ANOTHER UCP FAIL

Alberta government strikes emergency medical services committee as ambulance demand hits 'historical' levels

Lisa Johnson 

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Jason Copping, Alberta's

 Health Minister, during a news conference in Edmonton on Sept. 21, 2021.

The Alberta government is striking an advisory committee to help improve emergency medical services across the province as paramedics face historical demand.

Health Minister Jason Copping said at a news conference Monday the EMS system is under “unprecedented pressures,” because of COVID-19, staffing shortages across the health-care system, an increase in calls, transfers, and global supply chain issues keeping vehicles off the road.

“All types of calls have increased, and staff are quite frankly exhausted, and some Albertans are frustrated,” said Copping.

The committee, co-chaired by UCP MLAs R.J. Sigurdson and Tracy Allard, will work on short-term initiatives and provide longer-term recommendations for a new EMS service plan by May.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) also highlighted a 10-point plan aimed at increasing ambulance capacity.

Darren Sandbeck, chief paramedic and senior provincial director of emergency medical services at Alberta Health Services, said demand is now at “historical levels,” in part because of higher acuity patients, the opioid crisis, and extreme weather-related calls.

“Similar pressures are being felt by all Canadian provinces and ambulance services internationally,” said Sandbeck, who added AHS has already been working behind the scenes on five of its initiatives to create additional capacity.

That includes efforts to hire more paramedics, changing work hours to deal with staff fatigue, transferring some non-emergency calls to other agencies, and no longer automatically sending ambulances to motor vehicle collision calls when there are no injuries reported. Upcoming initiatives include dedicating patient transfer units to free up ambulances, and creating a new integrated operations centre in Calgary.

“As this package comes together is when we will really be able to measure what impact they are having on the system,” said Sandbeck.

Copping said the EMS has hired more than 200 staff – an increase of nine per cent – over the past two years, but in the past several months 911 calls to EMS have increased by 30 per cent. The government will put out a call for proposals in February for a third-party review of the EMS dispatch system across the province.

© Ed Kaiser An ambulance waits outside the University of Alberta Hospital emergency area on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.

The announcement follows calls for government action to address paramedic wait times, including from the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), which represents 28,000 health-care workers including paramedics. The newly announced committee will include ambulance operators, municipal leaders, Indigenous community representatives, and one HSAA representative.

Last week, HSAA president Mike Parker raised the alarm, saying existing staffing challenges have been amplified by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, impacting patient care – concerns that were rebuffed at the time by the health ministry as “empty union politics.”

Parker told reporters at a virtual news conference Monday he was “cautiously optimistic,” about the government’s announcement, but said it included nothing that would immediately support a decrease in response times.

“This issue didn’t occur last week. It’s gonna take a lot more than a couple of committee meetings to actually have the courage to walk forward and fix the issues that are ongoing, from staffing shortages … to the government recognizing that EMS is a resource that must be funded fully,” said Parker adding that HSAA will fight against any potential privatization efforts.

“When I see things like alternate sources of transport — these all lead to a conversation of eroding our public health-care system,” said Parker.

Both the HSAA and NDP Opposition called Monday for regular public reporting on red alerts, during which no ambulance is available to respond. Currently, the HSAA posts notifications of red alerts to its Twitter feed .

A routine freedom of information disclosure obtained by Postmedia showed Edmonton saw 152 red alerts from April to March of 2020-21, an increase of about 50 per cent from the previous 12 months. From April 2021 to September 2021, there were 272 red alerts in the city, an annual increase of 79 per cent in less than six months.

Copping didn’t commit to publicly reporting red alerts, but said the committee would look at what metrics the government should focus on, and work is underway to release more public data.

NDP Opposition health critic David Shepherd said in a statement Monday the government’s announcement offered no transparency, targets, timelines, or accountability.

“This crisis has been growing for some time, and it’s unacceptable that the UCP are so far behind on addressing it,” said Shepherd.

-With files from Jason Herring

lijohnson@postmedia.com

twitter.com/reportrix

KILLER KENNEY
Patient dies while waiting for treatment in central Alberta hospital emergency ward

Emergency doctors have said patients are being treated in hallways.


EDMONTON — Alberta Health Services says a patient has died in hospital in Red Deer while awaiting care in the emergency ward.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"The patient had been triaged — and later reassessed by emergency department staff — and was waiting for further care in an emergency department space," AHS spokesman Kerry Williamson said Tuesday in a statement.

"The emergency department was fully staffed at the time."

Williamson did not provide further details on the nature of the illness or circumstances of the death at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre Sunday morning.

He said the medical examiner has been called in and a review is underway.

