Press Release
The executive directors of Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services and Weechi-it-te-win Family Services will sign an historic agreement tomorrow (Dec. 6) that will allow WFS to provide child-welfare services to all band members living off their First Nations’ communities within the Rainy River and Kenora districts.
“Over the years, there have been numerous attempts by the government to change the legal jurisdiction within the Rainy River District to allow Weechi-it-te-win to increase its jurisdiction to include band members living off their First Nations communities,” said KRRDCFS executive director Bill Leonard.
“Part X of the Child and Family Services Act speaks to the principle that First Nations’ children and families should, whenever possible, receive child-welfare services from an aboriginal agency,” he noted.
“The chiefs of the Rainy River Tribal Area created Weechi-it-te-win Family Services in the 1980s with the intent that it would provide child-welfare services to all their band members living both on and off their First Nations’ communities,” said WFS executive director Laurie Rose.
“Over the years, numerous requests were made to the ministry asking for expanded jurisdiction,” she added.
“We will celebrate this monumental occasion with a cultural ceremony at La Place Rendez-Vous in Fort Frances on Dec. 6.”
