Oakville Beaver – This past June, Jordan’s Principle abruptly cut funding for his daughter’s treatment, saying it was “too expensive,” said the girl’s father, Stephen Paquette, Indigenous Knowledge Guide for the Halton District School Board. Despite repeated requests, Indigenous Services Canada has so far refused to provide any budgetary guidance so he can find less expensive alternatives for her complex medical treatment currently delivered through Indigenous Child Services Management whose services are comprehensive, holistic and preventative and most important – Indigenous.

“There are lots of services and supports out there (but) I find the struggle, the challenge, is that they don’t understand or appreciate the Indigenous world view and lived experience.” Time is of the essence for his daughter, but the judicial review he has instigated could take months, said Paquette. A judicial review is a court process which looks at administrative body decisions to ensure they are fair and lawful. Recently, however, Paquette’s lawyer was able to negotiate interim funding from Jordan’s Principle for four weeks of treatment with ISCM, but not for the number of hours his daughter requires, said Paquette.