Jordan's Principle Services in Fort St. John, BC

Helping First Nation families across northeastern British Columbia navigate Jordan's Principle requests for children's health, social, and educational services, ensuring families understand their rights and can access the support their children need without bureaucratic delays.

You know your child needs. Maybe it's speech therapy, mental health counselling, educational support, medical equipment, or specialized services that would make daily life easier. Jordan's Principle is a legal requirement designed to ensure First Nation children can access products, services, and supports when they need them, without experiencing delays caused by jurisdictional disputes between government agencies.

Navigating the federal request process can feel overwhelming. Application forms are confusing. Documentation requirements aren't clear. You're not sure which services qualify or how to prove your child's need(s). Months pass while you wait for responses, and your child continues struggling without the support they need.

You shouldn’t have to become an expert in federal policy or navigate complex systems alone just to get your child the help they deserve. The process should support families, not exhaust them. Through Jordan’s Principle, dedicated Service Coordinators assist families with applications, requests, and file management, providing guidance and support through every step of the process.

Named in memory of Jordan River Anderson, a five-year-old First Nation child from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Jordan was born in 1999 with a rare disorder that required hospitalization from birth. After spending the first years of his life in a hospital, doctors felt he could receive care in a medically trained family home near the hospital. However, over the next couple of years, the federal and provincial governments could not resolve who was financially responsible for the necessary at-home care. After spending over two years in hospital while governments disputed who should pay for his at-home care, Jordan died in 2005 having never left the hospital and receiving treatment in a home.

On December 12, 2007, the House of Commons supported a motion that affirms Jordan's Principle. A federal court ruling in 2013 and Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision in 2016 means that Jordan's Principle is now law in Canada.

Jordan's Principle is a legal requirement resulting from the Orders of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT), it is not a program or policy. There is no end date to Jordan's Principle. While programs and initiatives to support Jordan's Principle may only exist for short periods of time, please be assured that Jordan's Principle will always be there.

Funding can help with a wide range of health, social and educational needs, including the unique needs that First Nations Two-Spirit and LGBTQQIA children and youth and those with disabilities may have.

Treaty 8 Tribal Association's Jordan's Principle coordination team helps families navigate the federal request process. Our team supports application completion, gathers required documentation, follows up on processing timelines, and ensures families understand their rights under Jordan's Principle. We work to remove the bureaucratic barriers that can delay or prevent children from accessing services.

Miah O'Neil-Simpson, Jordan’s Principle Service Coordinator, is a proud member of Bigstone Cree Nation and was born and raised in Fort St. John. She attended Camosun College in the Public Administration program from 2015-2017 and has served as Jordan’s Principle Service Coordinator for over four years. Miah brings deep expertise in Jordan’s Principle processes and federal request systems, supporting families through application completion, documentation, and coordination to help children access the services they need.

Holly Yerhoff, Jordan’s Principle ARC Administrator, is a proud member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Alberta and was born in Fort St. John. She joined Treaty 8 Tribal Association in 2021, beginning in TARR before moving into the role of Medical Transportation Clerk, and now serves as Jordan’s Principle ARC Administrator. Holly provides essential support with application coordination and documentation management and is grateful to be part of the Association and the work it does to support families.

We're locally based in Fort St. John, understanding the specific challenges families face across northeastern BC's vast geography. We know the regional service gaps, the transportation barriers, and the community context that affects how families access support. This local knowledge strengthens applications by ensuring requests reflect the realities of service delivery in the BC Treaty 8 territory.