The day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an annual event that came to be through the fierce determination of Phyllis Webstad, a residential school Survivor, whose prized orange shirt was taken from her at school, and has become a powerful symbol for the attempted stripping of Indigenous rights and personhood. Phyllis is the founder of the Orange Shirt Society, an organization dedicated to building awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impact of Indian Residential Schools and to promoting the concept of Every Child Matters.  

In 2021, almost one-quarter of a million Indigenous people called Manitoba home, making up 18.1% of the population, and more than 102,000 indigenous individuals live in Winnipeg. It is up to all of us to learn about the origins of the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, and to strive for a more just, empathetic and compassionate society that champions Indigenous rights.

We have compiled a list of helpful learning resources as well as events taking place this week leading up to the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation next week:

Participate and learn:

• University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course: 
  Indigenous Canada | University of Alberta (free, online; 12+ hours)
• 4 Seasons of Reconciliation (free, online; 3-4 hours)
• Orange Shirt Society: Programs – Orange Shirt Society
• “Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” September 30 on Parliament Hill (90 minutes)
• Truth and Reconciliation Week 2024: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is offering a week of learning and reflection, including webinars such as the “Health Related Impacts of the Residential Schools System,” to help us move toward reconciliation.
  

Read:

• 21 Things to Know About the Indian Act – Bob Joseph
• Indigenous Relations: Insights, Tips & Suggestions to Make Reconciliation a Reality – Bob Joseph
• The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America – Thomas King
• True Reconciliation: How to be a Force for Change – Jodi Wilson-Raybould
• Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls – Jessica McDiarmid

Visit:

• Agowiidiwinan Centre at The Forks in Winnipeg – Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba

• September 28 to 30: Orange Shirt Days @ the Manitoba Museum – Manitoba Museum (all-day programming focused in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.)

• Canadian Museum for Human Rights: The Witness Blanket: large‐scale art installation made from hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and other cultural structures across Canada.

• WAG Qaumajuq: Three-storey glass vault is filled with thousands of Inuit carvings; free to view in the gallery lobby.

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September 24, 2024 | Winnipeg, MB – Staff at the Aboriginal Health & Wellness Centre (AHWC), represented by the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP), have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate after more than two years without a new collective agreement. The last contract expired in April 2022.

More than 50 MAHCP members at AHWC work in 25 specialized health care and social service disciplines including as nurses, counsellors, community health workers, teacher’s assistants and many more. They serve Indigenous patients and clients in more than a dozen program areas, including through a recently launched mobile primary-care clinic. In July 2024, the Manitoba Government announced a partnership with AHWC to establish “Canada’s first Indigenous-led supervised consumption site.”

“The dedicated staff at Aboriginal Health & Wellness Centre have waited too long for a contract that acknowledges their value,” said MAHCP President Jason Linklater. “The next contract must address the huge and growing wage gap between AHWC staff and their public health-care system colleagues. It is already way overdue.”

MAHCP’s Bargaining Committee called for a strike vote last week after nearly a year of negotiations. The strike vote was held from Tuesday to Friday, September 17-20, with 94% voting in favour of a strike mandate. No strike deadline has been set.

The last contract between MAHCP and AHWC, effective 2018-2022, provided Pallister-era wage freezes and meagre annual increases of 0%, 0%, 0.75% and 1%.

“Most wages at AHWC have increased less than 2% since 2018 while inflation has spiked over 20%. Many staff currently earn half or less of what their peers at other hospitals, clinics and agencies are making,” said Linklater. “The overwhelming strike mandate shows they will no longer accept this glaring inequity.”

The majority of funding for AHWC comes from a combination of federal and provincial government sources.

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The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals is a union representing more 7,000 allied health professionals. Our specialized members work in more than 45 professions throughout Manitoba in labs, clinics, hospitals, long-term care and community.
For more information about MAHCP, visit www.mahcp.ca.

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That’s the wrong direction, but it’s not surprising given the lack of fundamental change frontline health care professionals have seen.

