Allegation of 'abominable abuse' of 6-year-old girl by foster parents under investigation: families minister

WARNING: This article contains details of child abuse.

Manitoba’s families minister is conducting an internal investigation into the circumstances that led to a six-year-old girl in foster care suffering injuries that may lead to her being paralyzed for life, search warrant documents show.

Nahanni Fontaine characterized what occurred to the girl as "abominable abuse."

"I take the safety of all children incredibly seriously.… I think that all of us can agree that children shouldn't be abused," she said, adding she cannot go into further details about the case due to privacy laws under the Child and Families Services Act.

"We're looking at what occurred within the system to allow this child to face this amount of abuse."

The girl, from one of the four First Nations in the Island Lake area, was living in Winnipeg in the care of foster parents when she was taken to hospital in critical condition on Sept. 19, Winnipeg police previously said.

Officers were called that day to a home in the Riverbend neighbourhood in north Winnipeg about a child with serious injuries.

Police said at the time they believed the girl, who was one of four children taken from the home, was injured sometime on Sept. 17 or Sept. 18 and did not receive the medical attention she needed. 

Her 25-year-old foster mom was charged with aggravated assault, assault and failing to provide the necessaries of life. Her 26-year-old foster dad faces a charge of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

CBC is not naming the foster parents to protect the identity of the children in care.

Search warrant documents obtained by CBC News shed more light on what police allege happened during that period, and also reveal police are investigating whether the foster parents had previously abused two other foster kids in their care. 

Winnipeg police applied to search the home of the foster parents on Sept. 20, stating there was evidence at the home to prove the alleged abuse.

In a sworn affidavit, a Winnipeg police officer said the girl sustained "life-altering" injuries, including a fractured cervical spine, a fractured breast bone and a bruised lung, and had "significant bruising" over her entire body. 

Her sternum and vertebrae were broken and she had tape burns on her mouth, police say, along with what appeared to be small stabs at the bottoms of her feet.