Toddler who drowned in Portage la Prairie retention pond was in the care of CFS agency

Mother remembers him as a 'happy little boy,' wants answers about his death

Image | Mom holding bear

Caption: The mother of a two-year old boy who drowned in a retention pond in Portage la Prairie last week holds a stuffed bear while talking to CBC. The woman, who can't be identified under the provisions of the Child and Family Services Act, wants justice for her son, who was in the care of foster parents at the time of his death. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Holding a stuffed brown bear, the mother of a two-year-old boy who drowned last week in a retention pond in Portage la Prairie, Man., says her son was a "happy little boy.… He was a very energetic boy."
That brown bear will be buried with her son later this week.
"Knowing the actual truth of what caused his death is hitting me hard-core.… It's sinking in my mind that he'll [be] resting soon in the spirit world," said his mother.
The boy was in the care of Sagkeeng Child and Family Services, which is why CBC cannot name him, or reveal any identifying information about his biological family.
"My family is grieving really hard.… I'm struggling right now, having to go through the [process] of burying him," said the mom, gripping the stuffed animal. "I want to seek justice."
The family says they were told that the toddler had wandered off, and his body was later found in a retention pond behind the residence of his foster family on the evening of June 19.
"My mother instincts kicked in.… I couldn't sleep. I knew something was wrong," recalls the mother about the day she found out about the death of her son.
"Sagkeeng Child and Family Services came and found me later … told me the bad news about [my son], they said that they were sorry."
The mother says she had a good relationship with her son's foster family and had regular visits with him on Facetime.
"I trusted the foster parents.… [They] had been there for my child since he was born," she said.
The family says they are still waiting for answers about what happened to the toddler, saying his death could easily have been prevented if there had been a fence around the pond.
"What is a two-year-old boy doing wandering by himself at 7:20 at night?" said the boy's aunt. "Whether it was a family gathering, a family picnic — it doesn't matter what was happening, you know there's a retention pond right there."
She says toddlers are naturally curious and need to be watched at all times.
"[There] should be all eyes and hands and ears on deck."
The family is seeking legal counsel, saying they want to sue the agency for the toddler's death.
"I want to see a plan of action.… I want to see this agency be held responsible for all the deaths they've had in their agency," said the aunt.
Two children from the family remain in the foster home where the boy died. The family says they want the children removed and placed in a different home.

Death under review: child advocate

The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth has been notified of the toddler's death, and the case is currently under review.
"Under Section 10 of The Fatal Inquiries Act, the chief medical examiner must notify the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth of the death of a child or a young adult under 21 years of age in Manitoba," Manitoba advocate Sherry Gott wrote in a statement to CBC.
"We can confirm that we have received a notification of this death and are determining whether it meets our legislated mandate for a review under Section 20 of the Advocate for Children in Youth Act, but this is all we can confirm at this time."
That review will determine if the child in question has received any kind of public service — including CFS — which would fall under the purview of the advocate.
CBC reached out to the Sagkeeng Child and Family Services agency but they were unable to confirm a death of a child in their care, stating legal limitations under the Child and Family Services Act. They could not confirm if they are investigating a recent death.

CFS the new residential school: mother

The mother says that despite the government announcing the end of birth alerts in 2020, she still had birth alerts set for all four of her children.
She says that she was a child in the CFS system, and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder — which she says was the reason given for why her children were taken from her. She also suffers from postpartum depression, and says she was told she wasn't intelligent enough to care for her children.
When she had her oldest child, she was told she had to attend multiple courses before giving birth — expectations she says were difficult to meet.
"To me, CFS is the new residential schools. It's harsh to say that, but that's what it is," said that aunt, who says she hadn't seen her nephew in years because of boundaries put on the family from the CFS agency.
"You're ripping these children away from their families — you're colonizing them. They're not able to get to know their culture. They're being stripped of so many things."
For the aunt, keeping children with the families is the best way to prevent tragic deaths like her nephew's.
"I can guarantee you, if baby was at home, he wouldn't be in the spirit world — he would be safe, he would be loved by his mother, he would be loved by his siblings."

Media Video | CBC News Manitoba : Two-year-old who drowned in Portage la Prairie retention pond was in the care of CFS agency

Caption: A First Nation family of a boy who drowned behind a home in Portage la Prairie, Man. is looking for answers. The toddler was in the care of Child and Family Services. That has his biological family now wondering what happened.

Open Full Embed in New Tab (external link)Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage.