A house fire in Ottawa claimed the life of a 16-year old girl in foster care. Now, a First Nations leader is asking why she was even placed in the Nation’s Capital in the first place.

According to an article in the Ottawa Sun, Courtney Scott was the lone casualty in the April 21st blaze.

Her mother and step-father live in Timmins.

The Mushkegowuk Council issued a press release, stating Scott—from Fort Albany—was in the care of Child and Family Services since 2003.  They add while they try to understand the circumstances of the fire and deal with grief, “we ask ourselves why did this young life who was taken into care perish so far from home and so alone.”

“We are challenged every day as leaders, community members and parents in the remote north to change the quality of life for our children and it is tragedy’s such as this that strengthens our resolve. We can’t ignore such tragic events and I will be calling for an inquest this is not an isolated case we have lost other children.” says Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon.

It wasn’t long ago that this matter was being looked at through the support of a Human Rights Court challenge, noting Aboriginal agencies were discriminated against by the provincial government.

“(This) through a funding formula that didn’t provide adequate nor equitable resourcing that could enable our Agency to bring these services and children closer to home,” the Council stated in the release.

“Despite that victory in that Human Rights Court Challenge, the government has refused and are yet to come good on the directives from that process.  Instead, the Province has closed our only Group Home because of a lack of resources/services that was situated in our region perpetuating a practice that we have no alternative but to send our children south.”

They go on to say that it’s a sad situation “that we have courts of law, courts to hear the injustices of a flawed system only to see any positive decisions rendered and or advancements that are simply ignored by government.”

“As the community, family and Agency gather to make plans on the return of this child to the community, it is not a far reminder of the Residential Schools, who not so long ago had a similar practice.”

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