The children who were rushed by ambulance from a home near Morley are in the care of relatives while Stoney Nakoda Child Services investigates the circumstances that left one child dead.
“They are back in the community,” said Trez McCaskill, director of Stoney Nakoda Child & Family Services. “We are working towards reuniting the family.”
The autopsy of the four-month-old girl who died of flu-like symptoms came back inconclusive as to cause of death and the medical examiner has requested additional testing.
There is no estimated time for when these results will be available.
Last week, EMS and Cochrane RCMP responded to a call of two children in medical distress. The-four-month old was pronounced dead at the scene while a two-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Nine other children and four adults - two were young adults - were taken to hospital but they have all since been released.
The children had a “variety of common respiratory viruses,” and Alberta Health Services has confirmed there is no risk to public safety in relation to their conditions.
Investigators are no longer holding the residence. The two-year-old girl remains in hospital in stable condition.
Aaron Manton, a representative from Alberta Child Services, said the agency could not comment directly on the case but said when families become involved with child intervention, either through a provincial service delivery region or a Delegated First Nations Agency, the provincial policy works to keep those families together.
“When apprehension takes place, we work to identify potential kinship arrangements that help ensure the safety and well-being of the child or children, while reducing the trauma of being removed from their family and community. Alternatively, foster placements within a local or cultural community may be considered,” Manton said.
On Thursday, one day after the incident, the Morley community was in shock and mourning following news of the infant’s death while leaders reached out to offer their condolences
“In short, it’s a tragedy, everybody is feeling the impact. It’s hit everybody really hard,” said Rob Lahache, Wesley Nation CEO. “We have received numerous calls and messages of support and condolences and well wishes and prayers for the family and I’d like to say thank you to all of those who have reached out.”
Lahache said an investigation will be launched through Child and Family Services as well as Health Canada.
Jenny Clarke, a Morley resident who also knows a mother involved, said she was saddened by the news and is grieving for the family.
“It has been very heartbreaking. I even shed tears when I heard it was a baby. Four months old, didn’t even get a chance to live. Gone like that,” Clarke said, adding that she feels there is a lack of support for young mothers in the community.
“For that baby to pass away like that, it makes one wonder what is happening out there with all of these helping programs, why is this happening?” Clarke said. “I cannot say they are uncaring mothers. They do care. They are caring mothers. Somewhere, something was missed out as they were growing up. And now they’re grown up and are parents themselves and are probably just doing what they lived through as kids.”
Clarke said she was upset to hear the possibility of a criminal investigation being launched.
“Everybody was sick there, what kind of criminal investigation is it? That that would be the first thing they jump to with, I’m sure, a grieving mom. I don’t care what kind of a mom she is, any mom loves their kids, nobody can tell me otherwise.”
Chief Ernest Wesley of the Wesley First Nation expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support the community has received from both the other two Stoney Nakoda First Nations - Bearspaw and Chiniki - as well as Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Perry Bellegarde, AFN Regional Chief Marlene Poitras, and the governments of Alberta and Canada.
“A more comprehensive and meaningful dialogue must take place on a Nation-to-Nation level in order to improve the health and well-being of our Nation’s people and improve the lives of all indigenous citizens in this country we call Canada,” Wesley said.
Premier Rachel Notley expressed her condolences over Twitter Thursday afternoon.
The children who were rushed by ambulance from a home near Morley are in the care of relatives while Stoney Nakoda Child Services investigates the circumstances that left one child dead.
“They are back in the community,” said Trez McCaskill, director of Stoney Nakoda Child & Family Services. “We are working towards reuniting the family.”
The autopsy of the four-month-old girl who died of flu-like symptoms came back inconclusive as to cause of death and the medical examiner has requested additional testing.
There is no estimated time for when these results will be available.
Last week, EMS and Cochrane RCMP responded to a call of two children in medical distress. The-four-month old was pronounced dead at the scene while a two-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Nine other children and four adults - two were young adults - were taken to hospital but they have all since been released.
The children had a “variety of common respiratory viruses,” and Alberta Health Services has confirmed there is no risk to public safety in relation to their conditions.
Investigators are no longer holding the residence. The two-year-old girl remains in hospital in stable condition.
Aaron Manton, a representative from Alberta Child Services, said the agency could not comment directly on the case but said when families become involved with child intervention, either through a provincial service delivery region or a Delegated First Nations Agency, the provincial policy works to keep those families together.
“When apprehension takes place, we work to identify potential kinship arrangements that help ensure the safety and well-being of the child or children, while reducing the trauma of being removed from their family and community. Alternatively, foster placements within a local or cultural community may be considered,” Manton said.
On Thursday, one day after the incident, the Morley community was in shock and mourning following news of the infant’s death while leaders reached out to offer their condolences
“In short, it’s a tragedy, everybody is feeling the impact. It’s hit everybody really hard,” said Rob Lahache, Wesley Nation CEO. “We have received numerous calls and messages of support and condolences and well wishes and prayers for the family and I’d like to say thank you to all of those who have reached out.”
Lahache said an investigation will be launched through Child and Family Services as well as Health Canada.
Jenny Clarke, a Morley resident who also knows a mother involved, said she was saddened by the news and is grieving for the family.
“It has been very heartbreaking. I even shed tears when I heard it was a baby. Four months old, didn’t even get a chance to live. Gone like that,” Clarke said, adding that she feels there is a lack of support for young mothers in the community.
“For that baby to pass away like that, it makes one wonder what is happening out there with all of these helping programs, why is this happening?” Clarke said. “I cannot say they are uncaring mothers. They do care. They are caring mothers. Somewhere, something was missed out as they were growing up. And now they’re grown up and are parents themselves and are probably just doing what they lived through as kids.”
Clarke said she was upset to hear the possibility of a criminal investigation being launched.
“Everybody was sick there, what kind of criminal investigation is it? That that would be the first thing they jump to with, I’m sure, a grieving mom. I don’t care what kind of a mom she is, any mom loves their kids, nobody can tell me otherwise.”
Chief Ernest Wesley of the Wesley First Nation expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support the community has received from both the other two Stoney Nakoda First Nations - Bearspaw and Chiniki - as well as Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Perry Bellegarde, AFN Regional Chief Marlene Poitras, and the governments of Alberta and Canada.
“A more comprehensive and meaningful dialogue must take place on a Nation-to-Nation level in order to improve the health and well-being of our Nation’s people and improve the lives of all indigenous citizens in this country we call Canada,” Wesley said.
Premier Rachel Notley expressed her condolences over Twitter Thursday afternoon.
