CAS Closes Case on Ojibwe child; “We respect Makayla’s choice.”

NEW CREDIT – Andrew Koster, Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Society of Brant, stated that CAS will not be investigating further, files have been closed and that without question, Makayla Sault will not be apprehended and forced back into chemotherapy.

Koster gave the news at a community meeting of approximately 40 invited officials and over 60 supporters Tuesday afternoon. “We do not have any intention of interfering with the family or apprehending Makayla or any of her other siblings. We respect Makayla’s choice. This is a unanimous decision from the Children’s Aid Society. We have no intention of taking this thing any further. We’ve looked at the information at this point that we have. We respect the wishes of the family, the wishes of Makayla and the wishes of the community. We will not be apprehending. We want to keep our word.”

Sally Rivers, Director of Brant Native Services of CAS, expressed sadness about what the Sault family is undergoing not only in terms of the illness of their child, but also the anxiety that threats issued by oncologists and the staff at McMaster Children’s Hospital brought to the family dynamic. Rivers said that all staff share in that sadness and said, “our hope is that the outcome of this meeting is a good one for everybody, especially for Makayla.”

Rivers further spoke on behalf of CAS Native Services, saying the organization “acknowledges and respects [indigenous] medicine.” Rivers said that the Native Services Branch is aware that the Sault family are treating Makayla through Onongwatri:yo: and that they, as an organization “acknowledge and honour Makayla’s choice.”

Rivers, who is indigenous as well, told over 100 people gathered in New Credit today, “In our families there isn’t a hierarchy, this is contrary to a western way of thinking. This is a decision we [CAS Native Services Branch] have made as a team. We honour Makayla, the decision and the family.”

Chief Bryan LaForme thanked the over 100 people in attendance for supporting the New Credit community and respecting their decision regarding Makayla. LaForme said “Chief and Council also support the decision that the family have made.”

At this point, CAS closing the file means that Makayla will not be put back in chemotherapy against her will. A legal representative addressed the crowd saying that CAS is the authority under Ontario Law to take this case forward or close it. She said that McMaster Children’s Hospital saw what they perceived as a “failure to administer medical services” to Makayla and that as a part of fiduciary responsibility to the Child and Family Services Act, they had no choice but to report the Saults to the Children’s Aid Society.

The lawyer also stated that if McMaster wanted to further pursue placing Makayla back in chemotherapy that they could theoretically take the case to Superior court to try and override the decision by the CAS, however it was her understanding that was not the current position of McMaster Children’s Hospital.

McMaster Children’s Hospital issued a statement to the Two Row Times Tuesday evening which reads “We feel very much for Makayla’s family and the heartbreaking circumstance they are in. McMaster Children’s Hospital respects the decision of the Children’s Aid Society of Brant. It is the role of the Children’s Aid Society to weigh circumstances and make the difficult decisions they do about protecting children and preserving families. It is our role at McMaster Children’s Hospital to provide the best care possible for children, using the best medical evidence. We want to say that our door is always open to providing care to Makayla and her family.”

Dianne Longboat was in attendance as an invited official to the meeting and made the recommendation that McMaster should receive cultural competency training to prevent matters like this from arising again. Longboat suggested connecting McMaster Children’s Hospital with the University of Toronto’s Office of Indigenous Medicine.

Sonya Sault, Makayla’s mother also expressed that the family has been in contact with a lawyer and told they have grounds to make a case against McMaster Children’s Hospital for discrimination and human rights violations. At this time the Sault family has not made a decision as to whether or not they will proceed with that case.

Sault broke down into tears saying that lead oncologist Dr. Barr and other staff within the McMaster Children’s Hospital came to the family with threats from the very beginning. New Credit Band Councilors closed the meeting unanimously agreeing to follow up on this matter to ensure no other families in the territory experience similar discrimination.

The meeting was closed and Rivers presented the Saults with a gift of a blanket and a large braid of sweetgrass, along with words of reconciliation on behalf of the Native Services Branch of the CAS. Makayla’s family members embraced one another with happy tears and the youth of the New Credit First Nation came together to sing honour songs for the family.

