Inquest into Cree teenager's death in B.C. group home ends with 18 recommendations
Inquest into Cree teenager's death in B.C. group home ends with 18 recommendations
Warning: This story contains a description of a teenager's suicide.
The coroner's inquest into the death of Cree teenager Traevon Desjarlais has ended with the jury delivering 18 recommendations, including several aimed at keeping Indigenous children in care more closely connected with their communities.
Authorities found Desjarlais's body hanging in the closet of a group home in B.C.'s Fraser Valley on Sept. 18, 2020, four days after he was reported missing. The inquest heard the 17-year-old had died of suicide by asphyxiation.
One recommendation from the inquest jury was to implement a policy ensuring group home staff are aware that missing children are to be reported to police immediately.
A number of other recommendations were focused on fostering cultural connections for Indigenous children in care, with jurors noting staff at the facility where Desjarlais was living had "little-to-no cultural awareness" and "no knowledge or understanding of colonization."
"The best outcome for Indigenous children in care is to have a sense of belonging to community and family," the jurors said in their unanimous verdict.
The recommendations called for expediting previously announced legislative changes from B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Family Development that would place greater emphasis on family-based care, and to divert resources away from contracted staff-led residential services.
The jurors also called for more Indigenous collaboration when assessing care placements, more qualified Indigenous staff providing direct services, and for Elders to be contracted into homes where Indigenous children are living.
In addition, the jury recommended alternative therapies be offered to children in care such as the use of therapy animals like horses and dogs.
After the recommendations were read, one of the jurors said to Traevon’s mom, “Our hearts are with you as you move forward.”
Sarah Rauch, a lawyer for Traevon’s mom, said it had been a difficult inquest.
“Overall, I’m pleased and we’re pleased with the jury’s careful thought and consideration to the systemic issues at play here and the factual day-to-day issues at play as well,” Rauch said.
But she said she didn’t know if the recommendations would be implemented and whether they could save another young person’s life.
“I wish I could say, 'yes' but I’m not sure,” she said.
“Who listens to these recommendations and then what do they do?
An aunt to Traevon’s told CTV News she doesn’t think anything will come of the recommendations.
During the inquest, jurors learned that 70 per cent of children in care in B.C. are indigenous.
Coroner's inquests are fact-finding exercises that hear evidence and witness accounts, but do not lay blame. Once concluded, jurors can make recommendations aimed at preventing future tragedies from occurring under similar circumstances.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
The Bank of Canada released a summary of its Governing Council meetings on Wednesday, providing the public and financial institutions with more insight into the central bank’s decision to raise its key interest rate on Jan. 25.
Netflix Canada is rolling out its long-anticipated plans to crack down on password sharing, saying it will begin notifying Canadian users today by email about limitations.
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
The sacrifices female killer whales continue to make for their sons well after they are weaned is negatively affecting their reproductive health, according to new scientific research.
In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake that struck Syria and Turkiye, Canadians are donating money and supplies to rescue and relief efforts there. CTVNews.ca rounds up ways you can contribute to charities based in Canada and abroad.
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
Charges have now been laid against a tug and barge company and one of its senior officials two years after a tug sank off British Columbia's coast south of Kitimat, killing the captain and one crew member.
A walk past a cemetery can conjure many emotions – sadness, fear and finality. But rarely does it conjure the idea of actually seeing a deceased loved one again. On British Columbia's Gabriola Island, however, coastal erosion is unearthing more than just memories.
The Calgary Police Service asked residents of a northwest neighbourhood to shelter in their homes as officers responded to a situation Wednesday morning involving a firearm.
If you're a FortisAlberta customer who owns an electric vehicle, the company is looking for your help with a pilot program that will test the limits of Alberta's electrical infrastructure.
Animal welfare advocates are urging pet owners to spay and neuter their pets after two kittens were found abandoned in a child's backpack in the St. Albert area last week.
The Alberta government is moving ahead with a plan that would give oil and gas companies a tax break for meeting their legal obligations to clean up old well sites, inviting a select group of landowner organizations to a meeting to discuss a pilot project.
An Ontario lawyer who filed a $229-million lawsuit against his former “sugar baby” for alleged fraud had his case dismissed after the court found he'd become "obsessed" with the young woman when she attempted to end their arrangement.
A Toronto father was working Saturday afternoon when he got a notification from an app connected to his home security system. And what he saw on his phone was every parent's worst nightmare.
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
Condolences are pouring in on Parliament Hill after a Laval, Que., city bus crashed into a daycare on Wednesday morning, with federal politicians of all stripes expressing their sympathies with the families affected and gratitude to the first responders.
Justin Trudeau has thrown in the towel in the fight to maintain the federal role as gatekeeper of a public, universal, accessible and fair health-care system in Canada, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca. 'That could have tragic consequences for folks on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder.'
Team Lawes vice Selena Njegovan will be able to serve in a support role at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts after all despite initially being told she'd have limited access on site while on pregnancy leave.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
A Saskatoon couple is left feeling powerless to help their family and friends dig out of the rubble following the two major earthquakes in Turkiye on Monday.
Saskatoon's Ward 3 city councillor David Kirton decided to cancel his “Coffee with the Councillor” event scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Confederation Mall because of what he calls threatening phone calls and emails which became a “cause for concern”.
Saskatchewan underestimated how many rapid antigen tests were needed during the height of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also touting the tests as a key part of its plan to halt transmission of the virus, internal emails indicate.
Nova Scotia Health is under the microscope after eight employees were found snooping into medical records. The privacy breaches involve the electronic health records of people associated with the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, among others.
Eighty-four bricks of suspected cocaine were seized from a commercial truck allegedly attempting to smuggle the drugs into Canada at the Blue Water Bridge, border officials say.
The wait is over for ticketholders in the latest Canadian Hard of Hearing Association's Ultimate Dream Home Draw as Pure Country Sudbury morning show hosts pulled the names of the prize winners Wednesday afternoon.
A memorial has been set up in the area where 30-year-old Karen Cunningham’s body was found, as police in Woodstock continue to investigate her death as “suspicious” in nature.
In the wake of several Google employees being laid off in Waterloo region, a national business council for tech firms says they’ve already had a number of CEOs in the tech sector ready to connect with those who lost their job.
