The File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council website describes the Oyate Safe House;
Receives children 12 to 15 years of age who are requiring a place of safety and protection from the harms associated with the street sex trade. Children under 12 years and over 15 years are accommodated in special circumstances. Welcomed into a loving warm environment premised on First peoples values of respect, sharing, courage, humility, caring, trust and honesty, children and their families receive teachings imparted by community elders, leaders and helpers inspiring hope while promoting responsibility, co-existence and self-care. Comforting hurt parts, teaching curious parts, identifying strengths and hidden parts to embolden cautious parts and inspire dreaming parts is encouraged by our helping team through a circle process reflecting the value of children in First peoples culture as well as the importance of community.
As it turned out, Oyate wasn’t so much a treatment center for these children as it was a change of address;
Minister Belanger is the third NDP minister who has dropped the ball on this file. For instance, the NDP government failed to stop the Oyate Safe House when it learned of numerous problems throughout the course of the three-year existence of the safe house, including:
1. Hiring an individual with a history of violent crime;
2. Failing to conduct regular criminal checks;
3. Failing to prevent further sexual exploitation while children were in the safe house;
4. The cancellation the official launch of the safe house because a senior official involved in the creation of the safe house was charged and arrested for sexual involvement with a minor; and,
5. Allegations from a former executive director about nepotism, the favouring of relatives, inappropriate payments to board members and relatives, and other financial irregularities.
The Sask Party called for an investigation by the Provincial Children’s Advocate and Provincial Auditor. Both reports were damning. Regina Leader Post (Sept 2006);
Among its many findings, the Advocate’s report found the safe house did not provide adequate services, personnel were not capable of delivering services, the safe house did not prohibit sexual exploitation of children in its care, and DCR discontinued case planning by closing files with full knowledge the child was still being sexually exploited.
Bernstein reported DCR didn’t investigate new allegations of children being sexually exploited in current cases. For example, reports that a 13-year-old girl was being sexually exploited on the street were not investigated by DCR.
When the girl was 15, the file was closed and a letter was sent to the girl’s family stating there weren’t any protection concerns. Six weeks later, the child was picked up by police for soliciting, her file was re-opened and residential services were offered.
[…]
Community Resources Minister Buckley Belanger said he fully acknowledged the problems that occurred with the operations of the safe house. Joined by Oyate board chair Chief Marie Anne DayWalker-Pelletier, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Alphonse Bird and DCR Deputy Minister Duncan Fisher, Belanger told reporters the government has a strong partnership with First Nations and the Advocate’s recommendations will guide their efforts for a new direction and model of care at the facility.
“Did we learn lessons and did we fall short? The obvious answer is yes, we’ve learned lessons, but I’m here today as minister to tell you we want to fix the partnership, we want to fix the process and we want to fix the problem so we can move forward as a government and certainly as a province involved with First Nations people,” said Belanger.
It turns out, this was indeed true. Those “lessons” involved spending $8,000 on two consulting companies to assist Mr. Belanger in developing his communication skills.
It doesn’t look like they got their money’s worth;
Minister Belanger has also failed to answer numerous questions in the legislative assembly and has refused to come before the Public Accounts committee to answer questions. To top all off, this week, the NDP used its majority on a legislative committee to prevent the former deputy minister of Community Resources from testifying as a witness – something those same members had approved unanimously just weeks earlier.
Even though I realize that the Left can be just as corrupt in power as the right, there’s a bit of vestigial respect in me for the old Tommy Douglas days that makes me particularly outraged at disgusting corruption and abuse of power of this sort. Someone should go to jail for this, but no one will. How can the gov’t of SK live with themselves?
Typical. It’s enough to sicken my gizzard parts. True to leftard form it illustrates the lack of cerebral, coronary and testicular parts.
The first and the last are understandable as the removal of same seems to be a requirement of membership in leftopiun circles.
In this case they seem to have abdicated the only thing that makes them barely tolerable. Not only are they gutless and brainless it also appears they are heartless.
The leftard trifecta.
Shame
Syncro
It doesn’t matter, I guess.
Our buddy Buckley is both “Native”, and NDP, and therefore certain standards don’t apply to him.
I predict nothing will come of this except continuation of the insanity.
It all boils down to legislated and institutional racism. Gotta love it, eh?
What do you get when you allow the fox to guard the hen house? you have not one hen left but a fat and happy fox
Buckley’s Mixture tastes awful and he hardly works.
