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Manitoba’s family services minister has ordered staff to remove children in care from Winnipeg hotels, in light of a serious attack this morning that left a teenage girl in critical condition.
Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross confirmed the girl was bwing housed at a downtown hotel.
“I’m deeply troubled that this has happened to a child in the care of Child and Family Services. We have a responsibility to protect children in our care and provide them with places of safety,” she said.
The incident has caused the province to fast-track a plan to get CFS wards out of hotels.
The department announced a plan to phase out the use of hotels after the death of Tina Fontaine. They have now instituted a deadline of June 1.
“Today’s horrible tragedy shows that we need to move faster. Therefore, I have ordered the department to immediately find alternative, safe places for children who are currently in hotels,” she said.
Irvin-Ross would not go into specifics about what happened in this particular case.
She did outline the protocol when a child is in care in a hotel. She said there is “for the most part” one-on-one supervision, as well as a supervisor on sight.
“There are rules around supervision, but sometimes when it’s a child and they choose to leave, there are recommendations that workers are not allowed to physically restrain them, so that’s part of the challenge right now,” she said.
Winnipeg police have been guarding the scene around City Place Parkade on Hargrave Street since 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Police say someone flagged officers down to say a female had been assaulted. She was rushed to hospital.
Agencies/Canadajournal
