Indigenous collective calls for reform of Halton CAS, other societies 2 years after Ontario boy's death
CBC
A group of Indigenous advocates is calling for reform in the child protection system, including at the Halton Children's Aid Society (Halton CAS) where there will soon be a change in leadership, two years after the death of a 12-year-old boy in Ontario who was in its care.
"For far too long, Indigenous ways and traditions within child welfare practices have been denied," making the system unsafe for Indigenous children, Sherry Saevil, a Halton resident and member of the collective, told reporters on Aug. 28 outside the southern Ontario region's CAS building in Burlington.
The collective, which doesn't have a formal name, includes Indigenous individuals who work for Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, advocates for change, elders, and knowledge and wisdom carriers, said Saevil. Her family comes from Treaty 6 territory and her mother is from Mistawasis First Nation near North Battleford, Sask.
Saevil was joined at the news conference last week by collective members NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun and WhiteEagle.
NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun, a member of the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nations, said that for decades, Indigenous people have pushed for change at children's aid societies, only to see the same issues persist. Following the 12-year-old's death — which Halton police deemed a homicide — members of the collective engaged with the Halton CAS, said NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun.
The collective is again highlighting its concerns, as Halton CAS prepares for a new executive director, David Willis.
Following the news conference, Michelle McGaw, Halton CAS's interim executive director, and Donna Miles, its director of diversity, equity and inclusion, told reporters the organization has been in touch with members of the collective and is open to future discussions.
WhiteEagle, who is from Moraviantown near Thamesville, Ont., said she is a Sixties Scoop survivor who grew up in the child welfare system, where she faced abuse, including violence and confinement.
"This is very personal because that little boy suffered," she said about the 12-year-old.
In March, the boy's prospective adopted parents were charged with first-degree murder and failure to provide the necessaries of life. In 2023, following an investigation into the treatment of a younger child in their care, police charged the couple with assault, assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, failure to provide the necessaries of life and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The case is before the courts and subject to a publication ban.
Halton CAS was "devastated" after learning about the boy's death, and "nothing is more important" to the organization than the safety of the children and families its members work with, McGaw said In a statement.
Halton CAS said it conducted an internal review after the death, and had a third-party reviewer examine "child safety and adherence to standards."
CBC Hamilton asked McGaw for the results of those reviews, how Halton CAS incorporates Indigenous ways and traditions, and if she could point to any concrete actions that came out of discussions with the collective.
