Was Robert Riley Saunders your social worker?

We’re scheduling interviews with youth & families impacted by Robert Riley Saunders’ alleged actions.

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Robert Riley Saunders

We asked how you’d like IndigiNews to cover Robert Riley Saunders’ trial, and we heard your calls for survivor-centred coverage. If you were personally impacted by Saunders’ alleged actions while he was employed as a social worker by the Ministry of Children and Family Development in Kelowna, between 1996 and 2018, we’d like to ask you:

  • What would justice look like for you?

  • What changes would you like to see in the child welfare system? 

  • How do you plan to care for yourself as this trial unfolds?

  • What message would you like to share with other youth or families impacted by Saunders’ alleged actions?

If you’re interested in being interviewed, please be in touch: chehala@indiginews.com.

Please note: We value your safety and your right to freedom of speech, and we are happy to discuss ways of protecting your identity if that’s something that is important to you.

For background on this case of alleged theft, fraud and breach of trust, see our previous coverage here.  If you would like to read what guides our journalists follow as they cover a story you can read about that here.

 

Author

ᐋᐧᐸᓇᒐᐦᑯᐢᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ Chehala Leonard

We live in a media ecosystem that thrives on misinformation. Big Tech and AI companies are consuming the work of real human beings and Canadian news has been banned on Facebook and Instagram.

Eden Fineday

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At IndigiNews, we embody tâpwêwin — the Cree value of integrity and responsibility in truth-telling. We are committed to our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom rooted in community, accountability, and relationality. We believe storytelling is a sacred fire that connects our pasts, presents, and futures through the storytellers in our Storytelling Lodge. IndigiNews creates space for Indigenous journalists, storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, and communities to gather, learn, and share stories that matter.

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But there is still more work to do.

As the media landscape becomes more and more uncertain, community support is as necessary and essential as it’s ever been. Every new Firekeeper helps protect the independence of our newsroom and strengthens journalism that is accountable to our many and varied communities over corporations.

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— Eden Fineday, Publisher, IndigiNews

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