Manitoba making progress on child welfare since Tina Fontaine's death, says minister
Hotel placements still used in extreme cases in northern, rural areas, says Kerri Irvin-Ross
Manitoba's family services minister says progress has been made in improving the province's child welfare system since Tina Fontaine was killed one year ago.
Kerri Irvin-Ross says in the past year, more resources have been put into Child and Family Services (CFS), children in care are no longer being housed in Winnipeg hotels, and more than 100 staff have been hired.
Still, the minister admitted more work needs to be done to prevent another tragedy from happening.
On Monday, the one-year anniversary of Fontaine's body being found in the Red River, Irvin-Ross said she feels "sadness, regret that a beautiful young child was lost — was murdered."
"I think that we all are taking a moment today in our own way to celebrate her life and how it was taken away," she added.
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Fontaine's body was pulled from the river in Winnipeg on Aug. 17, 2014, eight days after she was reported missing while in the care of CFS.
Winnipeg police continue to investigate her death as a homicide, but no charges have been laid.
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The 15-year-old had been in and out of the CFS system in the months prior to her death. Her last known contact was on Aug. 8, 2014, when child welfare authorities temporarily placed her in a downtown Winnipeg hotel, but she left to hang out with friends.
Pledged to end hotel placements
Months after Fontaine's death, Irvin-Ross promised to phase out the use of hotels to house children and youth in care.
In March, the violent assault of another 15-year-old girl in CFS care — who was housed at the same downtown hotel as Fontaine — prompted Irvin-Ross to order all agencies to stop using hotels by June 1.
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On Monday, Irvin-Ross said no children have been cared for in Winnipeg hotels since May 11, but hotels are still used in extreme cases in rural and northern areas.
"We have to develop some capacity in the rural and northern communities, and that's what we are working on right now."
Irvin-Ross said as of last Thursday, there were no children housed in hotels in rural and northern areas.
The minister added that the province has a "hotel reduction team" that's making progress as it works with various agencies, and early-intervention programs are being developed so fewer children are apprehended.
Since March, the Sagkeeng First Nation — Fontaine's home community — has been involved in a pilot project called Circle of Care, which focuses on placing children with extended relatives and working with families.
"I'm extremely proud of the work that the community has done," Irvin-Ross said.
"We have strong partnerships with justice, with health, with the wellness centre at Sagkeeng as well as family services, and most importantly, the families themselves."