Ontario Child, Youth and Family Services Act Listed Community

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is a listed “First Nations, Inuit or Metis community” under Ontario’s Child, Youth and Family Services Act (OCYFSA) and Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI) is the representative chosen by ITK to deliver services to Inuit children and families in Ontario.

All Children’s Aid Societies, including Indigenous societies in Ontario, are required under the statute and regulations to provide notice and consult with the representative chosen by ITK as the listed Inuit community. ITK has designated Tungasuvvingat Inuit to be its representative to ensure Inuit children and families living in Ontario who come into contact with the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) have the opportunity to receive Inuit-specific supportive services.

All notifications under the OCYFSA should be sent to [email protected]

Please do not fax notifications.

In practice, these notifications will be provided to TI, which will consult with Ontario Children’s Aid Societies and make decisions based on those consultations. 

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Information for Ontario Children’s Aid Societies

How do I determine if notifications about a client should be sent to ITK/TI?

If a child/youth or at least one parent or caregiver self-identifies as an Inuk, ITK/TI should be notified via email at [email protected].

What is the current role of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami under the OCYFSA?

ITK is the national representational organization protecting and advancing the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada. ITK is not a service delivery organization and our role under the OCYFSA is to ensure Inuit children and youth who come into contact with CAS have the opportunity to receive Inuit-specific supportive services from TI where available.

What is the role of Tungasuvvingat Inuit under the OCYFSA?

Tungasuvvingat Inuit is an Inuit-specific Ontario-based service provider. It provides social support, cultural activities, counselling and crisis intervention. TI operates as a one-stop resource centre to meet the rapidly growing, complex and evolving needs of Inuit in Ontario. While ITK is the listed community under the OCYFSA, ITK has designated TI to be its representative and to receive notifications and participate in consultation and decision-making as needed.

TI’s role as the representative of ITK is to respond to the notifications from all Children’s Aid Societies in Ontario as it relates to ITK’s role as a listed community under the OCYFSA. In this initial stage, based on that notification, TI will work with the Children’s Aid Societies to ensure Inuit children, youth and their families are provided with safe spaces for visits, programming referral, information, and system navigation. TI will connect families with appropriate supportive services through Inuit specific, Indigenous, or other organizations to help Inuit children/youth/families navigate through Ontario’s child welfare system.

Who is the band representative for Inuit children or youth?

“Band representative” is a term used by First Nations in Ontario when referring to the services under the OCYFSA. There is no band representative for Inuit in Canada. Inuit are represented by one of the four Inuit land claim organizations, and nationally by ITK. Please contact [email protected] for all notifications for an Inuk child/youth that you would for a band representative. 

Who do I contact if I have questions?

If you would like to speak to someone at Tungasuvvingat Inuit, please contact:

Designated Community Contact for the OCYFSA
Tungasuvvingat Inuit
1071 Richmond Rd.
Ottawa, Ont. K2B 6R2
Phone: 613-316-8775
Email: [email protected]

If you would like to speak to someone at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami related to our role as a listed community, please contact: 

Listed Community Contact for the OCYFSA
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
75 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ont. K1P 5E7
Phone: 613-238-8181
Email: [email protected]