Mom who allegedly pushed 'urine therapy' on son only allowed supervised parenting time: B.C. court
A mother from Maple Ridge, B.C., has temporarily lost her right to unsupervised parenting time over allegations she made her young son drink his own pee as part of a controversial practice called "urine therapy."
Those concerns came to light during a custody case decided this week in B.C. Supreme Court, which heard the mom fed the eight-year-old boy smoothies she had mixed with his urine.
The child's mother and father, who can't be named to protect their boy's privacy, separated last year, but remain living on different floors of the same house.
They have been increasingly at odds since she began pursuing a fringe "natural and holistic" lifestyle about three years ago, according to Master Kimberley Robertson's Aug. 30 decision.
"It has created significant distrust by the (father) as to the respondent's judgment in ensuring that the child is safe in her care, which came to a head when the allegation that she was imposing urine therapy on the child arose," the judge wrote.
The mom's interest in alternative medicine previously resulted in her seeking unsupported remedies such as homeopathy to treat her breast cancer – all of which failed, ultimately leaving her with no choice but to undergo surgery.
Eventually, that inclination also brought her to urine therapy, described in the decision as "a centuries-old practice of drinking one's own urine and massaging it into one's skin."
The mom admitted in court that she started drinking her own pee last January, and even that she appeared on an obscure podcast called "Healing Powers of Urine Therapy," but denied forcing her son to take part in the practice.
The father told a different story.
He recounted an after-school incident on April 14, in which the child approached him looking confused and guilty and said, "I have a secret, you have to promise me not to tell mom."
"Mom made me pee in a jar, then she put the pee into my fruit smoothie," the boy said, according to his father. The child later specified that only a few drops had been mixed into the drink, and not the whole jar.
The boy later repeated the allegations during an appointment alone with their family doctor. The child said he "didn't want to do it, told his mom he didn't want to but she encouraged him to," according to the physician's notes, which were presented in court.
The mother was adamant that wasn't the case, arguing instead that the father had "suggested" the idea of urine being in the boy's smoothies, and saying the child was prone to believe it because he was aware of her interest in the practice.
Robertson noted that even if that were the case, it would raise red flags of its own.
"Even if the child was not being fed his own urine, the fact that he easily believed he could be is harmful in its own right and ought to have been concerning to the respondent," the judge wrote.
The court heard the father had found jars of urine in the mother's bathroom, some of which were either left uncovered or covered with a paper towel, and that they left a foul odour. The dad said he worried their son would be bullied if his friends learned about the situation at home.
There were also concerns raised about the mother's fasting, which the father said went on for days on end and left her physically incapable of caring for their son.
The judge wasn't convinced that foregoing food left the mom unable to parent, but ultimately said she agreed with the father's assessment that while his former partner loves their son, her "judgment and health are questionable at this time."
She ruled that the mother can have parenting time from Sunday mornings to Wednesday evenings, but only with supervision from a professional or a third party agreed upon by both parents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.