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15 Comments

  1. “alternate healing” …..as in does not work in any way shape or form. Good one. What a joke.

  2. Pluto stfu!… Who are you to say anything. Far to long we have listened or have been forced by the a Western world in anything we as the first people are, we have had traditional medicines for many years, it’s only been the past 100 years that the Dr and pharmacies have used their medicines, we have had ours since the beginning of time! … Don’t reflect your beliefs on us nor small minded thoughts.

    As with our nations, we are the keepers of the Medicine Chest which was given to us for many many generations and your people have come to our healers for alternate healing! It’s called making a choice and Makayla and her family choose the right one!

    Do your research too! dandelion root is a powerful alternative but alas something you non native people will never understand nor accept!

  3. If we don’t kill the Native Americans with our guns, our alcoholism, or our smallpox, then we will kill them with our white man’s religion.

  4. All beliefs do NOT deserve respect. This is murder plain and simple. Not only were the CAS dead wrong, the family should be arrested and the CAS disbanded. A child is going to needlessly die because of religion, once again. The bane of all humanity and progress. But be sure and pray for her. Yeah….that’ll help.

  5. To paraphrase a comment I saw on another article on this subject, CAS should be held responsible for faith-based manslaughter in the likely event this child dies as a result of such a grossly negligent decision.

    1. Now that she will not longer be receiving the help she needs to maximise her chance for survival, that’s about the best you can to – “hope for the best for her”. I don’t see much here to be happy about and I feel very sorry for Makayla – I’m not at all glad for her.

  6. Prayers to the family. For too long Dr and hospital have controlled what goes into our bodies. It’s all about choice. There are many other alternatives out there. It is proven that Chemo kills healthy cells and secondary cancers caused from Chemo are the norm.

    1. If you want to put YOUR life at risk by turning away medical help for faith-based treatments (so-called), that is YOUR choice. However, putting a child’s life at risk who is not able to provide informed consent, as is being done here, should be considered criminal. Too often, we provide a free pass to such irresponsible acts under the auspices of “freedom of religion”, when we should be actively challenging them and the well-documented harm they cause. The parents’ decision and the courts’ willingness to allow them to kill their child are reprehensible. They should all be jailed when this child dies due to the active denial of effective and readily available medical treatment.

      Also, please cite your (peer reviewed) references for secondary cancers being caused by chemotherapy as the norm.

  7. The narrow-mindedness and pure ignorance of the staff at McMaster is picture-perfect in the minds of the Anishinaabe. Much of what is “western” medicine today has come from Indigenous Knowledge which has been appropriated, twisted to fit the euro”canadian” view, and then presented to the public as genuinely theirs. They couldn’t simply assist, and be supportive. Instead they let their ignorance and irrational, I mean “professional” attitudes get in the way of the life of a human-being, a little child. Attempting and threating to force her back into a torturous process which is Chemo. Dam that pisses me off …… For too long that LINEAR THINKING has caused nothing but negativity!! We are praying and offering the medicines everyday for you Makayla … Ogitchida Kwesehns for sure …

  8. CAS should never have gotten involved to begin with. This child is not being abused, she has everything she needs including a loving family. Just because her beliefs differ from theirs, her choices are not what theirs are doesn’t make them less valid. CAS needs to concentrate on the children that really need the help. Makayla is brave, beautiful and wise. We are all blessed for her being here especially those who personally know her. Keep strong little one. Blessed be.

  9. I am so happy with the decision of CAS, having had breast cancer diagnosis 16 years ago, I did have a medicine woman who doctored and used traditional medicine on me and told me the Cancer was gone but after fasting for 4 days I still went back to have my surgery to remove the lump and it came back positive, I am a First Nation Elder my belief in my traditional ways, I choose to use my Sacred Bundle and medicines and still went the conventional way and had radiation for my positive results. The use of my traditional way gave me the strength I needed and to have the courage to defeat my cancer and I did, I am now a 16 year survivor.

  10. You are in our prayers Makayla. Our medicines, our prayers and our ways are powerful. May the Creator surround you in healing love from all our people across Turtle Island. <3

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