Wednesday, October 21, 2009

FORT FRANCES TIMES A5

Still too much confusion over H1N1 shots

Im in Toronto for a business meeting this week. Should I shake hands with the people I meet? Should I hug old friends I havent seen in a long time. In the H1N1 world, these are big questions today. In fact, a recent poll found more than 60 percent of Canadians feel you shouldnt shake hands in this time. Im also confused about the flu shots, though I know Im supposed to get two this year. Originally, the province was going to begin vaccinations of the traditional seasonal flu shot in early October, followed by the H1N1 flu shot when that vaccine became available. Somewhere in the confusion of studies, some provinces determined the traditional flu shot was not going to be distributed to the public until January unless you were over the age of 65the age group most susceptible to the seasonal flu. People who have found themselves at risk for the seasonal flu in the past can make arrangements to have their shot early by signing a waiver with the health unit. The conflicting daily information, and the conflicting policies by different provincial health agencies, has led to utter confusion. However, many provinces are rolling out the seasonal flu vaccine now, to be followed up with the H1N1 shot. On Monday, the federal government announced it had shipped out one million doses of vaccine to health agencies across the country. The government is just waiting for final verification that the vaccine is safe (it appears a matter of procedure and should come this week). And so district residents should be able to line up in early November to be vaccinated, with the province hoping to have everyone inoculated by the end of December. Just who should receive the vaccine? Even the Prime Minister of Canada wasnt sure if he should receive a shot. And if the prime

From the Publishers Pen

Going green
Kieran Weir added some dirt to the base of one of the nine trees the congregation of Zion Lutheran Church here planted at the south property line of the church Sunday morning. Alongside being dedicated and blessed on behalf of passed loved ones, the trees are part of the churchs recent initiatives to go green. Peggy Revell photo

Weechi-it-te-win facing deficit, cutbacks

By Peggy Revell Staff writer With a provincial funding cut of $941,000, Weechi-it-te-win Family Services here has joined the list of Children Aid Societies across Ontario projecting deficits for this year. Weechi-it-te-winwhich provides service to 10 local First Nations communitiesis expecting a deficit of $650,000, executive director George Simard revealed. Because the ministrys paradigm is one size fits all, it makes it that much more difficult, then, for Weechi-it-te-win to promote and provide an aboriginal restorative practice in child welfare, Simard said about the funding difficulties and shortfall, noting that despite the limitations over the years, the agency has been doing relatively well when it comes to providing these services. But when recent cutbacks by the province are added up, those made to native agencies represent almost a quarter of the $23 million the Ministry of Youth and Children Services has clawed back throughout Ontario, Simard noted. And yet Ontario also is the only province with a welfare agreement with the federal government, he explained. Under this 1965 agreement, Indian Affairs pays to the province 93 cents of every dollar for every native child in care. So from our perspective, thats Indian money, thats federal Indian money thats dispersed to the province, he argued. So you can appreciate it in that if our budget is $10 million, and 93 cents to the dollar is federal Indian money, then why is the province penalizing us? But Simard said the province calls this money part of a transfer payment from Ottawa and it goes into its general coffers. In times of deficit, this money could be, and has been accessed, by the ministries overseeing child welfare, Simard saidsomething the province is refusing to do anymore. With the 1965 agreement in mind, there is a viable argument and legal challenge which could be made over the funding of Ontario native child services, Simard observed. Unlike the dozens of CASs, including Family & Childrens Services of Rainy River District, Weechiit-te-win has not applied to the province for review of its funding. The expected $650,000 deficit comes despite measures theyve taken, which include a five percent salary cut across the board for staff. Because of Naamigaan Abinojii [Ojibwe for Children first, and foremost, at all times], the board felt that if were going to operationalize that word, then we have to give to the cause too, Simard stressed, noting that while five percent will hurt staff, its not an amount that would put them below the poverty line. Meeting costs and expenses, reduction in staff travel, and training also have been cut back, he added, citing other examples of steps taken to reduce the agencys spending. But there are two areas the board has refused to touch so far: child in care and their service agreements with the First Nations communities, he stressed. We had to take the deficit from [head office costs] because we were not prepared to hurt the communities or the kids in care related to the cutbacks, Simard explained. But that doesnt mean these areas wont be affected eventually, he warned, given the demand for service could increase over the next few months, the possible rises in the costs for a child in care, and possible renegotiation of First Nation service agreements if there is an increase in demand for services. And cuts to the administrative budget still affect how well Weechiit-te-win can fulfill its mandate, said Rose Tuesday of Big Island First Nation, who chairs Weechi-itte-wins board of directors. It will still impact on the other parts, she stressed. When you talk about cutbacks in travel, that impacts the workers and the resource managers going out to the community more. Weechi-it-te-win also has looked at what can be done to increase its provincial revenue since the funding framework is volume driven, Simard explained. Strategies include volume driven items such as better record intakes, investigation and assessment referrals, and open home studies which will produce more funding. By February and March, Weechiit-te-win will have a better idea of what the exact deficit is, noted Simard, and possibly go into a twoto three-year debt recovery plan. Or else by that time, there may be some reprieve and theyll reinstate [funding], he said. Maybe the chiefs at the provincial level are going to say to the ministry theres going to be a moratorium on the aboriginal agencies simply because thats Indian money. Despite the funding shortfall, Simard said theres never been the intent to be adversarial with the ministry, pointing out Weechi-it-tewin has gone into debt recovery at least twice in the past. Were trying to live within the allocation again, he vowed. Were trying to be responsible, were trying to be responsible to the communities in order to ensure that the services are delivered, and were trying to do it with the limitations that have been handed to us. Well persevere because thats the Anishinaabe way. Since its inception, Weechi-it-tewin has been under a mandate from the chiefs of the 10 communities to provide in the interim alternative for child welfare for First Nation communities until an alternative system is established, Tuesday explained. We have the leadership, of course, that were obligated to, she noted. Were accountable to the chiefs, the elders, the grandparents, the parents, the children, of those 10 communities. Thats always foremost in the work that we do. Weechi-it-te-win was never to become a brown CAS or a mainstream practice dressed up in Indian clothes, Simard reiterated. The mandate has always been to create an Indian alternative of mainstream practice and thats what weve been doing these past 20 some odd years is working toward that end. But due to budgetary category restrictions, most of Weechi-it-tewins aboriginal development efforts and initiatives are placed under infrastructurea category which the province also has arbitrarily capped for CAS budgets at 10 percent, Simard said. This is what the ministry is fighting us about because they want a one size fits all and our elders and our chiefs and our communities have said no, you will do this as part of your practice. This is the stuff that were losing through the cutbacks, he stressed. All of the agencys practices align with the ministrys own standards and practices, Simard noted, but then also have been expanded to feature aboriginal context. This includes Weechi-it-te-wins goal of Naamigaan Abinojii, which they try to put in practice no matter what bureaucratic stuff may be in the way of helping a child, Simard said, and even though provincial funding isnt distributed in this manner. And within the aboriginal tradition, caring for the children means looking after the whole circle of people within the community children, adolescents, adults, and elders, Tuesday explained. We always have to keep that in mind, she remarked. For us, the dollars, they are one of the tools we need to do the work, Tuesday said about ensuring that all of those within the circleyoung to oldare cared for. When [cutbacks] happen, its almost like little fragmentslittle fragmentations happening in each of these areas. Anytime theres a problem, we lose a little bit of that circle, she added. Which doesnt mean we give up, but we have to keep working harder. Anishnaabe tradition also means layers of protection for an aboriginal child, Simard said, with the child surrounded by their family, their extended family, community, and nation, and Weechi-it-te-wins protocol for dealing with children in need of protection reinforces this. This means children have life continuity, and experience less trauma from separation. It also preserves families and ensures growth within that cultural milieu of community, he explained, adding the mainstream CAS practice bypasses these ties and considers them secondary when it comes to child protection. What happens, then, for aboriginal kids when this methodology prevails? Simard asked. Well, what you have is this child being ripped out of that protective environment, traumatized again by being placed in a non-native environment. Thats what mainstream practice has done to our people, he charged, pointing to the generations of aboriginal children taken from First Nations communities and why Weechi-it-te-win was created so this practice could be stopped. The effect of these type of past policies, and colonization, can be seen through what is called the iceberg effect, Simard explained, citing a study the agency did years ago in one community of 250 people. Under the mainstream CAS, there were only six-eight cases in the community over the years, he recalled, but when Weechi-itte-win went in, 190 individuals accessed the child welfare services for a three-year period. By the end of that time period, there were 105 active and open caseloads. Of those, 57 of were family violence related while 35 of them were historic and current sexual abuse cases. This is an example of the high volume of people Weechi-it-te-win is handling, Simard noted, but not necessarily what it is funded for. When you get cutbacks in our developmental efforts to promote an Indian alternative, its very severe, he warned, referring to the province wanting to scale back services to just being about child protection. And we continue to expand this, pushing the agenda. Because in the long run, these stats here didnt happen by accident, Simard said.

