Ontario gets its first Aboriginal advisor on child welfare

ABRIDGED NEWS RELEASES

GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

*************************** Improving supports to Aboriginal children and youth

McGuinty government appoints first Aboriginal advisor on child welfare

Ontario has appointed John Beaucage as Aboriginal advisor to the Minister of Children and Youth Services Laurel Broten.

Mr. Beaucage will help improve services for Aboriginal children and youth, both on and off reserve by providing advice on Aboriginal child welfare issues for a period of one year.

He will also be available as an expert resource to the Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare.

A former Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation and current chief executive officer of the Lake Huron Anishinabek Transmission Company, Mr. Beaucage is a strong advocate for First Nations health, environmental responsibility and child welfare.

The appointment of an Aboriginal advisor continues Ontario's efforts to improve supports for Aboriginal children and youth to ensure they have every opportunity to succeed.

Quotes

"By reaching out to Aboriginal communities and continuing to build trusting relationships, we will find solutions to strengthen services and supports for Aboriginal children and youth. I am looking forward to working with Mr. Beaucage and our Aboriginal communities to ensure we have the supports in place to help Aboriginal children and youth reach their full potential." - Laurel Broten, minister of children and youth services

"Mr. John Beaucage is an exceptional choice to serve as the Aboriginal Advisor to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. His experience, knowledge and passion will bring enhanced capacity, vision and action to help Aboriginal children and youth." - Chris Bentley, minister of Aboriginal affairs

"I am honoured to be a part of our province's efforts to help its Aboriginal communities. Experience teaches us that the best way to build solid relationships is to listen. I sincerely look forward to hearing from, and engaging with, Aboriginal leaders across the province in an effort to advise our government on how to better support our children and youth." - John Beaucage, Aboriginal advisor to the minister of children and youth services

*************************** Orazietti announces support for Aboriginal children and youth

McGuinty government appoints first Aboriginal advisor on child welfare

QUEEN'S PARK - The provincial government has appointed John Beaucage as Aboriginal advisor to the Ministry of Children and Youth Service in order to help improve supports for Aboriginal children and youth on and off of reserves by advising on Aboriginal child welfare issues, David Orazietti, MPP announced today.

“Our government is committed to working with First Nations to ensure that Aboriginal children and youth have the services and supports they need to reach their full potential,” said Orazietti. “Finding solutions that will help improve supports for Aboriginal children and youth requires building trusting relationships and I am confident that Mr. Beaucage will work diligently to achieve these goals.”

A former Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation and current chief executive officer of the Lake Huron Anishinabek Transmission Company, Mr. Beaucage is a strong advocate for First Nations health, environmental responsibility and child welfare.

Eyaabay, Mr Beaucage’s traditional name, is a Pipe Carrier from the Bear Clan. 

A citizen of Wasauksing First Nation, he was raised on the Shawanaga First Nation and has extended family in Nipissing First Nation. 

The appointment of an Aboriginal advisor continues Ontario’s efforts to improve supports for Aboriginal children and youth to ensure they have every opportunity to succeed.

He will also be available as an expert resource to the Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare.

Aboriginal child protection services

- The Child and Family Services Act recognizes the distinct social and cultural needs of Indian and native people and notes that, wherever possible, services under the Act should be provided “in a manner that recognizes their culture, heritage and traditions and the concept of the extended family.”

- The ministry has recently completed the first review of the Indian and native provisions of the Child and Family Services Act. Feedback from that review reflected Aboriginal concerns related to the insufficient use of customary care, the need to develop strategies to increase the availability of Aboriginal approaches to alternative dispute resolution, and the need to provide tools to assist in the development of formal protocols and agreements for child welfare between CASs and Aboriginal communities.

- Six of the 53 Ontario children's aid societies are Aboriginal child protection agencies. Five of these CASs serve populations in northern Ontario and one, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto, provides services in Toronto.

- Five northern Aboriginal children's aid societies serve 63 of Ontario’s 134 First Nation communities:

- Tikinagan Child and Family Services serves 30 First Nations in the remote north.

- Weechi-it-te-win Family Services serves 10 First Nations in the Rainy River and Kenora Districts.

- Dilico Ojibway Child and Family Services serves 13 First Nations around Thunder Bay and the north shore of Lake Superior.

- Payukotayno: James and Hudson Bay Family Services serves five First Nations along the Hudson and James Bay coast. It also provides services to the Town of Moosonee, and native and non-native residents of the coast.

- Anishinaabe Abinoojii Child and Family Services serves five Treaty #3 First Nations (Grassy Narrows, Wabaseemoong, Whitefish Bay, Washagamis Bay and Rat Portage) and its members who live off-reserve within the District of Rainy River and in the southwest part of the District of Kenora.

- Aboriginal children at risk in areas not covered by Aboriginal children’s aid societies are served by local children’s aid societies.

- Ontario has taken important steps to support Aboriginal CASs, including:

- $2.5 million in one-time funding to all Aboriginal CASs in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances facing Aboriginal children and communities.

- Funding of $2.1 million to Tikinagan Child and Family Services for an in-year service volume increase and further funding for children’s mental health workers to respond to immediate needs in the Pikangikum community.

- $2 million in funding for children’s mental health workers to Payukotayno James and Hudson Bay Family Services to ensure the agency can continue to do the essential work it needs to do in communities around James and Hudson Bay.

- Ending the previous government’s moratorium on new CASs and designated two new Aboriginal CASs.

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