"We acknowledge that wait times at (the hospital) were long at certain times over the weekend due to a surge in demand, and an increase in very sick patients," said Williamson. "We do not know if this incident was the result of wait times in the Red Deer emergency department.

"AHS is reviewing this incident, including the care provided to this patient and the circumstances of their death."

Health Minister Jason Copping, asked by reporters about the death, said: "My heart goes out to the family and anyone who has passed away in our system.

"I don't have all the details on this. I just heard about it."

Alberta has a record 1,377 people in hospital with COVID-19 and emergency wards are facing long wait times and multiple red alerts, which means no ambulances are available at a given time.

Copping said there's a 30 per cent increase in COVID-19 hospital cases in a week. The test positivity rate remains high at 43 per cent.


Emergency doctors have said patients are being treated in hallways.

Copping said while the Omicron wave of the pandemic appears to be receding, hospitalizations are still expected to increase in the short term due to the time lag between infection and illness.

"Make no mistake, the coming weeks are going to be the toughest yet," he said.

The latest news comes a day after Copping announced measures to free up ambulances and reduce long wait times in hospital emergency rooms due to high COVID-19 caseloads and hospital staff illness.

The changes include transferring more non-emergency low-priority calls to other aid agencies and transferring non-emergency inter-facility patients by means other than ambulances.

Copping announced the new measures while confirming reports that emergency services in Airdrie, near Calgary, became so strained last week that one medically fragile boy with a broken leg had to be taken to hospital by a fire truck because no ambulances were available.

Opposition NDP health critic David Shepherd said Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative government has failed to provide adequate safeguards — such as proper masks and air filters — to prevent spread in the first place.

"There are more Albertans in hospital with COVID-19 than ever before, and the UCP refuses to take basic measures to slow spread in schools, workplaces, or post-secondary institutions," said Shepherd.

"Frontline health care workers are severely burnt out, exhausted, and short-staffed while we make our way through this fifth wave of the pandemic."

Copping also announced the first shipments of Paxlovid will be available to Albertans starting on Monday.

Paxlovid is the first COVID-19 treatment approved by Health Canada that can be taken orally at home for people who have tested positive.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health, said the initial batch is limited. It will only be offered for now to those who would benefit the most such as those with immunosuppressive conditions, including transplant recipients and cancer patients.

The medication will only be available by prescription because it can cause side-effects.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2022.

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

Mom of 7-year-old girl allegedly abducted by anti-vaccine dad urges Sask. RCMP to issue Amber Alert

Jason Warick

© Submitted by Saskatchewan RCMP Sarah Jackson, 7, is four feet two inches tall, weighs about 76 pounds and has long, waist-length brown hair that's all one length. She has brown/hazel-coloured eyes and was last seen wearing teal-coloured eyeglasses. Her…

The mother of a seven-year-old girl allegedly abducted by her anti-vaccine father more than two months ago is urging the Saskatchewan RCMP to issue an Amber Alert, but police say the case doesn't meet the standard.

Mariecar Jackson, of Regina, said she's grateful the RCMP have now charged her ex-husband, Michael Gordon Jackson, with abduction and issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant last week.

But she said the RCMP need to go further and issue an Amber Alert to help find her daughter, Sarah. Mariecar Jackson said she's afraid for her daughter's safety.

"My daughter is away. She has not been seen; nobody has laid eyes on her. She's only seven and she's in a very dangerous situation right now," she said.
Missing girl

Sarah primarily lives with her mother in Regina, but hasn't been seen by her since mid-November, when she went for a visit with her father.

Michael Jackson appeared remotely on an online talk show a few weeks ago and said he took the girl away to prevent her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mariecar Jackson said her ex-husband is using the vaccine as an excuse to take the girl away.

"He knows how much I love my daughter and she means so much to me. He took her because this is a way of hurting me. I just wanted to ask the public that if you've ever seen my daughter, please call 911 or call the RCMP."

Video: Sask. mom pleads for public's help finding daughter taken by anti-vaccine dad (cbc.ca)

The Amber Alert system provides the public with immediate and up-to-date information about a child abduction through widespread media broadcasts on TV, radio and wireless devices, according to RCMP. Only policing agencies can activate it. The alert asks the public to help with the safe and swift return of an abducted child.

In a statement, Saskatchewan RCMP said the "criteria is not met" in this case at the moment to qualify for an Amber Alert.

According to RCMP, all of the following criteria must be met:

The missing person is under 18 or an individual who is severely cognitively delayed or disabled.

An investigation has confirmed either abduction by a stranger or abduction (parental or non-parental), where circumstances lead police to believe that an abducted person is in danger of bodily harm or death.