minister isnt sure, how can the general population be any wiser? After all, his government appoints the chief medical officer for the scountry. In an article published in Mondays Toronto Star, the map of Ontario showed that as of Oct. 16, there were 74 diagnosed cases of the swine flu in the Northwestern Health Units region. In information published in the United States, the state of Minnesota appears to have a higher rate of swine flu diagnosis than other states. Today we know that younger children, pregnant women, and younger adults are more susceptible to the H1N1 flu. We also know from evidence that the flu never disappeared during the summer months, as is the expected norm. We know that frequent washing of hands, and sneezing into ones elbow or sleeve, will help reduce the risk of transmitting or catching the virus. Health departments also recommend that if you come down with the symptoms (i.e., fevers, chills, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea), you should stay home from work or school. The H1N1 flu is the most active strain across North America. And it is expected to peak some time in the next few months. So I wonder, Should I go and sign the waiver to get the seasonal flu shot, and then get a second flu shot in early November, or should I follow the provinces guidelines and get the H1N1 in early November and wait until January to get the other shot?

In a jam
Drawing big laughs from audience members young and old, Freddy Fusion ended up with his head in a big yellow balloon during his show Monday night at the Townshend Theatre. With gags, magic tricks, and scientic demonstrations that wowed the crowd, the show kicked off the 2009/10 season of the Kids & Company entertainment series. Peggy Revell photo

Nominees trickling in for top citizen award

Staff With the deadline for applications coming up next Friday (Oct. 30), a few names have been submitted for the towns 22nd Citizen of the Year award. Town staffer Lori Pattison said three applications had been turned in at the Civic Centre so far. Anyone who has taken on charitable fundraising, organized community events, or just lent a helping hand is eligible to receive the award if they are nominated by a fellow resident by next Friday. The only stipulation is that the recipient be a resident of the Town of Fort Frances, and that the nominee not presently hold elected office. Nomination forms can be picked up at the information desk at the Civic Centre. The selection committeeconsisting of Bill Gushulak (Citizen of the Year 2000), Mark Kowalchuk (Citizen of the Year 1994), Mayor Roy Avis, and deputy mayor Sharon Tibbsencourages as many people as possible to nominate individuals so they have plenty of candidates to choose from. Completed nomination forms must be returned to the Civic Centre by 4 p.m. on Oct. 30. The selection committee then will meet in order to make a recommendation to town council prior to the towns annual appreciation banquet on Nov. 20, at which time the Citizen of the Year will be formally honoured. For more information, call Gushulak (274-3891) or Kowalchuk (274-9118).

Home-based business expo planned during November

Staff Aiming to combine early Christmas shopping with support for local businesses, planning is underway for a home-based business expo that will run throughout November. While details still are being finalized, organizer Jessica Ogden said the expo will run every Saturday in November from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. out of the Clover Valley Farmers Market building on McIrvine Road here. Come on out and visit us, and check out what we have to offer, Ogden urged, likening the expo to a mini trade show. Its just to kind of get our name out there, everybody who has home-based businesses, she explained, noting many people arent aware of the many home-based businesses in the area. I sell Tupperware and not a lot of people know I sell Tupperware, Ogden remarked. Even people that I know, or know me, dont even know I sell itwhich is kind of odd! Besides Tupperware, the weekly expo will feature home-based businesses selling such things as jewellery, Partylite items, The Pampered Chef items, scrapbooking supplies, homemade Christmas cards and invitations, and more. Everybody will have stuff in for Christmas, Ogden added, noting that with the expo running throughout November, people also will be able to place orders with the businesses in time for Christmas. There is room for more people if anybody wants to, Ogden continued, saying those interested in signing up to have a booth can contact her for more information at 274-0972. It doesnt have to be every Saturday, she stressed. It can be one Saturday of the month if you want to go in it. Im going in it three of the four Saturdays, she noted.