Transfer of youth-serving organization The Link to Brokenhead Ojibway Nation marks a 'day of hope'

A century-old Winnipeg-based organization that works with families and youth in crisis is getting a new start and taking another step toward reconciliation.

The operation of The Link is being shifted from a not-for-profit organization that relied heavily on government funding to being owned and led by Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.

"We are sharing a very important milestone. Today, we gather to announce the repatriation of services to our First Nations people," board chair Candace Olson said at a news conference on Thursday, after which a memorandum of understanding was signed with Brokenhead.

The Link, on Mayfair Avenue, provides both short- and long-term support for youth and their families through counselling, crisis intervention, group care, a 24-hour youth shelter, housing support, education and employment assistance.

Seventy per cent of the families who access its programs and services are First Nations, "so it's incredibly important that we make these steps forward," said Olson.

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the transfer of "a major social service organization" to a First Nation is a first in the province's history.

"This isn't just about a transition of responsibility, it's actually a transformation of systems," she said. "This is a day of hope, a day of courage."

The organization was established in 1929 as the Sir Hugh John Macdonald Memorial Hostel, named for judge Hugh John Macdonald, son of John A. Macdonald. The latter, Canada's first prime minister, is regarded by many as an architect of the residential school system. 

The organization's initial mandate was to "provide a Christian home for under-privileged boys living in the wrong environment due to bad home conditions," according to the Manitoba Historical Society.

It adopted the Macdonald Youth Services name in 1993 and changed it again to The Link in 2021 in the spirit of reconciliation.

It is now Manitoba's largest organization for youth and families in crisis, employing more than 300 people and helping 10,000 families annually.

But it has always been done "under a colonial government structure," Olson said.  

"We're looking forward to taking this journey towards restoring what was taken and supporting Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in re-establishing sovereignty."

A transition committee will be assembled soon to facilitate the process and ensure the care people receive is rooted in First Nations culture, values and traditions, she said. That process is expected to take about four months.

"It's a return to our original responsibility — caring for our children in a way that reflects who they are, where they come from and what they need to thrive," said Gordon BlueSky, chief of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, which is about 70 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

"For generations, First Nations families have been impacted by systems that weren't designed with us in mind. From residential schools to the Sixties Scoop to modern child welfare, our people have seen too many children separated from their culture and community," he said.

"Today's agreement is about healing those harms. This is reconciliation in action."