The owners of a Manitoba for-profit private foster home provider accused of giving marijuana to underage teens were charged Monday, according to court records. John Bennett, Christine Ormiston, Ian Rabb and Kelli Register — the owners of Spirit Rising House — appeared in court Monday and were charged with distributing illicit cannabis and providing cannabis to a young person. They have been under investigation since February after a social media post alleged the company was giving vulnerable youth in care a gram of weed a day in order to "numb" them.
At the time, they ran nine foster homes and two specialized group homes for 34 high-risk youth. The province cut ties with the Winnipeg-based company after its own internal investigation was able to confirm that cannabis was being distributed to the kids. All the children in care were eventually removed from the homes.
Search Warrants executed in April CBC first reported in April that several group homes were searched by police as part of their investigation into Spirit Rising House. Search warrant documents revealed the teens were given cannabis daily, allowed to go to homes where they were sexually exploited, and taken to see known drug dealers by staff. Kids 'ripped out' of safe spaces after province cut ties with foster home operator that provided pot: worker Winnipeg foster home operator that gave cannabis to kids in care blasts province's decision to cut ties CBC Investigates Manitoba youth in care allowed to go to home.