On behalf of our 7,000 specialized members, MAHCP is calling on our provincial government to staff up in critical allied health areas to help free up beds and relieve the bottlenecks driving up ER wait times.

“Unfortunately, Manitoba is still short of critical allied health professionals, and we risk losing more of them due to burnout, increased workloads, and wages and benefits that have fallen behind,” said MAHCP President Jason Linklater.

We’re recommending:

• more diagnostic professionals to perform tests and scans shown to have the greatest impact on reducing ER wait times;
• more physiotherapists and occupational therapists to help free up beds by making sure patients get back on their feet and return home safely, or to keep patients safe at home in the first place and avoid trips to the emergency room;
• more social workers to make sure patients can be discharged safely with the supports and resources they need; and,
• more resources in the community, including home care case coordinators.

Since their election last fall, our government has announced important health care initiatives such as expanding hospital discharge to evenings and weekends, and adding more hospital and transitional care beds. Unfortunately, these initiatives won’t succeed – and ER wait times will remain unacceptably high – without increased retention and recruitment of allied health professionals.

“MAHCP is eager for a staffing update to find out how many critical positions have been added and filled to support the expanded discharge schedule and additional transitional beds. We’re asking for a comprehensive and transparent staffing plan to ensure Manitoba is retaining, training and recruiting the specialized allied health professionals necessary to fix the ER crisis.”

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Hosted by Honourable Matt Wiebe, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, this 90-minute session invited representatives from the labour movement to continue the discussion on Manitoba’s social challenges, with the goal to generate recommendations to mitigate risks to workers and members of the public.

During the event, we discussed possible solutions to workplace violence; gender-based violence; retail crime; mental health challenges and addictions; lack of affordable housing and homelessness. Thank you to our inspiring tablemates from UFCW Local 832, CUPE Manitoba, Manitoba Teachers Society and Canadian Labour Congress – Congrès du travail du Canada for a great discussion.

At the close of the Premier’s summit in the spring, Minister Wiebe committed to releasing a public safety strategy early in the fall. MAHCP looks forward to seeing commitments in the strategy to address escalating violence and improve personal safety in Manitoba’s health-care facilities.

As a fellow participant stated during the roundtable: “We approached our discussion today from the perspective that desperate people do desperate things. We need to improve access to support and resources to address the root causes of crime and rising violence. We can only do that by increasing funding to frontline agencies and accepting as taxpayers that there will be costs to that investment.”

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Supervised consumption sites typically include a reception area, consumption spaces and post-consumption common areas. Staff are trained to respond to accidental overdoses and other emergencies and can refer to and support patrons in accessing health and social services. 

Read the safer consumption site announcement.

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“MAHCP takes every opportunity we can to meet with our Premier and other government representatives to talk about critical allied health retention and recruitment challenges. We’re calling on our government for a health human resources strategy that aligns with the work of other Canadian jurisdictions. We’re seeking expanded education and training for allied health, and we’re asking for essential improvements to the Healthcare Employee Benefit (HEB) plan. Without significant investments in the professionals who deliver high-quality patient care, Manitoba’s health-care system isn’t sustainable.”

Manitoba has been losing health-care professionals to other jurisdictions and employers aren’t filling vacant positions quickly enough. In a recent MAHCP membership survey, two-thirds of allied health professionals told us they’ve seriously considered leaving their job in the last year. More than one-quarter of respondents (28%) say they’ve even considered leaving the healthcare sector altogether, putting our clinics, labs, hospitals, community and long-term care settings at risk.

“We have to stop the bleeding. We we will only be able to improve retention and recruitment when Manitoba’s government and health-care employers collaborate to improve workplace culture, address critical vacancies, and enhance wages and benefits.”

What are allied health professionals’ top workplace concerns? According to our May 2024 MAHCP membership survey:

• ‘increased workload’ (61%)
• ‘unfilled vacancies’ (48%)
• ‘not feeling valued’ (39%)
• ‘low morale’ (38%)

“We also know that those who provide health care to Manitobans do not have a health benefits plan that looks after them appropriately. This is a barrier to recruitment and retention.”