This is just another example of the corruption,and filth that goes on in a lot of these so called child caring institutions.Take a look what has happened with Children’s Aid in Ont.Another fine example took place in Wpg.recently,with couple likened to Bernardo/Homolka,that held girls as sex-slaves.One young girl had been placed in the home,as a “place of safety” .Too often these organizations are run from the top down,and don’t listen to the workers that are on the front-lines,their opinions don’t matter,cuz they don’t have a bunch of letters behind their names.Would anyone with any common sense,not “err” on side of caution,with the childs safety first and foremost?Not always,and often it leads to horrific results (Phoenix Sinclair’s death at hand of her mother,and boyfriend is another glaring tragedy)I know,how frustrating the almighty “system” can be.I know mistakes are made,and have shed tears over having kids sent home to a situation you know will fail..and fail terribly.Do you know how frustrating that can be,how emotionally draining?I do,but will continue to fight,to be a voice for kids.I don’t give a rat’s ass,about degrees,or titles,you cannot teach,or buy common sense,and it is sadly lacking in this “institution”
I suppose that the idea of simply enforcing the law never occurred to Belanger!! Or anyone else in the government…..
Anyone who has seen Belanger attempt to address this issue can easily realize the man is a buffoon. When questioned yesterday on his “media coaching” he had nothing better to add than the Sask Party MLA was the “worst critic, he has ever seen”..No Buckley..you are the worst MLA we have ever seen. As a Saskatchewan resident, I am so tired of this government handling aboriginal run organizations with kid gloves, there always seems to be one after the other stealing or misdirecting funds (anyone remember the SIGA fiasco). If Oyate was being run by a board of non-natives, they would have been nailed to the wall but all we get for our tax dollars is “we made some mistakes” and its back to the trough.
To Sammy,
You know it doesn’t matter if you have any degrees??All you have to know is what FIRST NATIONS RESERVE YOU ARE FROM so the NDP can send your cheques….and you do not even have to WORK……
just check out ALL the job postings for the FED & PROV Govts….it appears all successful applicants must be of ABORIGINAL ANCESTRY…….you know WE have to help those POOR PEOPLE out…what a bunch of BS…well that is what you get at OYATE HOUSE…you reap what you sow
We abrogate too much authority to government, and when they fail, too often we shrug our shoulders.That’s a reasonable response to minor irritations, but should that be considered adequate to this case?
The elected and salaried people mentioned have a DUTY to ensure the abuses of children and the public purse do not happen. They have failed because they have done NOTHING,they should have the decency to resign-they will not, we know that.
Perhaps it is time to return to long forgotten ways in the treatment of these vermin. They should be shunned by decent people, if they appear in public, people should spit on them! They should be subject to a miriad of annoying actions, doors slammed in their faces,car tires deflated,they should be pointed out in the street and denounced.
One could equally enquire why a large male relative of the abused should not consider it his right to plant a fist in the face of the vermin.
Let’s see now -The FNUC, SIGA (Remember Dutch Lerat?), now Oyate. Can anyone add to the list? It just grows longer and longer. The natives want to run “their” affairs with our money. They need to learn how to operate a hot dog stand first. Talk about nepotism and favoratism. I would like to know the academic background of the native folk who sit on the board of FNUC. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some high school (maybe even grade school?) dropouts trying to run a university.
So far as Oyate is concerned – its like having the inmates run the assylum.
NDP need the aboriginal vote. They are willing obviously to protect people who attack and are being paid to protect, children. They are going to protect the FSIN and anything associated with it. The last 3 years have seen SIGA, FNUC, SIIT, SICC used a places to offer jobs to their (FSIN)polictical buddies without any job qualifictions needed. This is but a drop in the bucket compared to the dollars flowing out of these institutions illegally. Short of a full FSIN audit of all its bodies, no one will ever learn the truth of the money that has been paid out to crownies and familly members.
To add insult to injury, FN peoples qualified, educated and moral, are leaving or refusing to work for these insitutions. It is too hard for 1 honorable person to fight 20 crooks.
We need more people like this in the FN community. This was pointed out by Darcy at DUST My Broom site.
http://www.fcpp.org/main/publication_detail.php?PubID=1547
Yes -there is no doubt the NDP want to avoid this mess–there is too much to lose should they not have the First Nations vote on side in the next election. But let’s not pick on Belanger –why doesn’t someone ever take to task Calvert’s best buddy Maynard Sonntag? How about Len Taylor, the health minister? Taylor is a lifetime politician–having been an MP and served on North Battleford town council for years. I couldn’t believe it when Calvert handed Taylor the health portfolio—ack. It is plainly obvious that many government workers have been there for so long they feel they are entitled to our money, entitled to sick days, entitled to drag their feet or avoid issues until they fade away. I wish Saskatchewan people would demand more accountability of their “leaders”. I am embarrassed every time something like this happens because it makes Saskatchewan look bad to the country and the world. This kind of thing should not be happening…period.
Like you Tories are really concerned???? I’ve worked with poor native people for many years. There lives are a tragedy. Child abuse is all too common and blaming the gov’t is just plain silly. It’s been going on for generations but w/Ranch Ehrlo taking over it will help. You have to teach the people it is not right. Your phoney like you really care attitude doesn’t help.