There is enough descriptive information about the abducted person, the abductor or suspect vehicle to ensure the public can identify these elements.

The alert can be issued in a time frame that would provide a reasonable expectation that the abducted person could be returned or the abductor could be apprehended.

Mariecar Jackson's lawyer, Jill Drennan, said they've asked the RCMP why Sarah Jackson's case doesn't qualify, but have not received a reply.

More than a dozen people interviewed this month by CBC News in Michael Jackson's home community of Carievale, Sask., about 290 kilometres southeast of Regina, said they also feared for the girl's safety. They related stories of confrontations, several involving violence or threats, which they said Jackson initiated.

Another former friend said Michael Jackson often told him about plans to take Sarah away from her mother forever.

Mariecar Jackson said she still doesn't know where her daughter is, but she's been inundated with messages of support from across Canada in recent days.

"It gives me strength to keep on going," she said.

The RCMP noted that investigators believe Michael Jackson may be getting help in evading police and reminded people that this activity may result in criminal charges.

Sarah is described as four feet two inches tall, 76 pounds, with waist-length brown hair. She has brown/hazel-coloured eyes and last wore teal-coloured eyeglasses. Michael Jackson, 52, is described as weighing about 250 pounds with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He also typically wears glasses.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Michael or Sarah Jackson is asked to call the Saskatchewan RCMP at 306-310-7267 or 306-780-5563. Tips can also be anonymously submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1‐800‐222‐8477 or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vax speech: Sanitizing history leads to moments like this

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN 

The mangling and misappropriation of historical facts reached another dismal new low over the weekend, when anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested the stubbornly unvaccinated are worse off than Anne Frank

.

 Jemal Countess/UPI/Shutterstock 

 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a rally and march protesting vaccine mandates on the National Mall in Washington DC on Sunday January 23, 2022. Anti-Vaccine Activists Rally And March In Washington D.C, Washington d.c., United States - 23 Jan 2022

"Even in Hitler Germany (sic), you could, you could cross the Alps into Switzerland. You could hide in an attic, like Anne Frank did," said Kennedy in a speech at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday.

An analogy too absurd and gross to dwell on. Kennedy spread his misinformation with a microphone in broad daylight before a crowd protesting Covid-19 vaccine requirements.

Suffice it to say Frank hid quietly in a cramped attic in the Netherlands to avoid detection before she was discovered and killed by Nazis.

Watch this "60 Minutes" report that aired this month on the new theory, from a retired FBI agent, about who might have betrayed Frank. Pay attention to the visuals of the cramped attic where Frank lived, hidden, for years.

Covid-19 vaccines are estimated to have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives. President Joe Biden's effort to require vaccines for most US workers has been halted by the Supreme Court, although multiple cities now require proof of vaccination status for indoor dining and other communal activities.

The comparison of Covid-19 public health efforts to the actions of Nazis has become a recurring theme, even though its repugnance never fades.

Recall that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green was shamed into visiting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington last year after she compared mask rules in Congress to the treatment of Jewish people by the Nazis.

She apologized, but didn't learn a lasting lesson from her visit, since she used Nazi language weeks later to describe the Biden administration's vaccine push.

Twitter later suspended one of her accounts after she spread false information about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines.

Here's a CNN fact check of a similar claim.

The vaccine and antisemitism. While Kennedy feels persecuted like the Jewish people, other vaccine opponents are fusing antisemitism and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

"I believe there is a sadistic effort underway to euthanize the American people," Dave Bateman, co-founder of the software company Entrata, wrote in an email reported earlier this month by the Fox affiliate KSTU in Salt Lake City.

"I believe the Jews are behind this," he said in the email, which was sent to business and politics leaders in Utah, including the governor, according to KSTU. Bateman later stepped down as chairman of Entrata.

Meanwhile, Facebook, despite its stated efforts to fight misinformation, was found to have hosted numerous ads in recent months comparing the rollout of vaccines to the Holocaust, according to a report by CNN's Donie O'Sullivan.

This false idea that the vaccine is causing mass deaths has been pushed in other areas too. Gonzaga University took back basketball season tickets from its most notable basketball alumnus, John Stockton, after the Utah Jazz Hall of Famer refused to wear a mask during games. He previously spread the lie in a documentary that the vaccine was causing professional athletes to drop dead. There's zero evidence to support that claim.

These are the facts about the vaccine. Here's the truth, from CNN's report about Stockton: "Severe adverse events after a Covid-19 vaccine are rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health care workers are required to report deaths following vaccination, even if it's not clear whether the vaccine was the cause. Such reports are also rare, the CDC says, and all reported deaths are reviewed for potential links to the vaccine."

