Kim and Jordan Joseph's marathon walk from Prince Rupert to Prince George has been completed - but they've decided that was only one leg in the journey.
Despite pain, car troubles, and extreme weather conditions, Kim and Jordan Joseph arrived in Prince George as planned August 21st, and have now made it all the way down to Quesnel, with an end goal of the MCFD offices in Vancouver.
Kim and Jordan are walking for awareness around alleged gaps in care and unfair removal practices by the Ministry of Child and Family Development. One walks while the other drives alongside.
Sunday, the former Minister of Child and Family Development, Mitzi Dean, announced she would be withdrawing from the upcoming BC election.
Dean was removed from her Position as Minister in January, after several public cases of child abuse led to calls for her resignation.
MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill Grace Lore was appointed as the new children's minister.
Premier David Eby says he agrees with Dean’s reasons for not running again, and says Dean is on leave from her ministerial role “effective immediately.”
As of Jan. 31, 2024, there were 4,835 children and youth in care, and of that number, 3,331 were Indigenous, making up 68% of children and youth in care.
Kim and Jordan's journey has gathered momentum along the way - with the pair being drummed,welcomed, and walked alongside in many of the communities they've passed - Kim even being passed a jingle dress to wear in Quesnel.
The "Walking for Children in Care" Facebook Group has grown to over 1,500 members, and there is now a petition in their honor that can be signed on change.org.
