Judge recommends Alberta keep cribs on hand for families after baby smothered

EDMONTON — A judge has recommended Alberta keep cribs on hand for families who need one after a baby was smothered to death in his sleep.

Provincial court Justice Marilena Carminati says in a fatality report that the mother found the five-month-old unresponsive in a bed in 2017, with his body almost completely covered by a sleeping sibling.

The report, released Tuesday, says the Edmonton family’s case worker had requested a proper crib for the baby, but there was a delay of almost a week to get one.

The judge recommends Children and Family Services offices keep a few cribs available and consider standards for how long it should take to supply one to a family in need.

There’s evidence families in the system often need cribs, the report says.

The judge also recommends the government review its restrictive office credit card policy, as a social worker might be expected to buy a crib on their personal card to be reimbursed later.

“In any event, the evidence revealed that it is common for Children’s Services to keep some items on hand to avoid having to run out to the store to provide them to families, such as diapers or formula,” Carminati says in the report.

“No reason was identified for why a few cribs could not be stored at the Children’s Services office space, in order to shorten the time an infant is without a safe sleep surface.”

The government said in a statement some offices, including the Child Intervention Intake and Response Team, may keep cribs or playpens for workers to give to families.

Daniel Verrier, press secretary for the Ministry of Children and Family Services, said the government takes public fatality inquiry findings seriously.

“We will review any recommendations to determine whether changes to our current policies or practices are needed to help prevent similar deaths,” he said in an email.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press