The anti-vaccine coalition, here and abroad. It's a loud minority of people who are spreading false vaccine information, and it stretches from Kennedy, an environmentalist turned vaccine opponent, to Greene, the Republican firestarter.

The New York Times reports on a similarly diverse group of anti-vaccine activists in Germany, where the government is considering a vaccine requirement. Vaccine opposition has given momentum to the far right and a political party known for pushing anti-immigrant views.

"But the opposition is not limited to an extremist fringe," according to the Times. "Anti-vax nationalists, neo-Nazis and hooligans are joined by hippies, so-called esoterics and many ordinary citizens spooked by two years of lockdowns, curfews and the prospect of a mandate."

Later in the Times story, it refers to the "naturalists and a smattering of neo-Nazis" the writer encountered at a rally in Nuremberg.

Fights over how to teach history. For Fox News and Republican politics at the moment, it's a different view of history, regardless of facts, that is frightening: opposition to the teaching of so-called critical race theory.

This issue helped elect Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Virginia. It's also led to numerous state laws banning the teaching of critical race theory even though it's not a formal curriculum for K-12 students.

One-upping these bans on reevaluations of history. Florida, at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is considering a bill that would seek to shield people from feeling "discomfort" over historic actions by their races, nationalities or genders.

It would be impossible to factually learn about American slavery -- or the Holocaust -- without feeling discomfort. That's the point.

WAGE SLAVES 

OF FOR-PROFIT HEALTHCARE

Workers at a Wisconsin hospital sought new jobs with higher pay — then the hospital sued to stop them from leaving

insider@insider.com (Allana Akhtar) 

© Provided by INSIDER Workers can start new jobs at an Ascension location in Wisconsin after a county court dismissed a temporary restraining order. Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

A Wisconsin court dismissed a temporary block on 7 healthcare workers starting jobs at a competitor.
ThedaCare said its workers leaving has strained the hospital as COVID-19 cases rise in Wisconsin.

1 in 5 healthcare workers quit their job during the pandemic, some due to poor work environments.

A Wisconsin court has dismissed a temporary restraining order that blocked seven healthcare workers from leaving their jobs to begin working at a competitor.


ThedaCare, a hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin, asked the court for a temporary restraining order to prevent the employees from accepting jobs at Ascension Northeast Wisconsin, a competitor hospital.

Mark J. McGinnis, a judge for the Outagamie County Circuit Court, granted ThedaCare the temporary restraining order on January 20 before dismissing the order on Monday morning.

The granted order had said Ascension must either give back ThedaCare a radiology technician and a registered nurse out of the seven workers resigning, or cease the hiring of all seven workers until ThedaCare has hired replacements.

But after Monday's ruling, all former ThedaCare employees are free to start their new jobs at Ascension, according to The Appleton Post Crescent.

The Appleton Post-Crescent's Madeline Heim reported ThedaCare said in a complaint that Ascension had "poached" the hospital's workers as the region struggles amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. ThedaCare put non-urgent elective surgeries on hold last week due to both a record number of COVID-19 patients and a high absent rate of team members due to illness.

But Ascension released a statement that said the ThedaCare employees applied for open job postings without prior recruitment.

"It is Ascension Wisconsin's understanding that ThedaCare had an opportunity but declined to make competitive counter offers to retain its former employees," the hospital said in a statement to a local ABC affiliate. "Given the unfortunate decision by ThedaCare to file a lawsuit to enjoin competitive labor practices, we will not be commenting further as this matter proceeds through litigation."

Timothy Breister, one of the ThedaCare employees who received a job offerv from Ascension, submitted a letter to the judge that said he and his coworkers applied to Ascension because they believed it provided a better work-life balance, according to the Post-Crescent.

ThedaCare and Ascension Northeast Wisconsin were unavailable for additional comment.

In the years since the pandemic began, some healthcare workers said they felt unsupported by hospital administrations. For example, nurses recently told Insider their employers were threatening them with pay cuts if they did not come into work days after testing positive for COVID-19.

Research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing shows nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction stems from poor work conditions, characterized by hospitals that don't allow nurses to have a say in their practice, disorganized work environments, and limited resources.

A Morning Consult study found one in five healthcare workers quit their jobs since COVID-19 hit the US — a grim labor crisis that some analysts worry could upend the healthcare system.

UCC ARE RIGHT WING ANTI-COMMUNISTS

NDP MPs criticized for ‘terrible’ social media comments on Ukraine-Russia crisis
Sean Boynton 4 hrs ago

Three sitting New Democrat MPs are being criticized for posting "terrible" comments about the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia on social media, some of which questioned Canada's support for Ukraine in the face of Moscow's aggression.

Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan has since apologized for sharing an article on Twitter over the weekend criticizing Canada's "hawkish" stance on the crisis while accusing the federal government of supporting "an anti-Semitic, neo-nazi (sic) & fascist militia."

"As a descendent of a holocaust (sic) survivor," Gazan wrote, such support was "horrifying" to her

.

© Provided by Global News Clickable image 1

Gazan said in a later statement that she was referring to far-right militias and members of the Ukrainian military that have fought Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea.

"I did not equate the situation in Ukraine to the Holocaust and I do not believe that the vast majority of Ukrainian people or its democratically elected leaders share the beliefs espoused by far-right militias," Gazan said.

"I sincerely regret that my tweet did not include this important context and may have resulted in harm."

Read more:

Ukraine-Russia crisis is ongoing. How did we get here, and what’s happening?



Orest Zakydalsky, senior policy advisor for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, told Global News Tuesday that Gazan's comments were "ignorant, inaccurate and hurtful."

"The UCC has called on NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to disavow these comments," he said in a statement.

Gazan's tweet was also criticized by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which accused Gazan of being uninformed.

"Comparing the Holocaust with the situation unfolding between Ukraine & Russia suggests ignorance of both," the group said on Twitter.

Moscow has denied it is planning an assault, but it has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in recent weeks and is holding military drills at multiple locations in Russia. That has led the United States and its NATO allies -- including Canada -- to rush to prepare for a possible war.

Canada has loaned Ukraine $120 million to help bolster the country's economy in the wake of the Russian threat. Government sources have also told Global News the Liberal cabinet is currently discussing sending small weapons and ammunition to the country during its three-day cabinet retreat.

The NDP's official position on what it calls a "looming crisis" says it supports the people of Ukraine and is concerned about Russia's increased hostility, but says Canada should focus on non-lethal assistance and diplomatic solutions.

Read more:

Canada criticized for ‘soft, tentative language’ amid Ukraine-Russia crisis

The party also expresses concern towards far-right elements within the Ukrainian military, some of whom have boasted of being trained by Canada and other NATO allies, according to a recent report from George Washington University.

While extremist groups have long targeted military members in countries around the world -- including Canada -- Russia has been accused of weaponizing accusations of Nazism in Ukraine's military and government for political gain.

In September 2021, Ukraine passed a law that defines and bans anti-Semitism in the country, including harbouring anti-Semitic sentiments -- although it does not stipulate any punishments for breaking the law. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former prime minister Volodymyr Groysman are Jewish, making Ukraine the only country besides Israel to have had two Jewish heads of state.

In an emailed response to Global News Tuesday, an NDP spokesperson pointed to the party's official position when asked about Gazan and other MP's recent comments, and did not say if Singh will address the tweets.

Zakydalsky also criticized fellow Manitoba MP Niki Ashton for promoting similar views. Ashton on Tuesday retweeted a link to a podcast episode that questioned Canada's "march to war" with Russia and suggested Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland's "Nazi past" was contributing to Canada's support for Ukraine.

© Provided by Global News Clickable image 2

Freeland's maternal Ukrainian grandfather was the editor of a newspaper that published Nazi propaganda during the Second World War, a fact first revealed in 2017. Freeland has accused Russian disinformation agents for using the story to sow division in the West, and has not directly addressed her grandfather's history.

Yet the podcast hosts openly asked whether Canada's support for Ukraine was based on democratic values or "returning to the glory of (expletive) Freeland's grandfather."

They also address far-right elements in the Ukrainian military and criticizes Canada's support of them.

Read more:

Canada orders families of diplomats out of Ukraine as fears mount over Russian threat

The Liberal Party did not directly address the accusations in the podcast episode retweeted by Ashton.

The podcast hosts also ask if Canada is simply seeking to justify the building of an ammunition factory in Ukraine -- a project Kyiv has been lobbying Canada to help build since 2017 and was confirmed by the Ottawa Citizen this month.

Meanwhile, Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies on Sunday tweeted a link to an article that openly questions if Russia will ever invade Ukraine, calling it a "very helpful discussion."

© Provided by Global News Clickable image 3

"I am certain that the vast majority of the New Democratic Party’s membership and NDP Members of Parliament support the Ukrainian peoples’ defence of their independence and territorial integrity, the views of Ms. Gazan, Mr. Davies and Ms. Ashton notwithstanding," Zakydalsky of the UCC said in his statement.

"The UCC calls on Mr. Singh to disavow their terrible comments."

