A Supreme Court Justice has agreed to add the name of a Williams Lake woman and her son to a revived legal action to bring back a program for in-custody mothers and their babies.
Amanda Inglis was serving 21 months at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women (ACCW) for four counts of robbery when, in March 2008, she gave birth to a son.
But two weeks later, the program, which had been in place for four years, was canceled and although Inglis and her son remained in hospital because he was born premature, Inglis worried he would be taken away.
That did not happen and roughly two months later she was discharged on parole to Phoenix House in Prince George where she and her son remained until November 2008
However, due to the program's cancellation, they remained at risk of being separated if she was reincarcerated, Inglis's lawyer has asserted.
At the time, Inglis and one other woman became plaintiffs in a civil action against the provincial government in which she alleged canceling the program caused her extreme stress and impaired the mother-baby bonding and deprived her son of the benefits of breast feeding.
After she left Phoenix House, Inglis lost contact with her lawyer and in February 2011, her name was struck from the statement of claim. But 11 months later, the lawyer made contact with Inglis who confirmed she wanted to resume the claim.
The Justice agreed to reinstate Inglis's name to the claim earlier this month.
Inglis and three other women are seeking to have the program reinstated under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
