Canada’s Oldest First Nation’s Newspaper - Serving Nuu-chah-nulth-aht since 1974 Canadian Publications Mail Product haasi^ >sa “ Interesting News” Vol. 31 - No. 3 - February 12, 2004 Sales Agreement No. 40047776
Tsawaayuus staff laid off Long-term care facility claims improved services and cost savings through contracted services By David Wiwchar Southern Region Reporter Port Alberni - Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens) has announced their entire staff of 54 will be laid off as of April 5th, as the Elder’s Care facility switches from unionized to contracted staffing. The drastic action was taken to address the original mandate of the facility and provide more funds to address client needs.
Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens) has announced their entire staff of 54 will be laid off as of April 5th, as the facility switches from unionized to contracted staffing. Operated by the West Coast Native Health Care Society, Tsawaayuus Rainbow Gardens was opened on July 2, 1992, and is currently home to 30 Elders in need of close supervision and care. “Rainbow Gardens was founded by some of our Elders, and their vision was to ensure that we have quality care for our people, and I think we’re working with that vision and are moving forward with that vision,” said board chairperson Darleen Watts. “We’ve met over the past few months discussing what is in the best interest of our clients. We had to look at increased flexibility and stability, and we also had to look at the cost of delivering service to our clients,” she said. “The governments have made it hard for us through cutbacks, and they are trying to blend everything under one umbrella by holding back financially. We don’t want to be blended in with other facilities such as Echo Village because we’ll just end up getting lost in the system. We have been very accountable in terms of our delivery of services to our clients, and we can move forward better by contracting the services out rather than with the union,” she said. According to Watts, the inflexibility of the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) has made it difficult to bring in newlycertified Nuu-chah-nulth workers, and volunteer cultural workers to make Tsawaayuus the First Nations’ facility it was designed to be. Without that cultural connection, there is little to differentiate Tsawaayuus from other non-Native care facilities in the region, said Watts. As a result, many Nuu-chah-
nulth Elders are going elsewhere, as First Nations clients represent only half of Tsawaayuus residents. All 54 positions at Tsawaayuus have been terminated, including administration. Currently, 87% of funding goes directly to staff wages, leaving only 13% for feeding and providing services to their Native and non-Native clients. It is hoped that through contracting out, more money will be available for addressing client needs. According to Watts, the re-posted position will be good paying positions, and former employees will be invited to reapply for their positions providing they have the proper accreditations. “Under Bill 29, the provincial government has allowed health employers to ignore contracts with workers and contract out at will,” said Mike Old from the Hospital Employees Union. “Under the Labour Code they have to meet with us, but at this point we still don’t know what their intentions are,” he said. “Consistency of care is very important to elderly patients, and it’s not going to be good for the people who live there if that connection to their long-time caregivers is lost.”
“Rainbow Gardens was founded by some of our Elders, and their vision was to ensure that we have quality care for our people, and I think we’re working with that vision and are moving forward with that vision,” said board chairperson Darleen Watts. “It’s a very hard thing for all the people who have worked here for so long, as we have put our heart and soul into that place and all the residents there,” said Tsawaayuus employee, and union shop steward Alice Mitchell. “We’re really concerned about our clients because we know the things they like, don’t like, and their little idiosyncrasies. They’re part of our extended family, and we were all just really heartbroken and stunned when the Board announced we were all being laid off,” she said. Although Tsawaayuus has already issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a contractor to take over services at Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens), Mitchell is hopeful her union can negotiate a continued role at the Elder’s care facility.
Ahousaht Ha’wlith retires ...................................... Page 2 TFN and Hupacasath sign agreement .................. Page 3 Hundreds laid off as Hake plant closes ............... Page 4 Tseshaht fast becoming a force in the forests ...... Page 5 Alberni garbage causes stink .................................. Page 8 NEDC Business News ............................................. Page 20
Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens) employees Monica DeAdder, June Billie, Pat Forsythe, Teresa Simmons and Barbra Anderson received their layoff notices last week, but hope they can remain employed as the Elder care facility switches from unionized to contracted staffing.
Central Region Chiefs prepare to negotiate new Clayoquot Sound IMEA By Denise August, Central Region Reporter Tofino- With the Clayoquot Sound Interim Measure Agreement (IMEA) set to expire in March 2005 and the financial portion ending very soon, the Central Region Chiefs have been meeting regularly in order to develop a collective strategy for the renegotiation of an extension with the provincial government. The original IMEA is a resource management and economic development agreement negotiated between the Central Region Chiefs and the provincial government in the early 1990’s. Angered at the provincial government afor releasing their land-use plan for Clayoquot Sound without first consulting local First Nations, the Chiefs lobbied international environmental organizations to get the province to the negotiating table. The strategy worked, and after more than 40 days of non-stop talks an agreement was hammered out that allowed, for the first time, meaningful First Nations say in local land and resource management. The IMEA is intended to protect land and resources until a treaty is in place. Recent developments have raised
questions about how another extension to the IMEA might be negotiated. The first major challenge is the change of provincial government. No longer led by the NDP, the original provincial party to the agreement, the province is now led by the Liberal government who seem to have different ideas about the Clayoquot Sound Interim Measures Agreement than its predecessors. Secondly, there is the Maa-nulth development. The Central Region consists of five First Nations; Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Toquaht and Ucluelet and all are party of the IMEA which serves as a ‘bridge to treaty’. Two of the First Nations, Ucluelet and Toquaht are pursuing a treaty through the Maa-nulth group, which will probably mean that they will sign a treaty at a time other than that of the three remaining First Nations. The Chiefs will need to negotiate an ‘out’ clause in the event that one or more First Nations reach treaty before the others. Central Region Co-chair, Shawn Atleo says the federal government is interested in joining the renewal talks. He said Federal Chief negotiator Eric Denhoff admitted to never reading the IMEA and committed to do so and come to the next meeting to explore ways in which they can participate.
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