A public inquiry has heard that James Poker’s father learned his son had left a Saskatchewan treatment centre only after seeing him back in Natuashish.
James Poker had spent years in out-of-province care when he aged out of a Saskatchewan youth treatment centre at 16. His father, Thomas Poker, was not told he had permanently left the facility, according to the family’s lawyer at a public inquiry into the experiences of Innu children in care.
The account has become a central part of the inquiry’s examination of James Poker’s life and death. He is one of six deaths being reviewed as commissioners study the treatment, experiences and outcomes of Innu children in the child protection system.
Scott Lynch, the Poker family’s lawyer, said James’s time in care was marked by misleading or missing communication with his family. While caregivers sent notes to Natuashish saying James was happy and doing well in placements in Ontario and Saskatchewan, Lynch said he was repeatedly running away, experiencing hallucinations and struggling to build connections with staff.
James spent his final 16 months in care at Ranch Ehrlo, a youth mental health treatment centre in Saskatchewan. Lynch told the inquiry there was no documented correspondence between the facility and the Poker family about James’s mental health, his anti-psychotic prescriptions or other major care updates.
“James’s father was only made aware that James had permanently left care at Ranch Ehrlo and returned to Natuashish when he saw James walking on the road in the community,” Lynch said.
Ranch Ehrlo said it could not address James’s case because of privacy concerns. Speaking generally, the organization said its protocols vary by case and may involve communication through a referring agency rather than directly with family members.
James was born in 1997 to Thomas Poker and Suzanne Rich Poker and was adopted by another family in Natuashish at age two. Lynch said James entered provincial care at age 10 after earlier interactions with social workers that, in the family’s view, should have prompted stronger intervention.
The inquiry heard that after a March 2013 recommendation from a Ranch Ehrlo psychiatrist, James was supposed to continue medication after discharge and see a psychiatrist within six months. Lynch said no referral was made for a doctor in Labrador. His family, he said, did not know about the prescriptions until pill bottles were found with James’s belongings after his death.
After returning to Natuashish, James continued to experience hallucinations and suicidal thoughts. By February 2015, he was living in a shelter in the community. He left the shelter on Feb. 10 and disappeared in the cold; 15 days later, his body was found on the ice of the Labrador Sea.
In a statement read by Lynch, Thomas Poker said the system failed his son and that James returned home “lost, unprepared and unable to fit back into the community.”
The inquiry has also heard that the number of Innu children sent outside the province for care has dropped by 82 per cent since 2018-19. Work is underway to change child protection in Labrador, but the source report says a fully Innu-led system remains a long way off.
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