--With files from Mercedes Stephenson, Amanda Connolly and the Associated Press

'We want to decolonize Yukon's education system,' deputy minister says at public hearing

Jackie Hong 
CBC

© Jackie Hong/CBC 

Yukon deputy education minister Nicole Morgan speaks at a media briefing Sept. 23, 2021. Morgan answered the majority of questions during a hearing before the Yukon legislative assembly's standing committee on public accounts 

The Yukon's deputy education minister spent four hours last week answering questions about improving the kindergarten to Grade 12 system in the territory, acknowledging there were flaws but maintaining she isdedicated to making change.

While she was accompanied by two assistant deputy ministers, Nicole Morgan fielded the vast majority of inquiries during the second of two hearings before the Yukon Legislative Assembly's standing committee on public accounts Jan. 19.

"We want to decolonize Yukon's education system," Morgan said in her opening statement. "We want to earn the trust of Yukoners."

The hearings served as a public update on progress the Yukon government has made on addressing recommendations outlined in a 2019 report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. The report found that the Yukon wasn't properly assessing or addressing the needs of students, and in particular, the needs of Yukon First Nations students and students with special needs.

The standing committee on public accounts previously heard from representatives of the Yukon Chiefs Committee on Education (CCOE) on Jan. 12, who expressed frustration and fear over what they said was a lack of co-operation and action on the part of the education department.

Morgan acknowledged the CCOE's comments.

"We have heard that we are not getting it right, that there is more work that we need to do in respect of working together," she said.

"This is not easy work, the work of reconciliation ... There is an inherent tension between getting to action and taking the time needed to build trusting relationships, to ask questions, to listen, to seek other perspectives and from there to create new system structures together."

More full-day kindergarten in rural communities

Although a number of questions centred on the CCOE, Wednesday's hearing — held over Zoom due to COVID-19 concerns — covered a wide range of topics including support for students with diabetes or autism, how the department collects data and equitable access to technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on students and staff, as well as the education department's ability to address issues raised in the auditor general's report, also featured throughout.

Morgan highlighted the work done around improving early education, pointing to the Yukon government's creation of a universal child care program and "significant investment" in increasing wages for early childhood educators to $30 an hour, making it among the highest in Canada. As well, she said eight of the Yukon's 13 rural schools introduced full-day early kindergarten this school year, and five introduced full-day kindergarten.

She also listed the completion of a review on special and inclusive education and the data and feedback gleaned from the process, as well as the creation of a Yukon First Nations school board, among other accomplishments.

On a controversial decision in 2020 to suddenly move special needs students off individualized education plans, Morgan said all families have since been contacted and given the option of either having the plans reinstated or for students to continue with new alternate plans.

She later said that, overall, the department is "certainly learning that clear, accurate, timely information is the best kind of information that we can provide."
Data shows gap between First Nations, non-First Nations students

On better assessing student needs, Morgan said the department was working with a consultant and also "engaging" with all 14 Yukon First Nations on creating an outcome strategy, and is collecting more data on student performance.

According to figures Morgan shared during the hearing, graduation rates for Yukon First Nations students in the 2015/16 school year were 64 per cent. Over the past five years, the rate hit a high of 80 per cent, but in the past two years, dropped down to 74 per cent. The graduation rate for non-First Nations students stayed "flat" at around 85 per cent for the same period.

Meanwhile, when it came to students entering kindergarten in rural Yukon, about 25 per cent were categorized as "tracking towards being at grade level." That dropped to 17 per cent when looking at only First Nations students, but rose to 45 per cent for non-First-Nations students — a gap that Morgan said could be seen when looking at numeracy and literacy performance too.

Having better data, she said, has led to more questions about why outcome gaps exist, and how to address them.

In response to a question about the CCOE stating the department was not sharing raw data about student outcomes, assistant deputy minister Kelli Taylor, the only education official to answer questions besides Morgan, said the department receives data in different formats that isn't always easy to aggregate.

"It's not as simple as being able to turn that data around in one data warehouse that would be meaningful… It's not that we're interested in withholding data, it's just, what are we able to do at this time?" Taylor said.

'Name and notice' colonial practices, Morgan says

Throughout the hearing, Morgan reiterated the need to continue having conversations and building relationships before making large changes, though she acknowledged patience — especially for First Nations who have long highlighted issues with the system — is wearing thin.

In her final answer, she pointed to mechanisms she said would track the government's progress, including groups called "communities of inquiry" that were created to collect perspectives on specific issues and the department's various advisory committees.

Morgan also encouraged all staff to "name and notice" colonial practices and structures within the education system, and invited community and advocacy groups who had shared written comments with the standing committee to meet with education officials to share their concerns.

