September 23, 2021—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 3
Ambulance changes in remote communities Province hires 85 more paramedics, but some worry the scheduling shift could put isolated se•lements at risk By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The province is strengthening its ambulance system through its largest hiring push in B.C.’s history in rural and remote areas. Health Minister Adrian Dix said 24 ambulance stations will move from on-call staffing to 24-7 service. An additional 26 smaller stations will be getting more “permanent, regular paramedics” beginning Nov. 1. Some of the communities listed to benefit from these improvements include: Lake Cowichan, Tofino, Tahsis and Zeballos, all of which Nuu-chah-nulth nations rely on. “When we call 911 for help, British Columbians need to feel confident that help is on the way and that it will arrive quickly,” Dix said in a release. “The significant progress made by BC Emergency Health Services over the summer will ensure a more effective ambulance service for patients and families who depend on it. Better support for paramedics and dispatchers will help them do the vital work we count on every day.” Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) Vice-President Mariah Charleson said she is happy to see “a push for essential services to reach our rural and remote communities.” “People who live in these rural and remote communities often suffer in silence,” she said. “These are communities that are removed from services like the ambulance, services like the hospital, a dentist, a grocery store or a post office.”
Ehattesaht First Nation’s village of Ehatis is located next to Zeballos, which sits at the end of a 42-kilometre unpaved active logging road. Residents who require basic needs, such as hospital services or groceries, must travel to the nearest commercial centre in Port McNeill, which is 84 kilometres away, or Campbell River. Ehattesaht First Nation Councillor Ernie Smith said that a lack of access to emergency services could mean the difference between life and death. “If somebody has a heart attack or a stroke you can’t be waiting an hour and a half for an ambulance to come [from Port McNeill],” he said. In May, Zeballos Mayor Julie Colborne expressed her concern about the “sustainability of BC Ambulance services in the Zeballos area” in a letter addressed to minister Dix. When the BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) proposed a new paramedic staffing model in rural and remote communities called Scheduled On-Call, it raised alarm bells. “I see this move as a catastrophic collapse of a service,” wrote Colborne. Under the new model, Colborne said Zeballos would have one regular parttime paid paramedic, and the remaining hours would be covered by on-call paramedics that would receive a stipend of $2 per hour until their pager goes off. If on duty, they’d receive regular pay for a minimum of four hours. The community had been previously operating under the “kilo guarantee” model, which provided on-call staff with a minimum of four hours pay regardless
Mariah Charleson of whether they were called-out or not. “This [shift] is concerning to a small community for several reasons, including availability of paramedics in community; issues with recruitment and retention, coverage for the area; and safety of our community, the area, its visitors, and workers,” Colborne wrote. NTC echoed Colborne’s concern in a separate letter addressed to Dix in June. “Changing [or] diminishing the current service model will undoubtedly have lasting effects and some of those could potentially be fatal,” it read. “The risks are too big.” The province’s latest move to convert rural stations to full-time staffing is being called Alpha. “We’re happy to see that there has been a stronger push for understanding the risks that are associated with having that lack of access to essential services,” said Charleson. According to the Ministry of Health, the
hiring of the 85 new paramedics and 30 new dispatchers is currently underway. “We are on track with filling new paramedic and dispatch positions, and I know this is going to create more stability in our staffing and improve our emergency medical response and our community paramedic services in rural and remote B.C. in particular,” said Leanne Heppell, BCEHS interim chief ambulance officer, in a release. Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Elmer Frank said his nation is looking forward to seeing a growth in services. “We know with our participation in our regional COVID-19 response teams that there’s a high demand for ambulance services,” he said. The provincial government developed the Rural, Remote, First Nations and Indigenous COVID-19 Response Framework in May to help ensure people living in remote Indigenous communities “have access to critical health care they can count on.” Remote Nuu-chah-nulth nations were among the first in B.C. to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in January. For Charleson, it stood as an example of Indigenous peoples’ needs being met. As the winter season approaches and safety risks associated with traveling inand-out of remote communities increases, Charleson said she’s relieved that change is coming. “It’s something that we’ve been fighting for,” she said. “Ensuring that our rural and remote communities’ needs are being met.”
Leaders look to implementation of UNDRIP Act Continued from Page 1. “None of us wanted this election, and at the same time we’ve got lots of work to do,” added Johns. When MPs do return to the House this fall a critical item for reconciliation with First Nations will be going forward with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act. This legislation, which received Royal assent in June, has been called a framework to guide Canada’s implementation of the UN declaration in consultation with Aboriginal peoples. But what entails proper consultation is a critical matter, cautions Sayers. For the
government to just gather input from the Assembly of First Nations is not good enough. “AFN is not the rights holder,” she said of the national advocacy organization. It will be up to the NDP and other parties to ensure that the Liberals are “respecting the spirit and intent of that law,” stressed MacGregor. “In trying to make sure that our federal laws are in harmony with the UN declaration, I think it’s going to be up to each individual critic in the opposition side,” he said. “Reconciliation, defined and led by First Nations and Indigenous communities, has
to be guided by the implementation of the UN declaration,” added Johns. “It needs an implementation timeline.” The Government of Canada’s language that accompanied the passing of Bill C-15 mentions seeking input from Indigenous peoples “in decision-making and management activities”, collaborating “in a manner that gives voice to the declaration.” But this will hit many Nuu-chah-nulthaht who rely on ocean resources with a bitter irony. After over a decade of stalled negotiations and multiple court decisions that affirmed the rights of five Nuu-chahnulth nations to catch and sell fish from
their respective territorial waters, a message from hereditary chiefs authorized their people to disregard catch allocations set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Aug. 4 message from Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Tla-o-qui-aht and Ehattesaht Ha’wiih permitted their people to harvest according to the First Nations’ own fishing plans. “The government needs to come to the table with a real mandate to address the court decision and ensure that Indigenous people aren’t back in court, that they’re out on the water fishing,” said Johns. “I really believe that when the Nuu-chahnulth prosper, everybody prospers.”
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