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
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.