"We will continue to be as transparent as we can," she said of the work ahead.

More Alberta K-12 educators say they won't be teaching in the province next year: ATA survey

Lisa Johnson 

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Alberta Teachers’ Association

 president Jason Schilling.


A new survey suggests the number of Alberta teachers planning to leave the profession for another job next year has more than doubled.

A summary of a pandemic pulse survey from the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) conducted at the end of November suggests more than 37 per cent of respondents reported they probably won’t be teaching in Alberta next year.

Compared to an annual member opinion survey done last March, the number of teachers planning to retire was similar, at 16 per cent, but the percentage who said they are leaving for another job has doubled, increasing to 14 per cent. Seven per cent said they plan to leave the province to teach elsewhere.

ATA president Jason Schilling said in an interview Tuesday the numbers reflect what he’s already heard from teachers, some of whom plan to retire early because they are being asked to do more with the bare minimum, which is “stretching everything.”

“They feel like this government doesn’t care about them, and they feel like this government doesn’t support the work that they’re doing in the middle of a pandemic,” said Schilling, adding the percentage of teachers who continue to feel high levels of exhaustion, stress and anxiety after two years of the pandemic is worrisome.

Ninety-two per cent of respondents reported exhaustion, while 88 per cent reported high stress. The ATA said its survey provides a representative sample of more than 1,300 teachers and school leaders, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent 19 times out of 20.

Katherine Stavropoulos, press secretary to Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, questioned the validity of the survey’s findings in a statement Tuesday. However, she said the ministry recognizes the past two years of the pandemic have been challenging.

“We continue to explore options to attract and retain teachers and teacher leaders to Alberta schools and look forward to sharing more information when it is available,” said Stavropoulos.

At a news conference Tuesday, NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman blamed the results of the survey on the UCP government’s refusal to give schools the resources they need.

Sue Bell, a recently retired Edmonton principal and teacher who worked in schools for almost 30 years, said at the NDP news conference she felt forced to leave the job to preserve her own physical and mental health.

“The breaking point began last year around Sept. 20 or so when we had to take on the job of contact tracing at schools because, from that point on, I did not have a day off until we went online in December. I was on call 24 hours a day – no switching off, no downtime,” said Bell.

The survey suggests more than 80 per cent of school leaders have had to do contact tracing for COVID-19, but only 22 per cent said they felt comfortable doing that work.

“The absolute lack of support this government has given schools during COVID has really made it difficult to be a teacher in this province right now,” Bell said, adding that mental health issues are a serious concern, and sending students back to school is not enough to support their mental health.

lijohnson@postmedia.com

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Anti-racism advocates call for educational reform after concerning immigration assignment

Meg Roberts 

CBC

Advocacy groups are calling on a number of organizations, including the education department and school districts to undertake an anti-racism educational reform.

The recommendations from the groups come a week after CBC News posted a story about a junior high school assignment that asked students to write down why immigrants and refugees should and should not be allowed into the country, using the textbook.

University professors called the assignment racist and were concerned with the textbook's suggestions for opposing migration: newcomers "may take jobs away from resident Canadians," and "Some immigrants draw on social welfare programs and services," according to the textbook.

The Anti-Racism Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador has started a petition with a number of recommendations to improve the kindergarten to grade 12 social studies curriculum, with support from Black Lives Matter NL, the Indigenous Activist Collective and the Social Justice Co-Op.

"We have serious concerns about the adequacy of the K-12 social studies curriculum in general and its treatment of the lived experiences of students who are from immigrant, refugee, Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities in NL," said Raven Khadeja, co-found of Black Lives Matter Newfoundland and Labrador.

Some of the groups recommendations for the department of education, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District and Conseil Scolaire Francophone Provincial include immediately removing the textbook from the curriculum and issuing a statement to past and present students outlining the inadequacies of the textbook and the commitments to anti-racist education.

Other recommendations include hiring a committee of racialized consultants with proper experience to do a full review of the K-12 social studies curriculum, develop an anti-racist curriculum framework that guides all curriculum decisions and then re-write course material.

It also recommends providing funding for professional development and training for current teachers from Indigenous, migrant and other diverse communities who are interested in furthering their anti-racist education.

The group also wants to establish a paid anti-racist advisory board to monitor changes in the curriculum on an ongoing basis and would also be responsible for fielding complaints about racism and educational material.

Recommendations for the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association included increasing teachers' knowledge about structural racism, other forms of oppression and the immigration system, as well as an increase in educators racial literacy, taught by those with anti-racist education expertise.

