Families vote for Imagine Adoption rescue

Families whose futures were left in limbo following the bankruptcy of an Ontario-based adoption agency have voted in favour of trying to rescue the firm.

Under the terms of the restructuring proposal, families who were waiting to adopt will have to pay any money they owe to Imagine Adoption, plus another $4,000 in two instalments. The agency will also get a new board of directors and be closely monitored by the bankruptcy trustee.

Parents are among the agency'screditors, who met in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.,on Monday morning. Bankruptcy trustee Susan Taves of BDO Dunwoody LLPtold CBC Newsthe creditors agreed to the proposal by a "landslide."

'This isn't just for us, it's for all of these children. It's for all of these families. For now and for years to come, hopefully.' Sidney Vlieg

About 350 adoptive families were left in limbo when Imagine Adoption of Cambridge went bankrupt July 13. Many have already paid between $10,000 and $15,000 each in fees to the agency, which helped Canadians adopt children from Ethiopia, Ghana and Ecuador in the past two years.

The re-structuring plan still has to be approved in court.

Calgary family doesn't hesitate

In Calgary, two families who voted in favour of theproposal by proxy said it was the right move.

"This isn't just for us, it's for all of these children. It's for all of these families. For now and for years to come, hopefully," said Sidney Vlieg.

The Vliegs have spent at least $15,000 on adopting a child from Ethiopia through Imagine Adoption. The couplealso recently adopted a Canadian baby through a different agency and would likeher to have a brother or sister.

"Life doesn't have guarantees. But when you have your child, when you get matched and referred and you have your child, it's all worth it. You don't think about the money anymore," he said.

Prospective parent running out of time

Anotherprospective Calgary father, Shawn Bertin, said he was hesitant at first about giving more money to Imagine Adoption. But Bertin said not only have he and his wife spent $15,000 on this adoption, he feels he might be getting too old to start the long processover again with a new agency.

"There's a lot more monitoring that [willbe] done than before. We understood when we got into this process that there really was no guarantees in the process at all. There never is with international adoption," Bertin said.

Neither the Vliegs nor the Bertins have been paired with a child yet.

In July, the fraud division of the Waterloo Regional Police opened an investigation into the agency and began looking at questionable expenses, such as home renovations, spa trips, and the purchase of a horse and saddle.

The investigation began after two members of the three-member board of directors of Kids Link International, which operated under the name Imagine Adoption, expressed concerns to police about the agency.