To date, First Wellness has received $100,000 from Jordan’s Principle.

ISC said it was unaware of links between the ownership of First Wellness and Venture Academy until we informed them.

A spokeswoman wrote they were now “reviewing the situation” but would not elaborate on what that meant.

At Venture's Red Deer campus, which First Wellness also operates out of, one former therapist told us she often heard that a child was only going home because “their Jordan’s Principle funding ran out.”

“The kids that came to see me were doing well. They should have been sent home."

Documents revealed the children's aid society for Venture’s Ontario campus raised several issues with Indigenous youth attending Venture as early as 2020.

One report found Indigenous children were at “greater risk” of emotional harm while in the program.

Venture didn't respond to our questions.

Our second story revealed allegations of sexual abuse of underaged girls who were enrolled in Venture's programs: globalnews.ca/news/1132235...

Our first story on Venture revealed dozens of allegations Venture's program caused youth emotional and psychological harm.

globalnews.ca/news/1131892...

Both programs ran out of the same building, they said.

The only difference was First Wellness youth saw an Indigenous therapist.

“They made a huge big deal about that, ‘We’re so inclusive. We’re so welcoming.’ You’re just inviting another group of people to get traumatized," one youth told us.

The new company, First Wellness, pledges “holistic care” for Indigenous children.

But sources told us that Venture and First Wellness youth were treated the same — receiving the same education, living with the same host parents, and attending the same group therapy sessions.

Read more: globalnews.ca/news/1131892...

Golightley says total control is a key "to the functionality of these programs" because it pressures kids to fall in line.

“The institutions themselves are set up in such a way that can be really traumatizing…because people are being stripped of their autonomy and they’re being coerced to comply.”

This is the first story in a series. There will be more to come in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

Several internal Ontario government reports mirrored much of what youth told us.

One former staff said she was instructed to treat youth "like they don’t exist, they are not human, that they have no rights."

ON's ministry of children wouldn't answer our questions about its oversight of Venture.

In Ontario, foster agencies are not allowed to deprive children of basic needs, unless it is necessary to prevent immediate harm.

They also cannot withhold or threaten to withhold visits or communication from family members. Basements are not allowed to be used as bedrooms.

Teens say they were often forced to spend most of their time alone in their rooms, weren’t fed sufficiently, were exposed to drugs and alcohol and lived in basements or makeshift rooms.

Another girl said she was forced to sleep in only her underpants for 12 weeks — a punishment for running away.

Thirteen former Ontario youth said that rules were so stringent that their access to the bathroom was restricted, and some urinated themselves as a result. A girl spoke of soaking her pants with blood because she was menstruating and wasn’t allowed to visit the washroom.

We heard from two former attendees who told us that Venture's program helped them, however, neither agreed to go on-the-record with their positive testimony.

You can read Venture's full response to Global's reporting here: globalnews.ca/news/1132170...

Dozens of former Venture teens - many of whom were sent to Venture for treatment of their depression or anxiety - told us their mental health worsened due to the program.

Some say they left with PTSD, new addictions, or crippling anxiety.

Our investigation laid bare one program that seemingly struggled to manage the complex needs of children in their care, instances of sexual abuse, staff who say they weren’t adequately trained, and allegations of a residential program run with little oversight.

We analyzed hundreds of pages of documents and spoke to 70 attendees, parents, staff and host parents across each of Venture Academy’s three locations.

Venture launched in Kelowna, B.C. in 2001. It opened two other locations in Red Deer, AB, and Barrie, ON. The Kelowna site shut down in 2021.