"We shouldn't have been the one that wrote this," said Sobia Shaikh. "This particular list came out of frustration by community organizations to say, 'hey look, you are not even at the beginning stages.'"
Education department responds

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development said it has received the list of recommendations and has requested a meeting with the Anti-Racism Coalition.

"I am certainly looking forward to having those discussions with those groups," said Tom Osborne, the education minister.

"The input from the coalition groups or a committee that is formed to help government review curriculum will be important."

© Patrick Buter/Radio-Canada Education Minister Tom Osborne.

Osborne said the department is reviewing the curriculum, although he said it is an "onerous" task as there are hundreds of pieces of curriculum in the kindergarten to grade 12 system.

He said changes to the curriculum with community partners has already begun as the department has been working with the Indigenous groups in the province to add four pieces of Indigenous material to the curriculum.

"We are acting, we are responding with the view of the future and ensuring that our classrooms are welcoming," said Osborne.

However, advocates say the speed at which curriculum changes get made is not quick enough and it's hurting the success of some of the province's children.

Advocates said what is being taught in school is important as it can shape the perception and feelings toward certain individuals for the remainder of a person's life.

"The harm is done," said Maria Dussan, the chair for the Anti-Racism Coalition's Healthcare for all Campaign.

"There is an accountability that is owed to them … that accountability in the form of very real commitments to the processes that take time is something that we need now."

Mexico urged to do more to protect journalists after murders


Journalists protest against the murders of colleagues Lourdes Maldonado and Margarito Martinez in Mexico's northwestern border city of Tijuana (AFP/Guillermo Arias)


Sofia Miselem
Tue, January 25, 2022

The murders of two journalists in the Mexican border city of Tijuana in less than a week have triggered calls for the government to step up protection of media workers.

The killings of photographer Margarito Martinez and reporter Lourdes Maldonado have sparked outcry among colleagues in what is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists.

Reporters organized protests on Tuesday in cities across the country, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Mexico to take tougher action.

"We call on Mexican authorities to strengthen the protection of journalists, in particular, to take further steps to prevent attacks on them, including by tackling threats and slurs aimed at them," said Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Martinez, who was shot dead on January 17, and Maldonado, who was gunned down on Sunday, had both requested protection from a security mechanism for journalists in the northwestern state of Baja California.

"The mechanism has failed again when journalists feel most vulnerable," Sonia de Anda, a reporter in Tijuana, told AFP.

Martinez had been threatened by a blogger allegedly linked to criminals, but was still waiting for protection, De Anda said.

Maldonado had been given a police guard for a year when leaving and arriving at her home.

But "obviously there were no police" present on Sunday when she was shot outside her house, said De Anda, a member of the media rights group Yo si soy periodista (I am a journalist).

- 'Overwhelmed' -

In 2012, Mexico introduced a Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.

It now "protects" 496 journalists, according to the government's website.

Jorge Carrasco, director of the weekly news magazine Proceso, turned to the mechanism in 2013 after receiving death threats for his work.

He was assigned a body guard and cameras were installed in his house.

"In my case it worked. But the mechanism was overwhelmed. There were so many cases," he said, alleging insufficient commitment from other state institutions and a lack of coordination with regional authorities.

That was a factor in the murders in Tijuana, journalists said.

"Due to a change of governor (in Baja California), the mechanism stopped operating" and was supposed to be re-instated on Monday, said De Anda.

"In the meantime, two of us were killed," she said.

Balbina Flores, the Mexico representative of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, said that Martinez had been forced to seek help from the federal government, but his request was bogged down in paperwork.

"The mechanism should provide immediate protection, leaving paperwork for later," she said.

Even federal protection is not always enough.

"At least four journalists with assigned guards have been killed in three years," Flores said.

AFP sought a comment from the authorities responsible for the national protection mechanism, but there was no immediate response.

- Plea to president -

Maldonado had worked for several outlets, including Primer Sistema de Noticias (PSN), which is owned by Jaime Bonilla, who was governor of Baja California from 2019 to 2021.

She won a lawsuit a few days ago against PSN, which she had been suing for years over unfair dismissal.

In 2019, Maldonado had asked Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for "support, help and justice," as she feared for her life.

"I have been on trial for six years with him," she added about the governor, during one of Obrador's press conferences.

Bonilla denied being involved in the murder.

In addition to the killings in Tijuana, journalist and social media activist Jose Luis Gamboa died after he was stabbed and left lying in the street in the eastern state of Veracruz earlier this month.

At least seven journalists were murdered in Mexico in 2021, according to an AFP count, although it has not been determined if all the killings were linked to their reporting.

More than 100 journalists have been murdered since 2000 in Mexico and only a fraction of the crimes have resulted in convictions.

sem-dr/sw