Mental health treatment helping troubled boy, Bonneau inquest hears

Obey said the extent of her knowledge was that LT’s family had neglect and alcohol-abuse issues. She explained how that’s not uncommon to see on a file, estimating about 90 per cent of cases have those elements.

Echoing previous testimony from other YTCCFS employees, Obey again explained how their office was short staffed due to maternity leave and problems retaining workers.

Had she had access to all of the information, she testified, things could have turned out differently, expressing that LT could have been apprehended and specialized services to support his behaviour could have been offered years earlier. That very well could have saved Lee’s life.

However, she conceded it was still a very complicated case.

Now receiving care for his mental health through what’s described as a comprehensive treatment plan, Obey said LT is progressing.

She outlined how there are still many barriers on First Nations in Saskatchewan; one of the biggest is geographical location. To get the specialized services some families need, residents have to travel hours away in some cases.

Raymond Shingoose, the executive director of the Yorkton Tribal Council Child and Family Services (YTCCFS), admits they didn’t see the horrific incident coming.

“I believe this tragedy is going to teach us something,” he stated.

He said the incident is a wake-up call that improvements have to be made. Some have been made since the death, including a more efficient IT system and an improved database of information.

However, Shingoose insisted that more still needs to happen. They’d like specialized services such as a psychologist, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) specialist and clinical social workers on staff, along with more training and mentoring. He revealed that would be easier to accomplish if their funding was on par with the ministry of social services funding.

Canadace Plamondon with the ministry of social services conducted a critical incident report on Lee’s death and testified at his inquest Thursday. Her report reflected much of the testimony heard over the last week-and-a-half in terms of poor information sharing among the RCMP, YTCCFS and the Kahkewistahaw School LT attended, how investigations were never completed and how there were a lack of community resources.

She explained how there was common knowledge regarding LT’s behaviour on the First Nation and the different agencies tried to work together to help the boy.

“But those efforts were futile,” Plamondon expressed.

The two-week inquest at Regina’s Court of Queen’s Bench is expected to wrap up on Friday. The six-person jury will be charged with drafting up recommendations so a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again in the future.

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by Kevin Martel

Mental health treatment helping troubled boy, Bonneau inquest hears

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