A man who once lived in Whitehorse and was in the care of the Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) died last week in Alberta, his mother confirmed Thursday.

That’s according to Sylvie Salomon, who is urging the development of better supports for people like her son, Maxim Baril-Blouin, who was found unresponsive in his cell on last Friday, and others who live with similar conditions.

Baril-Blouin died at the age of 26 at the Edmonton Remand Centre.

While the cause of death is officially unknown, an incident report obtained by the CBC showed signs of a drug overdose.

Baril-Blouin had a physical heart condition and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

He had been waiting at the centre to be brought back home to Whitehorse after splitting the last four years between Nova Scotia and Ontario.

He was arrested on June 19 after being verbally aggressive toward a care worker in Spruce Grove, Alta., and spent about three weeks being transferred between the centre and Royal Alexandra Hospital, his mother said.

Just days before his death, her son pled guilty after kicking an armrest while interacting with the worker.

“They didn’t support the parents,” Salomon said, adding that the centre sided with the worker when the charges were pressed against her son.

The last time Salomon spoke to Baril-Blouin was July 10, ahead of his court appearance, which, she noted, would have involved him seeing the judge before the July 11 scheduled hearing.

Because he had gotten sick and had spent time in hospital for a couple of days, Salomon said, he was unable to appear in court earlier that month.

“I couldn’t access him,” she said, adding that because she “didn’t have information as to where he was, I couldn’t reach my son to give him support.”

After pleading guilty, charges against the 26-year-old were dropped and the Yukon Review Board requested that he return to the territory.

“We had six days to bring him back to the Yukon because we (were) finding a place to get him supports,” Salomon said.

Still, what she said is especially upsetting is that there had been some improvements in his life throughout the years, and his transfer to the Edmonton centre was to be a temporary stay.

“He was waiting there; he was not a criminal,” she said. “But he didn’t make it.”

She added that her son was able to not only get a boat licence in Ontario, but was working at a shop during his time there thanks to support services.

“We really thought we could change his brain by giving him stability and all that.

“There should be a place in the Yukon to keep our children here and give them the best care possible.”

That’s something that HSS said can be important in providing quality care.

“HSS works extremely hard to provide services and support for individuals within the territory,” Patricia Living told the Star Wednesday.

The director of communications for HSS added that “I would say for much of that, we are successful.”

But there are scenarios where extra assistance and specialities are needed.

“We do have instances where needs of individuals are so complex that they cannot be met within the territory safely and in a manner that’s secure for the individual,” Living said.

The department will not comment on specifics to respect the privacy of the family, she added.

Living did confirm, though, that the department was notified of the death last Friday.

“The death of any young individual is a tragedy, and we offer our most sincere condolences to the family.”

Meanwhile, Salomon said she is well aware that her son could be difficult, getting in the face of parents and care staff at times.

“But we don’t need to send money out and those children out – we need to work here,” she said, adding her son would often try to elope when in the care of different agencies.

For example, Baril-Blouin was reported missing in early 2014 when he was a patient at the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth, N.S.

According to a Capital District Health Authority release, he slipped away from hospital staff while on a community trip but was found safe within days.

According to the Yukon News, he faced more than a dozen probation orders as of 2012, one of which was no drinking.

Salomon told the paper in 2012 that her son had committed theft and was then jailed, but would sometimes return home drunk and look for things to sell for money for alcohol.

Justice Heino Lilles, who had sentenced others with FASD throughout his career, had suggested more supported living situations for those living with the condition.

“And we were getting there – what we needed was more people to support that,” particularly in the Yukon, when he could become aggressive.

Notes provided by Salomon show that the department has committed to following up with the Stony Plain private care agency that was in charge of Baril-Blouin during his time in Alberta.

Correspondence between Salomon and the board in early July shows that the board hoped Alberta would defer jurisdiction to the YRB and take into consideration his mental disorder.

Living explained that there are “odd instances” where a person’s needs cannot be fulfilled in territory, adding that “it doesn’t happen frequently but it does happen on occasion.

“However, you may find one jurisdiction specializes in one area and another doesn’t,” she said, adding that “ultimately, we want the best for the client.”

While Salomon said she can respect that, it’s something that can muddy the waters if individuals are then sent through a legal system different from the one they reside in.

“When it’s medical, he’s a Yukoner,” she sighed, frustrated. “But when it’s the law, he’s in Alberta.”

Living said the department will be doing a critical incident review as standard procedure because even though an individual may have been out of the Yukon, “they’re still our clients, they’re still considered to be in our care.”

One exception, she noted, is if they get into trouble with the law in that area – as Maxim did.

“If something happens that would bring them into the justice system of that province or territory, that system would trump ours,” she explained.

“Even if they’re in the justice system, they’re still our clients – we don’t just walk away from them.”

Meanwhile, Salomon hopes this will not become a pattern for those living with conditions who are placed in care.

“What I’m defending and trying to make sure (is this) never happens: you never put your patient that you know has a behavioural problem – you don’t put that patient in jail for being sick.”

She added that she had done her best to be forthcoming with authorities about difficulties with her son.

“We never said he was an angel or easy – or else he would still be with me, I would never have asked for support,” she said, noting that he’s been in and and out of care since the age of 15.

She appreciated the territory’s social services staff for their patience and work, but said now it’s a matter of how it could hold out-of-territory agencies it holds contracts with accountable.

Salomon also wants to see better-trained staff who are providing care, especially for those with mental disabilities.

“Maxim is one of the rare children where the parents are stable and able to fight,” she said, reflecting on the slight improvements she’d seen when he was in Ontario.

“It wasn’t perfect,” she admitted. “But I saw my son smiling and calling me, ‘I got my permit and I got a job,’ and be so alive.”

Ultimately, “it’s not about me or about the employee – it’s about (ensuring) the person can perform and have a good life.”

The mother of two adult twins admitted that it’s been an exhausting month since June 10, when she first began to look for Maxim.

“I spent the whole month of June looking for a better place; we were working on it.

“Then the worst day of my life happened, and I’m still mad. Maxim can’t do anything, so I’m still the one fighting.”

She admitted that while she may be strong now, she expects the overwhelming feeling to eventually take its toll on her.

“I’ll crash later – I will need help,” she sighed.

“My biggest problem as a mother is the fact that the centre where he went to receive care, got him arrested in the first place.”

On a grander scale, though, she emphasized that having the right supports for people with FASD and other diseases can be improved by making reintegration into the community and everyday life a priority.

As of Wednesday, the department had not yet determined a timeline for the review.

“We want to be respectful of the family; we will do our due diligence,” Living said.

Salomon said she was told a coroner’s report could take up to a year to complete.

Reports showed later that day, there were six other inmates who collapsed from apparent drug overdoses, leading to the Edmonton facility to be put on lockdown.

The family will be organizing a celebration of life for Maxim during the evening of Aug. 17 at the Centre de la Francophonie.