan also noted that the actions or inactions of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) had “zero to do” with the guilt or innocence of Hamber and Cooney, who’d been trying to adopt the boys for years.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/cooney-hamber-trial-cas-9.7189944