Anin, Boozhoo, Greetings!

I would like to begin with acknowledging that the land on which we gather today is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Rolling River First Nation people, Treaty 4 and acknowledge as well, the Treaty 2 Territory and Nations. I am grateful and honored to be a part of this land, working and living within this territory and recognizing my role as an Indigenous woman with the relationship with all life around me. I give gratitude for the air, water, fire, and earth that sustains us. I also acknowledge and honor those of our ancestors who walked, lived, and left their breath of life here. Megwetch.

Welcome to all the Elders, Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Chiefs, Leadership, Council Members, Honorary Guests, Foster Parents, Community Members, Visitors, Youth, and Staff. Welcome to the 43rd Annual General Assembly for West Region Child and Family Services, Inc. This year's theme is “Maamiinochigewin Gidinawemaaganag Gikinjigwen Mino Bimadiziwin.” The translation into English is “Reconciliation of Families by Embracing Natural Law.” I acknowledge and thank the AGM committee and Community Based Team for their hard work in organizing the meeting here. A big thank you to the Rolling River Chief and Council and community for sharing your beautiful space with us!

Another year has passed and here we are reporting on the agency's outcomes, achievements, challenges, and events of the previous year. As we look forward to another year, I believe there will be on-going successes and achievements for our children, families, and communities and these will be reflected in our next report. I am pleased to present the 24-25 annual general report to you that have been compiled by senior management staff, management, and staff. Each Unit has put together a report outlining major outcomes for the communities they service.

WRCFS is comprised of a Board of Directors (Chiefs or a designated Council member) that provide leadership, support, and guidance in our mandate to provide protection and prevention services to our children, families, and communities. Despite their very busy schedules, they meet on a regular basis to stay connected and informed of service needs and programming for children and families within the West Region communities. Our Board Chair remains as Chief Cameron Catcheway for the past 10+ years and his continued support for the Management and Staff is deeply appreciated. He has been available and on-call 24/7 throughout his time as Chair. Our Vice-Chairperson, Chief Wayne Desjarlais, has been with the Agency for many years and during that time, Councillor Margaret Racette attended meetings as the proxy member. Margaret has provided a wealth of knowledge and experience as a board member. We wish her well in her next role. She is a great advocate for children and parents. Our Board of Directors are the Chiefs we honor for the sacred work they do for children from our tribal areas.

Chi Megwetch for being there for the children and the families.

As you read through the annual report, you will see the activities of each program and community. There is statistical data and financial information for the fiscal year 2024/2025 available in the report. This shows the current trends and financial data of the agency. In addition, as stated earlier, the program directors and their teams put together their reports about their program activities.

I want to acknowledge the WRCFS staff for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year. It has been difficult for some staff who have been faced with grief and loss. We offer our condolences to each and every one of you who has lost a loved one and may memories of them bring comfort to you.

All my relations.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AGM REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

First, Congratulations to Waywayseecappo for establishing their new Provincial mandated Child and Family Services Agency, Gakina Animino Ayaamin Omaa Ne’aakwong on October 1, 2024. It was definitely a very busy time for West Region CFS Board of Directors, Senior Management, Management and Regional and Local Staff to assist in this on-going initiative alongside the Southern Network of Care and the Provincial/Federal reps. I want to convey my sincerest gratitude to the staff who contributed to finalizing all the pertinent documentation and work required to ensure that all files were up to date for the transfers of children in care and their families. This was a massive undertaking!

It is with good hearts of many people who came together and worked together from various teams of the agency, including foster parents and board members that contributed to the successful transfer and transition to Waywayseecappo, especially within a very short timeframe. The Agency did experience some challenges, however with a good mindset, positivity, and wide range of experience, Waywayseecappo achieved their mandate. Even though they are transitioned to their agency, we still have the same mandate and that it is the “protection of children” and the on-going health and safety of all our children regardless of where they reside. Our Agency acknowledges your success and wishes you all the best in your journey for further control over your CFS jurisdiction. We know that each community is unique in their way of life, culture, language dialect and protocols, thereby respecting language, spirituality, customs, social norms, family/clan systems, and community norms. The Waywayseecappo First Nation has been part of our agency for over 41 years, and it was sad to see them go even though it was a big accomplishment for them to transition on their own.

The changing landscape in the child welfare system leads us to ways of knowing our own cultural and traditional ways in how we care for our children. In our worldview, there is always a connection to one another regardless of the separation either in proximity or in spirit. The unity of First Nations peoples across this great continent is paramount in who we are and what we do because in our communities there is always going to be a vibrant relationship through relatives and familial relationships. Our people are connected to the land, water, air, and our sacred fire. Local control of local child welfare is part of the full jurisdiction and taking over all aspects of the services and programs associated to the wellbeing of the child and family. Eventually the majority of our Nations may consider this option.

Thank you to all the Staff who worked at Waywayseecappo and thank you for your dedication to WRCFS. We wish you a good path and journey. Some of you have retired or achieved securing other employment and we wish you well. Thank you for helping children to thrive while in care with WWCFS and we acknowledge you.

