Manitoba youth in care allowed to go to homes where they were sexually exploited: search warrant
CBC
Children in the care of a for-profit private foster home provider were given cannabis daily, allowed to go to homes where they were sexually exploited, and taken to see known drug dealers by staff, according to newly unsealed search warrant documents obtained by CBC News.
Spirit Rising House has been under police investigation since February, after a social media post raised allegations the company was providing marijuana to youth in its care as a form of harm reduction.
Sources told CBC several people connected with Spirit Rising House have been arrested, but charges have not yet been laid.
In a sworn affidavit, Winnipeg police said the evidence they collected shows that people who were involved in Spirit Rising House were "criminally negligent" and caused numerous children in care to suffer bodily harm.
"I am not a doctor or therapist but I do believe that SRH [Spirit Rising House] providing numerous at-risk CIC [children in care] with marijuana has led to harm both mentally and physically," Winnipeg police Const. Phillip Cole in an April 10, 2024, affidavit to a judge.
The Winnipeg-based company ran nine foster homes and two specialized group homes for high-risk youth in Child and Family Services care before the province cut ties with the provider at the end of February, pledging to remove all 34 youth in their care.
The foster homes were in charge of Level 5 CFS children in care — youth with complex care needs who were deemed at risk of sexual exploitation, drug use and self-harm.
CBC first reported in April that several group homes were searched by police as part of their investigation into Spirit Rising House.
Documents show police got warrants to search 14 homes for a number of items including log sheets, cannabis prescriptions, drug paraphernalia and documentation.
They were also searching for financial records of funds received by Spirit Rising House from Southeast Child and Family Services — which licensed Spirit Rising House — and records of the money spent on the children in care, the search warrant documents show.
The financial records would give the child abuse unit "some idea" how much the company "was profiting when it provided marijuana to the CIC and 'subsidized' it with the CIC's allowance," Const. Cole wrote.
The Winnipeg Police Service's child abuse unit interviewed numerous former employees as part of the investigation.
Details from these interviews are included in the affidavit obtained by CBC.
The workers said youth at some homes were given marijuana as a reward for doing chores.
Many P.E.I. businesses and services will be closed on New Year's Day, after being open for reduced hours on Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Say what you will about Alberta politics, they are seldom boring — at least, not these days.
An orange-crowned warbler was spotted during Hamilton’s annual Christmas bird survey, a “rarity” for birdwatchers, organizers say.
Residents across Windsor-Essex will have several free options to ring in 2026, with outdoor skating parties, fireworks celebrations and more planned for Dec. 31.
With transit fares on the rise in a number of Canadian cities, some experts say it’s time to rethink how we fund public transportation.
WARNING: This story contains references to missing and murdered Indigenous people. Resources can be found at the bottom of this story.
A law mandating new requirements for job postings by companies of over 25 people will go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2026 in Ontario.
New rules set to come into effect in 2026 mean many Ontario homeowners and landlords will have to add carbon monoxide alarms to their New Year's to-do list.
Bryce Leitch and his son Quinton were playing video games in their south London home’s basement on Sunday night when the 9-year-old suddenly said he heard a “weird noise” coming from upstairs.
U.S. authorities have released more details on dozens of high-end motorcycles believed to belong to Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian athlete now accused of running an international drug ring.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says 36-year-old Scott King, has been arrested following a shooting on Monday inside a home in Corner Brook.
Five Nova Scotians, including a popular musician and a former premier, have been appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia for 2025.
The Maritimes suffered through intense drought conditions this summer that left farmers with lower crop yields and, in some cases. feeling already set back as they look ahead to the coming year.