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The post A message to our Emergency Response Members appeared first on Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals.

QUESTION 2: What attracted you to the career? 

I was attracted to Paramedicine later in my life after being in the workforce for 20 years. I felt that I could make a difference in this career. Later, my move to Quality Assurance was because I have a passion for good patient care.

QUESTION 3: What would be your advice/counsel to someone considering a career as a paramedic? 

You will never be bored – every day is different from the last. You’re making a good decision. Maintain your training, your mental health, and don’t ever lose your empathy.

QUESTION 4: What keeps you going, even though we know this is an extremely difficult role? 

Every patient care report I audit contains a history of a patient who is precious to someone out there. Maintaining standards for quality patient care is a huge responsibility, and I try to do this with integrity and respect. When times get difficult, I seek out good coping strategies and maintain my mental health to deal with the vicarious trauma that exists with what I read and audit.

QUESTION 5: Anything you want to share about your life outside of work – hobbies, sports, family, travel, awards, etc?

Anyone who has seen my office knows that I am into all aspects of horticulture.  I am also a taekwondo instructor (Evelyn runs her own dojang out of Carman, and another one out of Portage la Prairie), and I love spending time with my family.

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February 2024 is #blackhistorymonth in Canada, recognized by the House of Commons in December 1995 following a motion introduced by Dr. Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament. Then, in February 2008, Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate, introduced the Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month.

Here are a few ways to learn about Black Canadians’ experiences and their contributions to the fabric of our country and province:

1) Follow Canadian Heritage or visit their website to learn about Black History Month trailblazers, like Liberal Member of Parliament, Mr. Greg Fergus, who represents the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer near Ottawa, and is the first Black Canadian elected Speaker of the House of Commons. Or read about Senator Bernadette Clement, a legal aid lawyer and the first Black Canadian woman to serve as a mayor in Ontario.

Widny Pervil, St. Boniface Hospital Spiritual Care Provider and MAHCP Member Advocate, recently travelled with our Senior Labour Relations Officer, Poonam Randhawa, to attend an anti-racism conference. Widny had the opportunity to meet Senator Clement.

“I learned of Mr. Fergus’ election while in conversation with Minister Clement. We heard the bell together while discussing ways to improve the lives of minorities. They announced Mr. Fergus as the Speaker of the House. How memorable and meaningful is that to have shared that historical moment with her?”

2) Black History Manitoba publishes a calendar of events: https://www.bhmwinnipeg.com/upcoming-events

3) View stories of Black Manitobans working in the health-care system on the Sharedhealthmb website. Or, nominate a Black colleague or someone you know who goes above and beyond to care for others and support their team. https://sharedhealthmb.ca/…/community/black-history-month/

4) Read a snapshot report highlighting how anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities. Today, the province of Manitoba is engaged in the voluntary, self-declared collection of ethnic data related to healthcare system usage, with a goal to better understand the health care experiences of BIPOC individuals and address inequalities: https://www.canada.ca/…/social-determinants-inequities…

5) Read an overview of the diversity of Black Canadians: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/…/89-657-x2019002-eng.htm

Special thanks to Widny for sharing his thoughts and experiences, and for lending expertise to the review of our content!

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TO REGISTER: Attendees can register here.

The Trans Inclusive Feminism project, an initiative led by LEAF, West Coast LEAF and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, with support from 2SLGBTQIA+ consulting firm Wisdom2Action, invites trans and gender-diverse staff working within Canadian feminist and women-serving organizations to a virtual sharing session to explore: 

1.  How feminist organizations can repair and strengthen relationships with trans and gender-diverse communities; 

2.  What trans and gender-diverse staff and volunteers need from the organizations they’re connected to and; 

3.  How feminist organizations can more effectively work in solidarity with trans and gender-diverse people. 

The goal is to create space for trans and gender-diverse people within our sector/movement to connect, share and learn together, while developing a shareable call-to-action document and identifying areas for improvement.  

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