UPDATE ON FUNDING & LEGISLATION (BILL C-92)

A federal act known as the “An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth, and families (S>C> 2019,c24) came into force and was assented 2019-06-21. This is an Act that affirms the rights of Indigenous peoples to exercise their jurisdiction over CFS services. “It also establishes national principles to guide the provision of these services emphasizing the best interests of the child, cultural continuity and substantive equality.” WRCFS is working with Treaty 2 to focus on how two agencies, WRCFS and ACFS can collaborate on addressing the Bill C-92 work that was initially done by previous workers. A plan is being developed to bring together a series of engagement sessions to discuss what “vision” communities have to offer to make their own jurisdictions a reality. 

The child welfare landscape is evolving to reflect more conscientious decisions and cultural ways of doing social work from an Aboriginal lens. WRCFS has always thrived in promoting an indigenous lens by leading the way in how they have done things, starting with a prevention lens, and incorporating new ways of doing things, such as being an agency who had agency owned resources, creating an indigenous array of homes for kids, an indigenous HR, local child care committees, circle of care initiatives, roots and wings, wraparound, Mino treatment services, siblings homes where kids couldn’t be separated, and these were all reflective of our laws and cultural perspectives, using the medicine wheel approach to do evaluations and so on.

The new provincial legislation surrounding the Kinship and Customary Care agreements came into effect on October 1, 2024, to allow for parents to access alternate care arrangements with family to avoid their children from coming into care. These new arrangements would have fewer children enter care and decrease the numbers of children.

In 2019, the Province introduced the Single Envelope Funding (SEF) model which has its deficiencies and left us in having shortfalls in funding on the provincial side of the model. As an agency we provided and identified those issues to the province in relation to high number of kids coming into care on the provincial side, high costs of travel, increase reliance on level 4 and 5 resources, limited resources in HR, inflation and limited alternate care/foster care workers which have not been funded. A critical function within any agency is to be able to get assistance from these types of workers who manage foster homes and foster care issues/resources.

GOVERNANCE

WRCFS is comprised of Chiefs and/or Council members from each of its FN communities. They meet monthly to address the operational, financial, policy matters and convey any recommendations to the Executive. Leadership reports are given to the Board twice a year via the AGM and the January/February Leadership session held in Brandon, Manitoba. Senior Management is in attendance to report the community activities to date to the Board of Directors as Chiefs.

Aside from these meetings, any urgent meetings are called by the chairperson, Chief Cameron Catcheway. All board members will be having a duly convened meeting to discuss, review and adjust Board by-laws including Governance update in the fall of 2025, which is a result of the Waywayseecappo community departure.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISION

I supervise the Senior Management Team. We meet on the first Tuesday of every month to review and respond to any outstanding service delivery or prevention programming matters including updating strategic plans and financial aspects of their programs, as well apprise us of the current service delivery in their respective units/depts and keep current on child welfare issues/matters. The team analyzes this information and brings forth any recommendations or concerns agency may encounter. The senior management is also host to management meetings where policies and planning are discussed, and recommendations or approvals are required. All Management have input regarding discussions pertaining to the Agency policy, planning and procedures as deemed necessary.

I would like to acknowledge Chief Wilfred McKay, for hosting this years Annual General Meeting, along with his Council members Melissa Shannacappo, Claude Shannacappo and Derek McKay.

I would like to acknowledge Chief Cameron Catcheway for his continued support, guidance, and direction received.

Thank you the WRCFS Board of Directors, Chiefs, the AGM Committee, WRCFS Management and Staff for their hard work in producing an excellent report that encompasses WRCFS. I want to thank all the foster parents, care providers, home makers, support workers, and CFS Committee members for their dedication and commitment to the children in care.

Chi Megwetch, All My Relations,

Stella Bone

Executive Director

West Region Child and Family Services, Inc.

Greetings and Welcome to the 43rd WRCFS Annual General Meeting. I bring greeting from the West Region CFS Board of Directors, Chiefs and Council Members.

Thank you to Rolling River for hosting this years Annual General Meeting. Thank you to the AGM Committee for organizing the event. Well done, staff and members of the community.

As Chairperson for the past several years, I want to acknowledge the Agency and staff for the services and programs they provide to our First Nations, and to Senior Management and Staff, I say Megwetch. 

I would like to acknowledge Waywayseecappo First Nation for acquiring their own provincial mandate and wish them the best. Chief Clearsky was a member of the Board for many years. We are appreciative of his work for the Agency and wish him and his new organization the best. 

I know that looking after our children is a big responsibility, but it is the right thing to do. Our children are our future so we must ensure the continuity for their culture, language, education, and every treaty right as long as the sun shines, the grass grown and the waters flow. Whatever decisions we make today, we have to keep in mind the generations yet to come.

Thank you to all the care providers, foster parents, staff, elders, and leaders for their support.

Megwetch

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ CHAIRPERSON

CHIEF CAMERON CATCHEWAY, SKOWNAN FIRST NATION